Be the Referee: Wrestling Tiebreakers
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
January 30, 2024
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 – Wrestling Tiebreakers - Listen
A wrestling dual is tied after 14 matches. What happens? How is a winner determined?
There are 17 possible criteria used to break ties, starting with advancing the team penalized the fewest number of team points for flagrant misconduct or unsportsmanlike conduct.
The 17th and final tie-breaker, if needed, is a simple coin flip.
But how often are these steps actually used? A regular-season dual meet last week went to the seventh tie-break. And in the 2017 Division 3 Finals, Richmond beat Dundee for the state championship by going to the eighth step in the tie-breaker procedure. Richmond had scored more total first points and was crowned the winner.
Previous Editions
Jan. 23: Wrestling Technology - Listen
Jan. 9: 3 Seconds - Listen
Dec. 19: Unsuspecting Hockey Hits - Listen
Dec. 12: No More One-And-Ones - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 14: Volleyball Unplayable Areas - Listen
Nov. 7: Pass/Kick Off Crossbar - Listen
Oct. 31: Cross Country Interference - Listen
Oct. 24: Soccer Overtime - Listen
Oct. 17: Tennis Spin - Listen
Oct. 10: Blocked Kick - Listen
Oct. 3: Volleyball Double & Lift - Listen
Sept. 26: Registration Process - Listen
Sept. 20: Animal Interference - Listen
Sept. 13: Feet Rule on Soccer Throw-In - Listen
Sept. 6: Volleyball Jewelry - Listen
Aug. 30: Football Rules Similarities - Listen
Aug. 23: Football Rules Differences - Listen
Be the Referee: Football Finals Instant Replay
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
November 25, 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 – Football Finals Instant Replay - Listen
During the 11-Player Football Finals, coaches will have the ability to challenge plays – but there are some limitations to what they can challenge.
First, a team must have a timeout available and call it to initiate a review.
Second, there are a limited number of items that can be reviewed. Those include catch or no catch. Ball carrier in or out of bounds. Forward or backward pass. And a handful of others.
If successful, the coach will be given back the timeout.
In overtime, coaches can challenge once, no matter how many overtime periods are played – and only if they have a timeout.
All potential scoring and turnover plays will continue to be automatically reviewed.
Previous 2025-26 editions
Nov. 18: Volleyball Libero Uniforms - Listen
Nov. 11: Illegal Substitution/Participation - Listen
Nov. 4: Losing a Shoe - Listen
Oct. 28: Unusual Soccer Goals - Listen
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