Be the Referee: Most Important Line
October 31, 2019
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains what the goal line means for offenses, defenses and special teams in high school football.
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 - Most Important Line - Listen
There’s an old saying in football officiating that the most important line on the field is the goal line.
This is certainly true when it comes to touchdowns, as the high school rule is just like that at the college and pro level, where all the ball has to do is break the plane for the score.
One unique part of the goal line under high school rules deals with kicks. Whenever a kickoff or a punt breaks the plane of the goal line, it becomes a dead ball with an automatic touchback. Now, whenever the defense gets possession of the ball in the end zone, it can return a fumble or interception out of the end zone for advancement, except if it’s on an extra point or any time in overtime.
Past editions
Oct. 24: Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
Oct. 17: Catch Momentum - Listen
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
All Girls Quarterfinals Live on MHSAA TV
March 13, 2017
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
For the first time, all of the Quarterfinal games in the MHSAA Basketball Tournaments will have live streaming video on the MHSAA.tv website, beginning with Tuesday’s (March 14) in the Girls Tournament.
A $9.95 subscription will allow for live viewing of Tuesday’s Quarterfinals, plus Semifinal action on Thursday and Friday (March 16-17) from the Breslin Center in East Lansing, and all of the Quarterfinal and Semifinal games from next week’s Boys Tournament – 56 games in all.
Most of the Quarterfinal games are being produced by participants in the MHSAA’s School Broadcast Program. Here’s the complete schedule, with the producing SBP school in parenthesis:
Class A
- Farmington Hills Mercy vs. Warren Cousino at Southfield A&T High School, 7 p.m. (Center Line)
- Macomb Dakota vs. Flushing at Davison High School, 6 p.m. (Davison)
- Kalamazoo Central vs. East Kentwood at Lansing Eastern Fieldhouse, 7 p.m. (East Lansing)
- Ann Arbor Huron vs. Southfield A&T at Southfield A&T High School, 5:30 p.m. (Center Line)
Class B
- Detroit Mumford vs. Detroit Country Day at Marysville High School, 7 p.m. (Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood)
- Marshall vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Otsego High School, 7 p.m. (Comstock Park)
- Williamston vs. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep at Brighton High School, 7 p.m. (Detroit Catholic Central)
- Freeland vs. Cadillac at Big Rapids High School, 6 p.m. (Cedar Springs & Rockford)
Class C
- Blissfield vs. Detroit Edison PSA at Ypsilanti Community High School, 6:30 p.m. (Riverview Gabriel Richard)
- Flint Hamady vs. Hemlock at Saginaw Heritage High School, 7 p.m. (Mt. Pleasant)
- Schoolcraft vs. Pewamo-Westphalia at Portage Northern High School, 6:30 p.m.
- Maple City Glen Lake vs. St. Ignace at Gaylord High School, 7 p.m. (Charlevoix)
Class D
- Engadine vs. Crystal Falls Forest Park at Negaunee High School, 7 p.m. (Negaunee)
- Waterford Our Lady vs. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary at Burton Bendle High School, 6 p.m. (Montrose)
- St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran vs. Pittsford at Battle Creek Harper Creek High School, 7 p.m.
- Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart vs. Frankfort at Buckley High School, 7 p.m. (Mancelona)
Coverage of all games will be single camera with graphics. SBP-produced games may also include their own announcers. DVDs of all games can be ordered through MHSAA.tv.
In its eighth year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events, with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics.
The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
All sporting events – Live or On-Demand – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program. A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.
A weekly staple on the MHSAA.tv website and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube is back for another year with highlights of selected games last week produced by members of the Association’s School Broadcast Program.
This week’s highlights package includes Girls Basketball Regional Final games St. Ignace vs. Calumet and Flushing vs. Midland Dow.
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.