
Tournament Streams Ahead in 4 Sports
October 29, 2019
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
It will be a very busy week of live video and audio streaming of MHSAA Tournament activity on the MHSAA.tv, MHSAANetwork.com and FOXSportsDetroit.com websites.
The centerpiece of the next seven days comes Saturday (Nov. 2), when the Boys Soccer Finals will have live audio and video streaming of its championship games from Novi and Comstock Park High Schools. Two games will be played at each site with the game times set for noon and 3 p.m. The finalists will be determined following Semifinal play Wednesday (Oct. 30), with four of those games being streamed live on MHSAA.tv.
Saturday’s coverage also will include the Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The Finish Line Cam will capture the opening 800 meters of the race on the infield of the track and the conclusion of the race beginning between the third and fourth turns on the oval. The Finish Line Cam also will feature commentary throughout each race from reporters on the course. Weather permitting, coverage also may include the awards presentations and a camera showing the runners just past the two-mile mark of the race before reentering the oval at MIS.
Lots of Football Playoff games will take place beginning Friday evening with three featured games on the FOX Sports Detroit Prep Zone. The Prep Zone games can be seen on FoxSportsDetroit.com and on FOX Sports Go! for handheld and streaming devices like Roku. Here are this weekend’s games, all at 7 p.m. Friday:
- White Lake Lakeland at Plymouth (Div. 2)
- Rochester Adams at Utica Eisenhower (Div. 2)
- DeWitt at East Lansing (Div. 3)
MHSAA.tv will play host to 30 Pre-District Football Playoff games over the weekend, most produced by participants in the School Broadcast Program. The NFHS Network is providing bonus coverage of two additional games Friday – Brighton at Holt in Division 1 and Pinckney at Coldwater in Division 3.
On Monday (Nov. 4), a record number of District matches in the MHSAA Volleyball Tournament will have opening night streaming video. Over the course of the first week of the playoffs, action will be streamed from 25 tournament centers.
The unprecedented coverage in Football, Soccer and Volleyball this fall is due to the addition of Pixellot, the NFHS Network’s automated production solution at a growing number of MHSAA member schools. The number of active Pixellot schools now stands at 84, with nearly 30 additional schools awaiting installation at their stadiums, gymnasiums, or both venues. As a result, the number of events produced by School Broadcast Program participants has passed the 2,000 mark already this school year.
Here’s the complete schedule of upcoming events on MHSAA.tv:
Tuesday - Oct. 29
Girls Volleyball - Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian v. TBA - 5 PM
Girls Volleyball - Milford v. Troy - 5 PM
Girls Volleyball - Ishpeming v. Gwinn - 5:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Norway v. Munising - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball – Ada Forest Hills Eastern v. East Grand Rapids - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Allen Park Inter-City Baptist v. Bloomfield Hills Roeper - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Gladstone v. Negaunee - 6:45 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bessemer v. Dollar Bay - 6:50 PM
Girls Volleyball - Saline v. Dexter - 7 PM – Traditional SBP Production
Girls Volleyball - Saline v. Dexter - 7 PM – Pixellot Production
Girls Volleyball - Bad Axe v. Unionville Sebewaing - 7:30 PM
Wednesday - Oct. 30
2019 MHSAA Div. 1 Boys Soccer Semifinal – Salem v. Troy Athens – 6 PM
2019 MHSAA Div. 3 Boys Soccer Semifinal - Grand Rapids South Christian v. Ludington - 6 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 Boys Soccer Semifinal - Fenton v. Melvindale - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Flint Kearsley v. Lake Fenton - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Cadillac v. Traverse City West - 6:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div. 4 Boys Soccer Semifinal - Clarkston Everest Collegiate v. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Hemlock v. Ithaca - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Frankenmuth v. Birch Run - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Petoskey v. Alpena - 7 PM
Thursday - Oct. 31
Girls Volleyball – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central v. Grand Rapids Christian - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Wyoming v. East Grand Rapids - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Dollar Bay v. TBA - 6:55 PM
Friday - Nov. 1
