Be the Referee: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

February 7, 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 – In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen

Two wrestlers are near the out-of-bounds line – the offensive wrestler is completely out of bounds, while holding the defensive wrestler on his back. Only the defensive wrestler’s shoulder is on the out-of-bounds line, and nothing else is touching in-bounds. What’s the call?

The official should continue to let them wrestle. Wrestlers are considered in bounds if a total of two supporting points of either wrestler are inside or on the boundary line. They are also in bounds if a shoulder of the defensive wrestler or hip of the offensive wrestler is inside or on the line – as both these situations count as two points of contact. With the shoulder, it’s also the scapula making contact – and with the hip, it’s also the thigh.

But if there are two contact points inside or on the line, wrestling can continue. And that includes the possibility of a pinfall.

Previous Editions:

Jan. 31: Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 24: Competitive Cheer Judges - Listen
Jan. 17: More Lines - Listen
Jan. 10: On the Line - Listen
Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End ZoneListen
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

Corrigan Siblings Carry Success Into Regionals, Celebrate Madalyn's Milestone Win

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

February 13, 2025

HARRIS — Like sister, like brother.

Upper PeninsulaThe wrestling season is winding down for Madalyn and Mitch Corrigan, who are already well into their individual championship pursuits.

Madalyn, a senior, wrestles for Powers North Central, and Mitch is a sophomore grappler at Bark River-Harris.

Despite the rivalry, the two siblings cheer for and support each other.

“We try to motivate each other,” Madalyn said. “I tell him, ‘You can do the same and more.’ If he’s in a good mood, he does the same for me.”

Madalyn earned her 100th career victory by pinning her Norway opponent 86 seconds into the 113-pound match during last week’s Division 4 Team District Final at Bark River-Harris.

Her victory also helped the Jets earn their first District title with a 36-30 triumph over the Knights.

“This is pretty exciting,” she said. “This wasn’t a goal I had in mind, but it means a lot. We’re only in our second year. None of us thought this would be possible so soon. I was depending on my teammates to make weight and win the first match so I could get my 100th. I had 14 victories after my freshman year. It never entered my mind that I would reach 100.”

The Jets also topped BR-H 36-30 in last Thursday’s opener, and Norway edged Iron Mountain 36-35 to advance.

Mitch Corrigan, left, wrestles North Central’s Myles Nehring.“I knew Maddy really wanted it,” Mitch Corrigan said. “She looked real happy, and I was pretty happy for her. There’s lot of competitiveness at home. Although, I wanted to see her do well even when they wrestled against us.”

Mitch won his match as well, taking a 13-9 decision at 215 pounds.

“One of our kids had to stop wrestling due to family issues,” he said. “I got bumped up a weight class and made sure to keep my hips back. This has been a big learning experience.”

Maddy Corrigan needed just 44 seconds to win by pin in a 120-pound match during the District Semifinal.

“I had a lot of motivation coming into this meet,” she said. “When I put my first foot on the mat, I told myself, ‘All you got.’ I left everything on the mat.”

Mitch Corrigan said he had high hopes going into Saturday’s Individual District at Manistique, where he reached the championship match and dropped a 15-12 decision to Charlevoix sophomore Ryan Glass at 190 but still advanced to this Saturday’s Individual Regional at Charlevoix.

“Maddy and I will be following each other the rest of the way,” Mitch said.

Maddy Corrigan also took runner-up honors in her Individual District at Gaylord, dropping a 4-3 decision to Frankfort junior Isabella Compton in the 115-pound title bout.

North Central’s team run ended Wednesday in Team Regional competition. But she will compete in the Individual Regional on Sunday at Cadillac.

The Individual Finals are set for Feb. 28-March 1 at Ford Field in Detroit.

John VrancicJohn Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

PHOTOS (Top) Powers North Central’s Maddy Corrigan anticipates the official’s signal for pin during her 100th career victory last week at Bark River-Harris. (Middle) Mitch Corrigan, left, wrestles North Central’s Myles Nehring. (Photos courtesy of the Escanaba Daily Press.)