Be the Referee: Safety in End Zone
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 11, 2022
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 – Safety in End Zone - Listen
Team A has the ball on its own 3-yard line – facing a 4th-and-10. The quarterback drops back into the end zone, and just before he’s about to be sacked, he throws the ball away.
Out comes the flag for intentional grounding – which would give the defense two points and force Team A to kick off. But the coach of the team on defense would rather decline the penalty and take over at the 3-yard line. Can he do that?
Not exactly.
While he can decline the penalty, the result of the play is the same. A safety for the defense. If the penalty is accepted, the enforcement is from the end zone resulting in a safety. Incomplete illegal passes end the play where the pass is made, so even if the penalty is declined, it’s a safety because the play ended behind the goal line.
Previous Editions:
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen
Be the Referee: Unusual Soccer Goals
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
October 28, 2025
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 – Unusual Soccer Goals - Listen
We’re talking some unusual ways to score soccer goals today.
It doesn’t happen often, but a team can score directly from a corner kick or the kickoff.
But what if it’s a goalie, down in their own end, who somehow throws the ball 80 yards or so and into the back of the other team’s net. Does that count?
It does not. A keeper cannot score for his own team by throwing the ball the length of the field and into his opponent’s goal.
If this were to happen, the defending team would receive a goal kick.
But if the keeper accidentally throws the ball into his own net, then it does count as a goal for the opponent.
You don’t always need your feet to score a goal in soccer.
Previous 2025-26 editions
Oct. 21: Field Hockey Penalty Stroke - Listen
Oct. 14: Tennis Double Hit - Listen
Oct. 7: Safety in Football - Listen
Sept. 30: Field Hockey Substitution - Listen
Sept 23: Multiple Contacts in Volleyball - Listen
Sept. 16: Soccer Penalty Kick - Listen
Sept. 9: Forward Fumble - Listen
Sept. 2: Field Hockey Basics - Listen
Aug. 26: Golf Ball Bounces Out - Listen