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

Broadcast Schedules Set for MHSAA Football Finals Exclusively on NFHS Network

By Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

November 18, 2025

Over the next two weekends, and for the first time, all 10 MHSAA Football Finals will broadcast exclusively on the NFHS Network.

The two 8-Player Finals will be contested Saturday at the Superior Dome on the campus of Northern Michigan University, while the eight 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 28 and Nov. 30 at Ford Field in Detroit. The Detroit Lions also host the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 27, and on Nov. 29, Michigan State will host Maryland in a Big Ten matchup also at Ford Field.

A subscription to the NFHS Network is $13.99 per month – subscribe at NFHSNetwork.com. The broadcast teams for each game is below:

Division

Day

Time

Play by Play

Analyst

Sideline

8P-Div. 1

Nov. 22

11 am

Sean Baligian

Grant Perry

Patti Cesarini

8P-Div. 2

Nov. 22

2 pm

Sean Baligian

Grant Perry

Patti Cesarini

Div. 1

Nov. 30

7 pm

Evan Stockton

Grant Perry

Alexis Ayala

Div. 2

Nov. 28

7 pm

Evan Stockton

Grant Perry

Cristiana Rosa

Div. 3

Nov. 30

12:30 pm

Evan Stockton

Grant Perry

Dave Ellis

Div. 4

Nov. 28

12:30 pm

Evan Stockton

Grant Perry

Cristiana Rosa

Div. 5

Nov. 30

4 pm

Joe Jason

Chris Fritzsching

Alexis Ayala

Div. 6

Nov. 28

4 pm

Joe Jason

Chris Fritzsching

Dave Ellis

Div. 7

Nov. 30

9:30 am

Ben Holden

Chris Fritzsching

Dave Ellis

Div. 8

Nov. 28

9:30 am

Ben Holden

Chris Fritzsching

Dave Ellis

You can also listen to all 10 finals via MHSAANetwork.com. The audio call of each game is carried there for both live and on-demand listening.

Division

Day

Time

Play by Play

Analyst

8P-Div. 1

Nov. 22

11am

Matt Tjapkes

none

8P-Div. 2

Nov. 22

2pm

Matt Tjapkes

none

Div. 1

Nov. 30

7pm

Eric Vandefifer

Adam Schihl

Div. 2

Nov. 28

7pm

Eric Vandefifer

Adam Schihl

Div. 3

Nov. 30

12:30pm

Eric Vandefifer

Adam Schihl

Div. 4

Nov. 28

12:30pm

Eric Vandefifer

Adam Schihl

Div. 5

Nov. 30

4pm

Eric Vandefifer

Adam Schihl

Div. 6

Nov. 28

4pm

Eric Vandefifer

Adam Schihl

Div. 7

Nov. 30

9:30am

Joe Jason

Eric Vandefifer

Div. 8

Nov. 28

9:30am

Joe Jason

Eric Vandefifer

PHOTO From left: Ben Holden, Madison McCarter, Ryan Riopelle and Evan Stockton crew the first "Sunday Selection Show" exclusively on the NFHS Network, Oct. 26 from the Michigan State University School of Journalism Newsroom.