SBP School Streams 1st HD Broadcasts
February 4, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
The first High Definition video streams by a participating school lead a list of more than 50 sporting events on MHSAA.tv this week being produced by its School Broadcast Program.
Haslett High School streamed live HD video of its boys basketball game with Okemos on Tuesday and will do so for its game against Saginaw Nouvel on Feb. 10, utilizing its new in-school fiber network connections from its gymnasium to its production control room for the first time. Haslett joins a short list of schools in the SBP which run fiber from their event facilities to a control room in another wing of the building where video production classes are taught.
Most schools haul all of their production equipment to the venues for their video broadcasts. Now at Haslett, cameras, audio connections and intercom communications will simply be plugged into network jacks, replacing long snakes of cable runs around a performance venue. In addition to the fiber connections at the gym and football stadium, the school’s Performing Arts Center also is connected by fiber to the control room.
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.
Here’s the schedule of School Broadcast Program members planning to cover varsity competition over the next week for broadcast at MHSAA.tv (as of Feb. 2). The following events will have live streaming video unless otherwise indicated:
Wednesday, February 4
Boys Basketball – Gaylord St. Mary’s at Indian River Inland Lakes, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Alba at Mackinaw City, 7 p.m.
Thursday, February 5
Girls Basketball – Mt. Morris at Montrose, 5:30 p.m.
Boys Swimming & Diving – Grand Ledge at East Lansing, 6 p.m. (VOD)
Girls Basketball – Whittemore-Prescott at Hillman, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Bellaire at Indian River Inland Lakes, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Girls Basketball – Alanson Littlefield at Mackinaw City, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Mancelona at Onaway, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Girls Basketball – Hillman at Posen, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Oscoda at Rogers City, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Mt. Morris at Montrose, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Fairview at AuGres-Sims, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, February 6
Wrestling - O-K Conference Blue Tournament at Comstock Park, 5 p.m. (Comstock Park, Allendale, Belding, Coopersville, Sparta, Grand Rapids West Catholic)
Wrestling – Quad at Pinconning, 5:30 p.m. (Pinconning, Standish-Sterling, Bay City John Glenn, Tawas)
Boys Basketball – Johannesburg-Lewiston at Indian River Inland Lakes, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Boyne Falls at Mackinaw City, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Bellaire at Mancelona, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Paw Paw at Dowagiac, 7 p.m.
Ice Hockey – Port Huron Northern at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, February 7
Girls Competitive Cheer – Montrose Invitational, 8 a.m.
Ice Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Detroit U-D Jesuit, 5 p.m.
Monday, February 9
Girls Basketball – Pickford at Newberry, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, February 10
Boys Basketball – Pickford at Newberry, 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Chassell at Calumet, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Saginaw Nouvel at Haslett, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Mio at Hillman, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Goodrich at Montrose, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Central Lake at Onaway, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Lincoln Alcona at Rogers City, 7 p.m. (VOD)
Boys Basketball – Hale at AuGres-Sims, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Hopkins at Plainwell, 7:15 p.m.
Live stats of select basketball games also are available on MHSAA.tv. Check out the MHSAA.tv website on game night to see which schools are streaming live stats, or stop by to view stats following games on an On-Demand basis. A Day Pass to view live stats is $1.95.
All sporting events – live or delayed – are available on MHSAA.tv on a subscription basis for their first 72 hours online. A portion of each subscription is returned to school originating the broadcast. Video subscriptions run $9.95 for a Day Pass and $14.95 for a Month Pass. Some schools also are offering Annual Passes at a discounted rate. All sporting events become available for free On-Demand viewing three days after they have been posted.
To view all of the recent School Broadcast Program productions, go to MHSAA.tv, click On-Demand on the nav bar of the left side of the page, and on the Filters tab at the top of next page, click on All States and then select Michigan.
Also available below is an SBP highlights package from the past week, including a 55-50 victory by East Lansing over St. Johns in a boys basketball contest plus a 37-36 overtime win for Fairview at Lincoln Alcona in girls basketball.
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.
Division 6 Final: Play it Again, Yellowjackets
November 29, 2011
DETROIT – So began the legacy of Ithaca quarterback Travis Smith.
And so continues an incredible run by one of Michigan’s newest football powerhouses.
The Yellowjackets pushed their winning streak to 28 and claimed their second straight MHSAA championship by downing Constantine 42-14 in Friday's Division 6 Final.
They did so led by a number of last season’s top players, but minus their 2010 Final star. That’s where the sophomore Smith came in, joining the starting lineup in the season’s second week and bringing Ithaca back to Ford Field for another title.
“It’s more special just because this is the last time to suit up for most of us. We’re not going to be able to play another game next year, and we get to end on the biggest stage high school football has to offer in Michigan,” Ithaca senior linebacker/running back Garrett Miniard said.
“I think it was almost a little jealousy of the seniors last year of being able do that, being able to go out on top. I think that kept us going throughout the season, throughout the offseason. Being able to have that luxury of going out on top just like they did.
Ithaca (14-0) hasn’t lost since its 2009 Semifinal against Montague. With two more wins to start next fall, the Yellowjackets can become the 14th team on the MHSAA record book list with at least 30 straight victories.
And Smith should be there to lead the way. He connected on 18 of 25 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown Friday, and ran for 43 yards and a score. Miniard rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns, and had 14 tackles. And senior David Brown caught six passes for 122 yards and also ran for a score.
Smith followed the path this fall of another former sophomore starter at his position – Alex Niznak, who graduated in the spring, plays at Central Michigan now, but didn’t leave before leading the Yellowjackets to both their first Semifinal berth and MHSAA championship over the last two seasons. Niznak’s title game performance last season included 251 yards passing, 138 rushing and an MHSAA Finals-record five touchdowns running the ball.
Brown originally took over at quarterback this fall. But he was injured on opening night – after running for three touchdowns against Williamston – and missed significant time, allowing Smith to take hold of the offense. Smith finished his first varsity season with a not-too-shabby 2,310 passing yards, 969 rushing yards, and a combined 48 touchdowns throwing or running.
“Coach (Terry) Hessbrook told me to just go in there and do what I can do, and just play football,” Smith said. “I’ve got so many good athletes around me. I just need to get my players the ball and let them do what they can do.”
Ithaca twice had catching up to do in the Final, with Constantine (11-3) scoring first and then taking a 14-7 lead midway through the first quarter – before the Yellowjackets rolled to 35 unanswered points.
“These kids had this goal since last year … of getting back here,” Hessbrook said. “We didn’t want Ithaca football to just be one and done, or a one-year wonder. And they’ve worked really hard.”
Constantine junior Ben Mallo did run 17 times for 189 yards and both scores. But the Falcons were without quarterback Tommy Reed, who was injured during last week’s Semifinal win over Ecorse. They played Ithaca to a 14-14 halftime tie before the Yellowjackets’ offense broke the game open.
“We’ve played offenses with that type of talent. Last week, for instance. And I’m sure Coach Hessbrook watched those films and saw some things he could do against us," Constantine coach Shawn Griffith said. "It’s a lot different than what we do, and you saw we caused them a little bit of problems early in the game as well. We do our thing, they do theirs. They do their thing very well. We did ours well. We just weren’t quite there on a couple drives that ended short.”