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Watch XC, Football, Soccer Online

November 2, 2016

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director

A pair of top-10 showdowns on the gridiron, four championship games on the soccer pitch, and the return of the Finish Line Cam at cross country will provide MHSAA Championships followers with plenty of live content online this weekend.

The weekend begins with four games in the MHSAA Football Playoffs – powered by the Michigan Army National Guard – on the PrepZone on FoxSportsDetroit.com and FOX Sports GO! on Friday (Nov. 4) at 7 p.m.:

  • Allendale at Grand Rapids Catholic Central
  • Grand Rapids West Catholic at Portland
  • Sand Creek at Hudson
  • Mendon at Climax-Scotts

Portland was the top-ranked team in the final Associated Press Division 5 poll, while Grand Rapids West Catholic was sixth. The last three meetings between these two teams were in the playoffs:  West Catholic won the most recent, in 2013, 27-14 in a Pre-District game after the Raiders had downed the Falcons 12-9 in the 2012 Division 5 Final; and West Catholic won a 2010 District Final game, 38-13. 

Hudson finished sixth in the Division 7 rankings, while Sand Creek was 10th. The last two meetings in this series were also in playoff settings, with Hudson winning both – 42-0 in a 2004 District Final and 29-6 in a 2003 Semifinal.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central was fifth in the final Division 4 rankings and defeated Allendale in Week 2, 35-20. Climax-Scotts is the second-ranked team in Division 8 and has played Mendon in the Pre-District or District Final in each of the past five seasons, with the Panthers winning last year’s Pre-District game, 8-6, after Mendon won the previous four meetings. The two schools were rivals in the old St. Joseph Valley League for many years.

All PrepZone games will be archived on MHSAA.tv.

Saturday’s Boys Soccer Finals will be Live on MHSAA.tv with games at Noon and 3 p.m. The games will be played at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek and Comstock Park High Schools, with matchups at each site to be announced after the Semifinals on Wednesday (Nov. 3). All games also will have live streaming audio at MHSAANetwork.com.

One Soccer Semifinal game will be Live on MHSAA.tv on Wednesday – a Division 3 matchup at Cedar Springs between Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Charlevoix, at 6 p.m.

MHSAA.tv also will offer a free live video stream Saturday of the finish line at the Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway. The stream will include audio commentary from announcers around the course throughout each race. The morning session with the boys and girls races in Division 3 and 4 begins at 10 a.m., and the afternoon session with races in Divisions 1 and 2 starts at 1:30 p.m. Live timing of each race will be available on the Cross Country page of the MHSAA Website.

A subscription to watch live on MHSAA.tv is $9.95 and allows access to the full schedule of MHSAA Tournaments during the month of November:

  • Nov. 5 – Boys Soccer Finals
  • Nov. 5 – Selected Football Playoff District Finals
  • Nov. 12 – Selected Football Playoff Regional Finals
  • Nov. 17-19 – Girls Volleyball Semifinals & Finals
  • Nov. 19 – Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals
  • Nov. 19 – Football Playoff Semifinals (12 games)

Live coverage of three Football District Finals and a pair of Girls Volleyball District games produced by SBP schools takes place this week as well on MHSAA.tv:

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.

Weekly highlights from games produced by participants in the MHSAA's School Broadcast Program are back for another school year on MHSAA.tv. This week's highlights include playoff football games with Clarkston Everest at Waterford Our Lady and Traverse City Central vs. Traverse City West, and a Division 2 Boys Soccer Regional Final between East Lansing and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. 

Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office. 

Hoops on Film: 1958 Class A Boys Final

July 23, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director

A matchup of future NBA players hailing from opposite sides of the state is highlighted this week as part of MHSAA.tv’s Hoops On Film Series.

From the late 1940’s to the mid 1970’s the Michigan High School Athletic Association shot portions of the action at its boys and girls basketball finals on 16mm film. The films were loaned out, primarily to the participating schools, to help them relive the moments of playing in a championship game.

While many of the old films have wandered astray over time, about 60 games still exist in the MHSAA archives. Anyone in possession of such a film is encouraged to contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office ([email protected]) to discuss having the film converted to a digital format.

Some of the films only have portions of the second half and the post-game awards; some have most of the action. None of the films have sound. They range in length from 10 minutes to about an hour. A new film will be posted online each Monday through the week of August 17. DVD’s may be purchased directly from the MHSAA.tv Website – just click the Get DVD button below the player. 

Here’s a look at this week’s game, with recap courtesy of MHSAA historian Ron Pesch:

Detroit Austin 71, Benton Harbor 68 – 1958 Class A Boys Final - Benton Harbor clung to a slim 49-48 lead after three periods of play, but Detroit Austin Catholic's Dave DeBusschere scored five field goals during the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to lead his team to a 71-68 victory over the Tigers in Class A.  DeBusschere finished with 32 points. Dominant in their respective areas of the state, the schools were favorites to meet in the Final. The game marked Benton Harbor's second straight appearance in the championship game, while Austin was only in its third year as a four-year high school. Chet Walker, who finished with 25 points for the Tigers, would go on to a distinguished career with Bradley University and the Chicago Bulls. DeBusschere went on to play for the University of Detroit, the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks.

Previous releases:
1976 Class D Girls Final: Lake City 58, Perkins 48 - Watch
1971 Class A Boys Final: Flint Northern 79, Detroit Kettering 78 - Watch
1954 Class A Boys Final: Muskegon Heights 43, Flint Northern 41 (OT) - Watch
1973 Class C Boys Final: Detroit East Catholic 50, Saginaw St. Stephen 49 - Watch