Contact:  John Johnson or Andy Frushour 
517.332.5046 or [email protected]
 

EAST LANSING, Mich.  – Aug. 18 – FOX Sports Detroit increases its coverage of Michigan high school football this season with a weekly half-hour scores and highlights show, and announces the addition of the 8-Player final to its televised lineup of Michigan High School Athletic Association championship games.

MHSAA Football Friday Overtime debuts August 26 at Midnight and will air in that or a similar late night time slot each week throughout the Fall.  The show will reair on Saturdays at 11 a.m. 

Hosted by Mickey York and Rob Rubick, the show will include:
•  Scores from games throughout the state displayed on a ticker throughout the show.
•  Video highlights from a sampling of games, including the featured game each week designated for rebroadcast on the MHSAA Network (Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Comcast Channel 900 and archived online at MHSAA.tv), as well as selected contests provided by students of member schools as part of the MHSAA’s Digital Broadcasting Program.  
•  A live weekly interview with a head coach from one of the MHSAA member schools.
•  MLive.com prep correspondent James Schmehl will provide additional statewide perspective on each week’s results and moderate a live chat in which fans can submit questions and comments throughout the day at FoxSportsDetroit.com.

When playoff time rolls around, FOX Sports Detroit will kick things off with the announcement of the qualifiers and the first-round pairings on the annual Selection Sunday Show on Oct. 23.

FOX Sports Detroit will also provide live coverage of the inaugural 8-Player championship game, Friday, Nov. 18 at the Superior Dome in Marquette; and for the 14th consecutive year, FOX Sports Detroit will televise the Division 1 through 8 championship games, Nov. 25-26 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Additionally, FoxSportsDetroit.com will provide live streaming coverage of 16 early round playoff games – four games shown simultaneously each week through the District, Regional and Semifinal rounds.  All of these games will also be archived for on-demand viewing at MHSAA.tv.

“We are excited for the opportunity to increase our commitment to Michigan high school football by devoting a variety of new linear and digital programming,” said Greg Hammaren, Senior Vice President/General Manager of  FOX Sports Detroit. “The ability to combine our resources in conjunction with the MHSAA and its member schools will help us deliver content that feeds the passion of fans throughout in the communities we reach throughout the state.”

“Our expanding partnership with FOX Sports Detroit continues to promote high school on cable and online,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, Executive Director of the MHSAA.  “We’re excited about Football Friday Overtime, giving our 8-Player Football Final the prime time coverage it deserves, and for the live streaming video coverage of key games each week during our Football Playoffs.”

FOX Sports Detroit's coverage of the MHSAA goes to more than 3.2 million cable and satellite households throughout Michigan and portions of Northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana.  The regional network is home to more than 350 live local events per year among the MHSAA, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, Central College Hockey Association, and area college basketball.   Comprehensive coverage is also provided on the web at FoxSportsDetroit.com.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition.  No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools.  Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

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