Mat Action Abounds on MHSAA TV

March 3, 2020

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

The mats in Grand Rapids and Detroit will get a workout this weekend with live streaming video on MHSAA.tv both Friday and Saturday (March 6-7), with NFHS Network coverage of the MHSAA Girls Competitive Cheer and Individual Wrestling Finals.

This will be the second of five straight weekends of Winter championship activity, which also will include more than 100 District games from the Girls Basketball Tournament and the final week of the regular season in boys basketball.

The Competitive Cheer coverage on MHSAA.tv begins at 6 p.m. Friday from the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids.  Here’s the complete schedule:

Friday – March 6

  • 6 PM – Division 1 - Brighton, Grand Blanc, Hartland, Lake Orion, Plymouth, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Utica Eisenhower

Saturday – March 7

  • 10 AM – Division 2 - Allen Park, Cedar Springs, Charlotte, DeWitt, Gibraltar Carlson, Muskegon Mona Shores, Southgate Anderson, Walled Lake Western
  • 2 PM – Division 4 - Addison, Adrian Madison, East Jordan, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, Hudson, Munising, Pewamo-Westphalia, St. Charles
  • 6 PM – Division 3 - Berrien Springs, Comstock Park, Croswell-Lexington, Escanaba, Paw Paw Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Onsted, Richmond 

At Ford Field, there will be 20 mats providing 1,680 bouts over two days from the Individual Wrestling Finals. Here’s the round-by-round schedule:

Friday – March 6

  • 11:30 AM – First Round – Championship Bracket
  • 2:45 PM – Second Round – Consolation Bracket (Round may begin earlier if time allows)
  • 4:15 PM – Third Round – Quarterfinal Bracket (Round may begin earlier if time allows)
  • 6 PM – Fourth Round – Blood Round-Consolation Bracket (Round may begin earlier if time allows)
  • 7:30 PM – Fifth Round – Semifinal Round-Championship Bracket (Semifinals will not begin early)

Saturday – March 7

  • 9 AM – Sixth Round – Consolation Bracket
  • 10 AM – Seventh Round – Consolation Bracket (Round may begin earlier if time allows)
  • 11 AM – Eighth Round – Medal Round – Consolation Bracket (Round may begin earlier if time allows)
  • 3:30 PM – Ninth Round – Finals – Championship Bracket (Finals will not begin early)

Over the remainder of the Winter season, MHSAA.tv will have live final round coverage of the following:

  • Ice Hockey Semifinals & Finals – March 12-13-14
  • L.P. Boys Swimming & Diving Finals – March 14
  • Girls Basketball Quarterfinals & Semifinals – March 17, 19-20
  • Girls Basketball Quarterfinals & Semifinals – March 24, 26-27 

You always can reach a list of the upcoming tournament games by Clicking Here. Fans can purchase a Month Pass to watch on the NFHS Network for $10.99.

Subscribers will have access to all live video across the country for 30 days.  All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live.

Hoops on Film: 1973 Class C Boys Final

June 22, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director

Straight out of the dusty tin canisters where they’ve sat for a long time, some of the classic basketball championship games of years past will be featured for 10 weeks this summer on MHSAA.tv’s Hoops On Film Series.

From the late 1940’s to the mid 1970’s the Michigan High School Athletic Association shot portions of the action at its basketball finals on 16mm film. The films were loaned out, primarily to the participating schools, to help them relive the moments of playing in a championship game.

While many of the old films have wandered astray over time, about 60 games still exist in the MHSAA archives. Anyone in possession of such a film is encouraged to contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office ([email protected]) to discuss having the film converted to a digital format.

Some of the films only have portions of the second half and the postgame awards; some have most of the action. None of the films have sound. They range in length from 10 minutes to about an hour. A new film will be posted online each Monday beginning June 22, through the week of August 17.

Click below for the first installment of the Hoops On Film series and to check out the game recap courtesy of MHSAA Historian Ron Pesch of Muskegon.

Detroit East Catholic 50, Saginaw St. Stephen 49 – 1973 Class C Boys Final - With four ticks remaining on the clock, Larry Merchant's 18-foot jumper from left of the key gave underdog Detroit East Catholic a 50-49 win over top-ranked Saginaw St. Stephen in Class C. Merchant, who scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half, gave the Chargers a 48-47 lead with just over a minute to play, but a pair of free throws by Elijah Coates pushed St. Stephen out front 49-48 with 45 seconds left.