Girls Volleyball - Auburn Hills Oakland Christian v. Bloomfield Hills Roeper - 6:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div. 4 Region 1 District 2 Football Playoffs - Shepherd v. Freeland - 6:50 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 Region 4 District 1 Football Playoffs - Sterling Heights v. Birmingham Seaholm - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 6 Region 1 District 2 Football Playoffs - Harrison v. Clare - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 Region 3 District 1 Football Playoffs - Pinckney vs Coldwater - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 7 Region 2 District 1 Football Playoffs - North Muskegon v. Pewamo Westphalia - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 6 Region 1 District 1 Football Playoffs - Negaunee v. Calumet - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 Region 1 District 1 Football Playoffs - Portage Central vs Portage Northern - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 6 Region 1 District 2 Football Playoffs - Lake City v. Maple City Glen Lake - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div. 1 Region 2 District 1 Football Playoffs - West Bloomfield v. Canton - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 Region 4 District 2 Football Playoffs - Harper Woods v. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 6 Region 4 District 1 Football Playoffs - Durand v. Montrose - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 6 Region 2 District 2 Football Playoffs - Ithaca v. Sanford Meridian - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 8 Region 1 District 1 Football Playoffs – Bark River-Harris v. Ishpeming - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 Region 3 District 2 Football Playoffs - North Branch v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 Region 1 District 2 Football Playoffs - Allendale v. Grand Rapids Catholic Central - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 Region 1 District 1 Football Playoffs – Mt. Pleasant v. Cedar Springs - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 Region 2 District 1 Football Playoffs - Canton v. West Bloomfield - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 7 Region 2 District 2 Football Playoffs - Laingsburg v. New Lothrop - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 Region 1 District 2 Football Playoffs - Brighton vs Holt - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 Region 3 District 2 Football Playoffs – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek v. Lake Orion - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 Region 2 District 2 Football Playoffs – Ann Arbor Pioneer v. Brownstown Woodhaven - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 Region 1 District 2 Football Playoffs - Lowell v. E. Grand Rapids - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 2 Football Playoffs - East Kentwood v. Rockford - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 5 Region 3 District 1 Football Playoffs - Carrollton v. Frankenmuth - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 Region 1 District 1 Football Playoffs – Midland Dow v. Traverse City Central – 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 Region 2 District 2 Football Playoffs – Flushing v. Walled Lake Western – 7 PM
Saturday - Nov. 2
Girls Volleyball - Fowlerville v. TBA - 8:30 AM
Girls Volleyball – Mt. Morris v. Anchor Bay - 8:30 AM
2019 MHSAA L.P. Cross Country Finals - Division 3 & 4 - Finish Line Camera - 9:15 AM
2019 MHSAA L.P. Cross Country Finals - Course Cam - 2.25 Mile Mark - 9:15 AM
2019 MHSAA L.P. Cross Country Finals - Awards Presentation Camera - 12:15 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 6 Region 4 District 1 Football Playoff - Durand v. Montrose - 12:45 PM
2019 MHSAA L.P. Cross Country Finals - Division 1 & 2 - Finish Line Camera - 1:15 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 Region 4 District 2 Football Playoff - Harper Woods v. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 2:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 Boys Soccer Championship - TBA vs TBA Time TBD
2019 MHSAA Div 3 Boys Soccer Championship - TBA vs TBA Time TBD
2019 MHSAA Div 1 Boys Soccer Championship - TBA vs TBA Time TBD
2019 MHSAA Div 4 Boys Soccer Championship - TBA vs TBA Time TBD
2019 MHSAA Div 1 Region 1 District 1 Football Playoff – Hudsonville v. Traverse City West – 7 PM
Monday - Nov. 4
2019 MHSAA Div 2 District 38 Volleyball First Round – Saginaw Swan Valley vs Saginaw Arthur Hill - 5 PM
2019 MHSAA Division 2 Volleyball Quarterfinals - Caro v. Birch Run - 5 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 District 80 Volleyball First Round - Kalamazoo Christian v. Galesburg-Augusta - 5 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 1 Volleyball First Round - Petoskey v. Gaylord - 5 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 8 Volleyball First Round - Milford vs Walled Lake Western - 5 PM
