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
- JV Softball – Onaway at Rogers City, 4 p.m.
- JV Softball – Onaway at Rogers City, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 27
- Girls Soccer – Lake Fenton at Montrose, 4 p.m.
- Baseball – Rudyard at Rogers City, 4 p.m.
- Softball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet, 4 p.m.
- Softball – Troy Athens at Lake Orion, 4:30 p.m.
- Baseball – Rudyard at Rogers City, 5:30 p.m.
- Softball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet, 6 p.m.
- Boys Lacrosse – Holt at East Lansing, 7 p.m. (On Demand)
Monday, May 1
- Baseball – Mt. Morris at Montrose, 4 p.m.
- Softball – Baraga at Calumet, 4 p.m.
- Softball – Baraga at Calumet, 6 p.m.
- Girls Soccer – Clarkston at Lake Orion, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 2
- Baseball – L’Anse at Calumet, 4 p.m.
- JV Softball – Oscoda at Rogers City, 4 p.m.
- JV Softball – Oscoda at Rogers City, 5:30 p.m.
- Baseball – L’Anse at Calumet, 6 p.m.
- Girls Soccer – Montrose at Corunna, 7 p.m.
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.)
SBP Schools Receive Equipment Grants
November 11, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
A trio of MHSAA members involved in its School Broadcast Program has been named recipients of grants from the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association to purchase equipment for their broadcasting programs.
Lake Orion ($1,921), Negaunee ($1,471) and Rogers City ($1,471) high schools were three of six schools to receive grants from the DSBA, with those grants to be used to purchase audio and video equipment. Check presentations to each school will take place at a future date.
In its seventh 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.
Six Regional Final games in the MHSAA Football Playoffs – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard – will have live streaming video this weekend on FoxSportsDetroit.com and MHSAA.tv.
It’s the third weekend of Playoffs on the PrepZone on FoxSportsDetroit.com, where the following games will be featured on Friday (Nov. 13) at 7 p.m.
- Remus Chippewa Hills at Ada Forest Hills Northern
- Rockford at Grand Ledge
- Jackson Lumen Christi at Clinton
- Detroit Cass Tech at Macomb Dakota
Saturday (Nov. 14) Playoff games live on MHSAA.tv are covered by members participating in the School Broadcast Program. This week’s games are:
- East Grand Rapids at Mt. Pleasant – 1 p.m.
- Constantine v. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian at Comstock Park High School – 1 p.m.
Fans can watch PrepZone games on their computer or handheld devices by following these instructions:
On Your Desktop/Laptop Computer
- Go to FOXSportsGo.com
- Click on the “All Chs” menu at the bottom left of the page
- Select “FOX Sports Go Extras”
On Your Handheld Device
- Download the free FOX Sports Go app from your store
- Click on the “All Channels” menu at the top of the app
- Select “FOX Sports Go Extras”
All PrepZone games will be archived on MHSAA.tv.
A Day Pass to watch live on MHSAA.TV is $9.95. A Month Pass is $14.95, and would also allow access to the full schedule of MHSAA Tournaments during the month of November:
- Nov. 19-20 – Girls Volleyball Semifinals & Finals
- Nov. 21 – Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals
- Nov. 21 – Football Playoff Semifinals (12 games)
All sporting events – Live or On-Demand – 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.
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.
Launching at Midnight every Friday throughout the season is MHSAA Football Friday Overtime on FOX Sports Detroit. Mickey York and Rob Rubick host the weekly 30-minute highlights show. The show will re-air most Saturday and Sunday mornings – and will be archived on the FOX Detroit Website. This week, FFOT will re-air at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday.
The following games are scheduled to be highlighted this week on Football Friday Overtime:
- Algonac at River Rouge
- Chelsea at Allen Park
- Buchanan at Ida
- Canton at Saline
- PLUS – Highlights from this week’s PrepZone games.