Be The Referee: Catch Momentum
October 17, 2019
This week, MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice offers a "You Make the Call" regarding catch momentum after an interception near the goal line.
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 - Catch Momentum - Listen
Here’s another edition of a football You Make The Call. On a passing play, a defender intercepts the ball at the 2-yard line, and the momentum of the catch carries him across the goal line.
The defender is allowed to come out of the end zone on this play. But while breaking free from the grasp of an opponent, the ball is fumbled out of the back of the end zone. What’s the call?
Since it was the momentum of catch that carried the defender into the end zone to begin with and the ball remained in the end zone and was declared dead there, a rules exception places the ball 1st-and-10 at the 2-yard line.
Past editions
Oct. 10: Golf Rules Changes - Listen
Oct. 3: No Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 26: You Make the Overtime Call - Listen
Sept. 19: Swimming Finishing Touch - Listen
Sept. 12: Curbing Gamesmanship By Substitution - Listen
Sept. 5: Football Safety Rules Changes - Listen
Aug. 29: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
In Memoriam: Haack, Locke, Newton
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 17, 2016
From time to time, we receive news of the passing of people who have played major roles in the near-century history of MHSAA athletics. Below are notes on a few who left us this summer but made major contributions.
Ray Haack, St. Joseph – Haack taught and coached at Reese High School before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, then was employed by St. Joseph High School from 1946-86. According to his obituary, Haack built a 198-86 record coaching the Bears’ boys basketball team from 1951-66. He led the 1951 and 1953 teams to Class B championships. He died July 6 at the age of 96.
Ralph Locke, Albion – Locke was an MHSAA registered official for 38 years, for basketball during his entire tenure and for football beginning in 1986. He officiated a number of MHSAA tournament contests, mostly in football but also boys basketball, and worked Semifinal and the Class AA Final for football (Detroit Catholic Central 27, Rockford 23) in 1998. He died July 29 at age 61.
Bill Newton, Farmington – Newton led Farmington to an unexpected first MHSAA ice hockey championship in 2014, his first season as varsity coach, as his team upset reigning champion Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood in the Quarterfinal. His teams finished 44-33-4 over three seasons with a league title this past winter, and he resigned at the end of last season in part to continue his fight against cancer, according to a report by the Farmington Observer & Eccentric. Newton had previously coached as a varsity assistant for four years and junior varsity assistant for two, the report said. He died Aug. 6 at age 55.