Girls Volleyball - Corunna v. Mt Morris - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 19 Volleyball First Round - South Lyon East v. Howell - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 District 40 Volleyball First Round - Corunna v. Mt Morris - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 District 73 Volleyball Playoffs - Hesperia v. Hart - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 7 Volleyball First Round - Bloomfield Hills v. Troy Athens - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 District 35 Volleyball First Round - Reed City v. Manistee - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 District 123 Volleyball First Round – Detroit Southeastern v. Southfield Manoogian - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 District 121 Volleyball First Round - Plymouth Christian v. West Bloomfield Jewish Frankel Academy - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 District 40 Volleyball First Round - Corunna v. Mt Morris - 5:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 12 First Round – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern vs Cedar Springs - 6 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 District 103 Volleyball First Round - Alanson vs Pellston - 6 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 District 76 Volleyball First Round - Lakeview vs Morley-Stanwood - 6 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 26 Volleyball First Round – Birmingham Seaholm v. Royal Oak - 6 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 District 77 Volleyball First Round - Bangor v. Watervliet - 6:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 District 80 Volleyball First Round - Schoolcraft vs Delton Kellogg - 6:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 1 Volleyball First Round - Petoskey v. Gaylord - 6:30 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 District 38 Volleyball First Round – Midland Bullock Creek v. Freeland - 6:50 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 4 District 123 Volleyball First Round - Detroit Safety Academy vs Warren Michigan Math Science - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 3 District 96 Volleyball First Round - Unionville Sebewaing vs Harbor Beach - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 7 Volleyball First Round - Avondale vs Troy - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 1 District 8 Volleyball First Round - Walled Lake Central vs Walled Lake Northern - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Division 2 Volleyball Quarterfinals - Saginaw v. Frankenmuth - 7 PM
2019 MHSAA Div 2 District 38 Volleyball First Round – Midland Bullock Creek v. Freeland - 7 PM

Century of School Sports: MHSAA's Move to TV, Now Internet, 60 Years Old & Growing
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
June 3, 2025
On any given day during a sports season, you can choose from nearly 100 high school sporting events in Michigan to watch online.
More than 600 high schools are partners with the NFHS Network, and their freshman, JV, and varsity games all air live on that platform. In fact, since the MHSAA joined the Network in 2013, more than 216,000 events from Michigan have aired, trailing only Georgia and California. During the 2023-24 school year alone, nearly 47,000 events from Michigan were on live.
The NFHS Network is also home to the Finals in boys & girls cross country, boys & girls soccer, boys & girls Lower and Upper Peninsula swimming & diving, girls volleyball, 8-player football, competitive cheer, gymnastics, ice hockey, skiing, wrestling, baseball, softball, boys & girls lacrosse, and track & field. And starting with the 2025-26 school year, Finals in field hockey, boys volleyball, 11-player football, and boys & girls basketball will also air on the Network.
But it wasn’t always this easy to have so much content on your phone, computer, or TV.
During the mid-1950s, the MHSAA Representative Council began to explore the possibilities of having the Boys Basketball Finals televised. The Council discussed ideas of having all four classes broadcast to statewide audiences, and creating a modest new revenue stream while protecting existing ticket sales, which was already happening in some states.
It wasn’t until 1961 that a proposal from WJIM-TV in Lansing was approved by the Council on a one-year “experimental” basis. All four title games would be shown, with WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, WPBN-TV in Traverse City and WTOM-TV in Cheboygan joining the network. Since the games were already sold out, a rights fee to protect against lost ticket sales was waived.
No live television took place in 1962, but Michigan State University’s WMSB-TV recorded the games to be shown the following day.
In 1963, only the Class A Final was televised on six stations – WXYZ-TV, Detroit; WJRT-TV, Flint/Saginaw/Bay City; WJIM-TV, Lansing; WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo; WWTV, Cadillac; and WWUP-TV, Sault Ste. Marie. At least one station – WXYZ (the flagship station of the network) – could make only a two-hour time slot available, and when that window closed, the broadcast ended before the end of the contest.
