Be the Referee: Pass Interference
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Director of Brand Management
November 3, 2026
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 – Pass Interference - Listen
How well do you know the rules regarding pass interference and passes behind the line of scrimmage? Let’s find out.
The blue team has the ball. The quarterback throws a forward pass to a receiver who is positioned behind the line of scrimmage. Before the receiver can make the catch, a red team defender makes contact with him, and the pass falls incomplete.
Is this defensive pass interference?
The answer is no.
Under high school football rules, pass interference restrictions only apply to forward passes that cross the line of scrimmage. Because this pass was thrown to a receiver behind the line of scrimmage and did not cross it, there is no pass interference.
The same rule applies to backward passes. Pass interference cannot be called on a backward pass, regardless of where the receiver is positioned.
Previous 2026-27 editions
Oct: 27: Field Hockey Substitutions - Listen
Oct. 20: Foot Save in Volleyball - Listen
Oct. 13: Soccer Advantage - Listen
Oct. 6: Defensive Holding - Listen
Sept. 29: Minimum Number of Volleyball Players - Listen
Sept 22: Soccer Changes - Listen
Sept: 15: Dead Ball Penalty - Listen
Sept. 8: Libero Ejected - Listen
Sept. 1: Soccer Foul After Shot on Goal - Listen
Aug. 25: Fumble Out of Bounds - Listen
Moment: Morenci Returns to Record Book
November 18, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The 1996 MHSAA Class C Football Final at the Pontiac Silverdome produced a special teams gem – the longest blocked punt return in the history of the event.
Morenci came to the game owning a piece of football history in Michigan. The Bulldogs' 1949 gridiron squad is one of seven teams to have ever produced an undefeated, untied and unscored campaign. At the same time, they scored 514 points in nine games, which was a regular-season record until Battle Creek Pennfield hit the 541-point mark in 1992.
Against Ravenna on this Thanksgiving weekend, Morenci found the record book again when Scott Miller blocked a punt attempt by Steve Johnson, and Chad Tedder picked up the loose ball and returned it a record 32 yards for a touchdown.
In the end, it was Ravenna which prevailed in this finale, 30-14. Benny Clark rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns on a final-game record 49 attempts to end his career with 7,212 rushing yards, a state record at the time.