Be the Referee: Blocked Kick
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
October 10, 2023
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Blocked Kick - Listen
It’s 4th-and-10. Team A is lining up on its 25-yard line to kick a field goal. The kick is blocked backward by Team B, never crossing the line of scrimmage. The kicker is able to scoop the ball up and take off, getting down to the 7-yard line before being tackled.
The next down should be:
- First-and-goal from the 7 for Team A – the kicking team.
- First-and-10 from the 7 for Team B – the defensive team.
- First-and-10 from the 25-yard line for Team B.
If you said 1st-and-Goal for Team A, you are correct. Because the kicked ball never crossed the line of scrimmage, the kicking team is able to pick the ball up and advance it. Because it was carried past the line to gain, it’s a first down.
Previous Editions
Oct. 3: Volleyball Double & Lift - Listen
Sept. 26: Registration Process - Listen
Sept. 20: Animal Interference - Listen
Sept. 13: Feet Rule on Soccer Throw-In - Listen
Sept. 6: Volleyball Jewelry - Listen
Aug. 30: Football Rules Similarities - Listen
Aug. 23: Football Rules Differences - Listen
In Shoulder Pads & Stripes, Michigan Superbly Represented at Super Bowl LX
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
February 9, 2026
MHSAA football champion? Check.
NCAA football champion? Check.
Super Bowl champion? Check.
Winning has become routine for Muskegon’s Anthony Bradford.
Bradford starred on the offensive line for the Big Reds, helping deliver the MHSAA 11-Player Division 3 championship in 2017. He kept collecting titles at LSU as part of the Tigers’ national championship team in 2019. Now, he’s reached the sport’s biggest stage as a Super Bowl champion.
The Seahawks’ starting right guard played a major role in Seattle’s second Super Bowl title, a 29-13 win over New England on Sunday in Super Bowl LX. Seattle rushed for 141 yards and allowed just one sack in the victory.
Bradford wasn’t the only former MHSAA athlete connected to the Seahawks this season. Wide receivers Tyrone Broden (West Bloomfield, 2019) and Cody White (Walled Lake Western, 2016), along with offensive lineman Logan Brown (East Kentwood, 2019), spent time on the practice squad or injured reserve. Defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins (Detroit Southeastern, 2010) was released in early December.
New England also featured MHSAA ties, with offensive lineman Mike Onwenu (Detroit Cass Tech, 2016) and punter Bryce Baringer (Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 2017) on the Super Bowl roster.
Super Bowl LX was officiated by referee Shawn Smith, a graduate of Detroit Cody, where he played football and ran track. Smith was a registered MHSAA official for 18 years before advancing to the college ranks and eventually the NFL.
PHOTOS (Top) Shawn Smith, center with white hat, poses for a photo with his officiating crew at Sunday's Super Bowl. (Middle) Muskegon's Anthony Bradford lines up against Farmington Hills Harrison in 2017. (Smith photo courtesy of the NFL/Ben Liebenberg.)