From 1964 through 1974, Final games were televised on anywhere from two to four stations, with MHSAA BULLETIN accounts listing WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids as the originating party most years up to 1970, and WOTV-TV in Grand Rapids from 1971-74. The BULLETIN reported that 10 stations carried the Class A game in 1968, and the number of stations varied for the other three games. Flint, Detroit and Cadillac were other markets in which games were regularly shown.
In 1975, the MHSAA struck up a relationship with Public Broadcasting for the games for seven years, with WCMU-TV in Mount Pleasant coordinating the network that included affiliates in Allendale, Detroit and University Center the first year. Stations in Alpena, East Lansing and Marquette would later be involved. WFUM-TV in Flint would assume responsibility for the network in 1981, and also produced one year of the MHSAA Football Finals at the Pontiac Silverdome.
The games went back the commercial air waves in 1982, originated by WILX-TV in Lansing and carried by stations in Cadillac, Flint and Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids affiliate, WXMI-TV, would assume control of network operations from 1986 to 1989, and included live telecasts of the Girls Basketball Finals in its market.
When the Boys Basketball Finals moved to The Palace of Auburn Hills in 1990, Palace Sports & Entertainment produced and distributed the games statewide with WKBD-Southfield as the flagship station. At the same time, the MHSAA began to produce Finals in girls basketball, volleyball, soccer, ice hockey and other sports to be shown live and delayed on Pro-Am Sports (PASS Sports). Football Finals and the Football Selection Sunday Show also aired for several years on PASS. (A large collection of those games are available to view on the MHSAA YouTube channel.)
In 1998, the MHSAA began a 28-year partnership with Fox Sports Detroit (which became Bally Sports Detroit in 2021 and FanDuel Sports Network Detroit in 2024). Fox Sports broadcast Boys and Girls Basketball Semifinals and Finals and Football Finals, and also produced the football playoffs selection show during this time.
Starting in 2007, the MHSAA created the School Broadcast Program – which allowed schools to provide content to Comcast, which aired the games throughout the state on a delayed basis.
Six years later, the NFHS Network was born – with Michigan one of the founding states. The Network has shared nearly $1.5 million dollars with partner schools since the Network’s start.
In 2017, the addition of the Pixellot camera – an automated unit equipped with multiple high-definition cameras that operates without human assistance by focusing on the ball and player movement – sped up the number of schools supplying content to the Network. Otisville LakeVille Memorial in 2017 became the first Michigan school – and one of the first nationally – to implement the technology that now broadcasts events from fields and gyms all over both peninsulas.
But perhaps the most rapid acceleration of digital broadcast presence occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to live audience limits during much of the 2020-21 school year and made putting events online a must so families and friends could follow the action. And following that rapid rise in live streaming, the number of broadcasts has only continued to grow.
For those unable to attend a game in person, it’s never been easier to watch the game from home or anywhere with an internet connection.
(Retired MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties John Johnson contributed significant research to this report.)
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
May 27: Upper Peninsula Helps Make Michigan's School Sports Story Unique - Read
May 20: From Nearly A to Z, Schools Repped by 221 Nicknames - Read
May 13: These Record-Setters were Nearly Impossible to Defeat - Read
May 6: 200+ Representatives Fill All-Time Council Roster - Read
April 29: MHSAA Programs Prioritize Health & Safety - Read
April 23: Patches Signify Registered Officials' Role in MHSAA Story - Read
April 16: Student Advisory Council Gives Voice to Athletes - Read
April 9: State's Storytellers Share Spring Memories - Read
April 2: Sharp Leadership Synonymous with MHSAA Success - Read
March 25: Athletic Directors Indispensable to Mission of School Sports - Read
March 18: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships - Read
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: (1) Mickey York and Matt Shepherd anchor the 2024 Football Selection Show on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. (2) Fred McLeod and Stan Edwards call the 1998 Class AA Final on Fox Sports Detroit. (3) Natalie Kerwin reports from the sidelines at the 2023 MHSAA 11-Player Football Finals on Bally Sports Detroit. (4) Rick Berkey is on the microphone at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek to call the 1992 Girls Basketball Class C Final. (5) Mark Crawford and Kim Kaye broadcast the 1999 Class C/D Competitive Cheer Finals from Grandville High School.