Montrose Junior Named NFHS Network's Best

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director emeritus

April 26, 2017

Eric Vandefifer, a junior at Montrose High School, was named today the Best Student Broadcaster nationally in the NFHS Network School Broadcast Program Awards. 

For the second straight year, James Kitts, the coordinator of the School Broadcast Program at Montrose, was a finalist in the Teacher of the Year category.

Just last week, Montrose was named the “Program of the Year” in the MHSAA’s School Broadcast Program Excellence Awards for 2016-17, claiming the top honor for the fourth straight year.  Montrose took first place in four categories.

Vandefifer also was honored recently by the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association as the top Student Broadcaster in Division 3. Vandefifer and his broadcast partner David Sackrider placed second in the Play-By-Play Category in the MHSAA SBP awards and first in the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation Sports Announcing Team category this year.

In its eighth year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events, with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics. 

The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.  

All sporting events – live or delayed – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.

Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of live video streams being produced by SBP members (All times Eastern):

Wednesday, April 26

Thursday, April 27

Monday, May 1

Tuesday, May 2

Be sure to check the Upcoming Events page at MHSAA.tv for schedule additions every day.

The NFHS Network has announced new pricing for 2016-17, eliminating the Day Pass and lowering the cost of a Month Pass to $9.95. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.

A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.

PHOTO: Montrose's Eric Vandefifer (left) and Conner Pyrc call an MHSAA Girls Soccer Semifinal last season for the NFHS Network. (Photo courtesy of Montrose High School digital media.)

Football, Swim, Volleyball Stream LIVE

November 14, 2018

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

It’s the biggest streaming weekend of the Fall sports season on the MHSAA.tv, FoxSportsDetroit.com and MHSAANetwork.com websites and the FOX Sports app.

The weekend centers on MHSAA.tv wrapping up its Fall coverage with live video streaming of all Semifinals and Finals in Girls Volleyball, the championship round of all three Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals and 13 Semifinal games in the 11-Player Football Playoffs – most of which will be produced by members of the School Broadcast Program. All live events are shown on a subscription basis.

The 8-Player Football Finals on Saturday (Nov. 17) at Marquette’s Superior Dome between Pickford and Morrice at 11 a.m. in Division 1 and Rapid River and Onekama at 2 p.m. in Division 2 will be streamed live on the Prep Zone on the FoxSportsDetroit.com website and the FOX Sports app. The games also will be shown on FOX Sports Detroit on Tuesday (Nov. 20), with Division 1 at 8 p.m. followed by Division 2 at 11 p.m. 

It's also the last week of the PrepZone on FoxSportsDetroit.com, with three 11-Player Football Semifinal games being streamed live. All games will be archived at MHSAA.tv.

The MHSAANetwork.com website will carry live free audio of all Volleyball Semifinal and Final matches Thursday through Saturday (Nov. 15-17), as well as the 8-Player Football Finals.

Here is this week's video streaming schedule (all events live online):

Thursday - Girls Volleyball Semifinals - MHSAA.tv & MHSAANetwork.com

Division 3

  • Unionville-Sebewaing v. Traverse City St. Francis - Noon
  • Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central v. Bronson - 2 p.m.

Division 2

  • Grand Rapids Christian v. Lake Odessa Lakewood - 4:30 p.m.
  • Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. Corunna - 6:30 p.m.

Friday - Girls Volleyball Semifinals - MHSAA.tv & MHSAANetwork.com

Division 4

  • Mendon v. Southfield Christian - Noon
  • Leland v. Carney-Nadeau - 2 p.m.

Division 1

  • Lake Orion v. Farmington Hills Mercy - 4:30 p.m.
  • Northville v. Rockford - 6:30 p.m.

Saturday - 8-Player Football Finals – Prep Zone on FoxSportsDetroit.com & MHSAANetwork.com

  • Pickford v. Morrice, Division 1, 11 a.m.  
  • Rapid River v. Onekama, Division 2, 2 p.m. (Approx.)
  • Delayed cable broadcast on FOX Sports Detroit, Tuesday, Division 1 - 8 p.m.; Division 2 – 11 p.m. Archived at MHSAA.tv.

Saturday - Girls Volleyball Finals - MHSAA.tv & MHSAANetwork.com

  • Division 4 Final, 10 a.m.
  • Division 3 Final, Noon
  • Division 1 Final, 2 p.m.
  • Division 2 Final, 4 p.m.

Saturday - L.P. Girls Swimming & Diving Finals - MHSAA.tv - Noon

  • Division 1 – Eastern Michigan University
  • Division 2 – Oakland University
  • Division 3 – Holland Aquatics Center

Saturday - 11-Player Football Semifinals – Prep Zone on FoxSportsDetroit.com – 1 p.m.

  • Belleville v. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, Division 1
  • DeWitt v. Detroit Martin Luther King, Division 3
  • Grand Rapids Catholic Central v. Edwardsburg, Division 4

Saturday - 11-Player Football Semifinals on MHSAA.tv - All games 1 p.m.

  • Clarkston v. Saline, Division 1
  • Midland v. Muskegon Mona Shores, Division 2
  • Birmingham Groves v. Warren DeLaSalle, Division 2
  • Zeeland East v. Muskegon, Division 3
  • Chelsea v. Williamston, Division 4
  • Hudsonville Unity Christian v. Saginaw Swan Valley, Division 5
  • Marine City v. Portland, Division 5
  • Montague v. Traverse City St. Francis, Division 6
  • Montrose v. Jackson Lumen Christi, Division 6
  • New Lothrop v. Lake City, Division 7
  • Cassopolis v. Madison Heights Madison, Division 7
  • Breckenridge v. Harbor Beach, Division 8
  • Holton v. Reading, Division 8

A subscription to MHSAA.tv is $9.95, and allows 30 days of viewing live content on the NFHS Network. All sporting events – live or delayed – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.