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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.)

Hockey Clashes Top MHSAA TV Lineup

January 3, 2018

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties 

Games involving three of the top-ranked teams in Michigan high school hockey – Brighton, Calumet and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – highlight this week’s schedule of high school sporting events on MHSAA.tv produced by Association members taking part in the School Broadcast Program.
 
Calumet, the third-ranked team in Division 3 in the most recent Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association poll (Dec. 18, 2017), hosts St. Mary’s, the No. 3 team in Division 1, on Friday (Dec. 5) at 7 p.m. Brighton, the top-ranked team in Div. 1 and the defending MHSAA champion in that division, rolls into the Keweenaw Peninsula to face the Copper Kings on Saturday (Jan. 6) at 7 p.m.
 
A total of 72 sporting events – 44 at the varsity level – are on the schedule for this week, with more to be added as the week progresses. Be sure to check “Upcoming Events” on the MHSAA.tv home page daily for last-minute additions.
 
In its ninth 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. Pixellot – the NFHS Network’s automated streaming solution - is used by schools that wish to live stream games but lack the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions. Of the 72 games on this week’s schedule, 53 will be Pixellot productions.
 
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members:
 
Wednesday, Jan. 3
Freshman Boys Basketball – Flint Kearsley at Otisville-Lakeville - 4 p.m. 
Wrestling - Montrose Dual - 5 p.m.
Wrestling –  Macomb Lutheran North Quad - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Flint Kearsley at Otisville-Lakeville – 5:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Marion at Vestaburg – 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Farmington at Lake Orion – 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Flint Kearsley at Otisville-Lakeville – 7 p.m.
 
Thursday, Jan. 4
Freshman Boys Basketball – Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park - 4 p.m.
Freshman Boys Basketball - Roscommon at Harrison - 4:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - L'Anse at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Wakefield-Marinesco at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Lincoln Alcona at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Roscommon at Harrison - 6 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Frankenmuth at Freeland - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Crystal Falls Forest Park at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey - Negaunee at Marquette - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Lincoln Alcona at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - L'Anse at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Dollar Bay at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Wakefield-Marinesco at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Roscommon at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Crystal Falls Forest Park at Norway - 8 p.m.
 
Friday, Jan. 5
Freshman Girls Basketball - Big Rapids at Fremont - 4:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Webberville at Montrose - 5:29 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Ortonville-Brandon at Otisville-Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Big Rapids at Fremont - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Fowlerville at Ionia - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Allegan at Plainwell - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Shepherd at Freeland - 6 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey - Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Calumet - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Ortonville-Brandon at Otisville-Lakeville - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Webberville at Montrose - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Ashley at Vestaburg - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Houghton at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Ionia at Fowlerville - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Allegan at Plainwell - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Shepherd at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Big Rapids at Fremont - 7:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, Jan. 6
Boys Ice Hockey - Brighton at Calumet - 7 p.m.

Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.