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 Coverage Ramps Up on MHSAA.tv
September 23, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
Nearly 50 events, including over 30 athletic broadcasts, will be put out by members of the MHSAA’s School Broadcast Program in the coming week as participating schools get settled into the third full week of the 2015-16 school year.
The programming ranges from athletic events to school board meetings and daily student announcements. A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.
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.
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.
Here’s the schedule of School Broadcast Program members planning to stream athletic competition this week for broadcast at MHSAA.tv. On-Demand listings may be available as soon as one hour following an event’s completion. (List as of Sept. 22):
Wednesday – Sept. 23
- Tawas at Pinconning – Boys Soccer – 5 p.m. – On-Demand
- Escanaba at Negaunee – Freshman Football – 6:30 p.m. – On-Demand
Thursday – Sept. 24
- Wyoming at Cedar Springs – Girls Volleyball – 6 p.m. – LIVE
- St. Johns at East Lansing – Girls Swimming & Diving – 6 p.m. – On-Demand
- Goodrich at Montrose – Junior Varsity Football – 6:25 p.m. – LIVE
- Gwinn at Negaunee – Junior Varsity Football – 6:30 p.m. – On-Demand
- Au Gres-Sims at Whittemore-Prescott – Girls Volleyball – 6:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Durand at Flint Kearsley – Boys Soccer – 7 p.m. – On-Demand
- Escanaba at Marquette – Girls Volleyball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
Friday – Sept. 25
- Whittemore-Prescott at Lincoln Alcona – Football – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Wyoming at Cedar Springs – Football – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Flint Southwestern at Davison – Football – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Holt at East Lansing – Football – 7 p.m. – On-Demand
- Fenton at Flint Kearsley – Football – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Gladstone at Marquette – Football – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Standish-Sterling at Pinconning – Football – 7 p.m. – On-Demand
- Allegan at Plainwell – Football – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Caledonia at Rockford – Football – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Coopersville at Comstock Park – Football – 7:40 p.m. – LIVE
Saturday – Sept. 26
- Oscoda Volleyball Invitational – 9 a.m. – On-Demand
- Detroit Catholic Central at East Lansing – Boys Soccer – 11:30 a.m. – On-Demand
Tuesday – Sept. 29
- DeWitt at Haslett – Boys Soccer – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Grand Ledge at East Lansing – Girls Volleyball – 6 p.m. – On-Demand
- Pellston at Onaway – Girls Volleyball – 6 p.m. – On-Demand
- Greenville at Cedar Springs – Boys Soccer – 6:45 p.m. – LIVE
- Fenton at Flint Kearsley – Girls Volleyball – 7 p.m. – On-Demand
Weekly highlights from games produced by participants in the MHSAA's School Broadcast Program are back for another school year on MHSAA.tv. Highlights from this past week come from an 8-player football game between Cedarville at Onaway and girls volleyball matches Kingsford at Marquette and Mason at Haslett.
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 a.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday on FOX Sports Detroit.
The following games are scheduled to be highlighted this week on Football Friday Overtime:
- Lansing Eastern at Lansing Everett
- Holt at East Lansing
- Belleville at Dearborn Heights Robichaud
- Dearborn at Romulus
- Almont at Richmond