Be the Referee: Fifth-Quarter/Third-Half Rule
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
April 25, 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 – Fifth-Quarter/Third-Half Rule - Listen
Did you know? ... Many sports now offer student-athletes the opportunity to compete on both varsity and subvarsity teams during the same week or even the same day.
The Fifth-Quarter or Third-Half Rule was instituted to help subvarsity teams with low participation numbers. Now, a student-athlete on the varsity team can participate in part of the JV game – so each level of team can play with a safer number of players.
For example, a football player who plays in three quarters of the JV game may also play in two quarters of the varsity game – for a total of five quarters played.
The rule is not designed for high-caliber players to play down a level and dominate games or pad stats.
The Fifth Quarter is available in basketball, football, and boys lacrosse – Soccer has the Third-Half Rule.
Previous Editions:
April 18: Soccer Referee in Play? - Listen
April 11: Softball Strikeout - Listen
March 14: Basketball Instant Replay - Listen
March 7: Hockey Overtime - Listen
Feb. 28: Baker Bowling - Listen
Feb. 21: Ski Finish - Listen
Feb. 14: Swimming Touchpads - Listen
Feb. 7: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen
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 Zone - Listen
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
MHSAA's Davis Selected to Michigan Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 15, 2025
MHSAA Director of Officials Sam Davis – a high school champion wrestler and then highly-regarded official for more than four decades – will be inducted into the Michigan chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 17 in Ann Arbor.
Davis has been selected for his lifetime service to the sport, and his list of contributions continues to grow.
After serving 32 years as a teacher and administrator and then a decade in law enforcement, Davis joined the MHSAA staff in 2017 as part of the officials department. He now directs that department and its efforts to serve more than 9,000 officials across the state.
Davis was an MHSAA Wrestling Finals individual champion at 165 pounds as a senior at Lansing Eastern High School in 1969 and also a significant contributor when the Quakers won the Class A team championship in 1968. He then joined Michigan State University’s wrestling program but suffered an eye injury as a freshman that forced him to give up competing in the sport. However, he instead took up judo, winning state championships in 1980 and 1981 and competing at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Davis previously had officiated wrestling during the 1971-72 season and returned to the high school mat for good in 1981, continuing what has turned into a 45-season career as an MHSAA registered official in the sport. He also officiated National Junior College Athletic Association Finals in 1981 and 1982, and he received the MHSAA’s Vern L. Norris Award in 2015 for his vast contributions to officiating, mentorship and officials education.
After graduating from MSU with bachelor and master’s degrees in 1974, Davis began his teaching career at Lansing Everett High School that fall. He taught history, psychology and U.S. government and coached wrestling and football and later served as an assistant principal at the school. Davis also served as principal at Dwight Rich Middle School and then district athletic director before finishing 32 years in the Lansing School District in 2007.
He then served nearly 11 years with the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, retiring as a major in December 2017 and soon after joining the MHSAA staff after having contributed several seasons as a Finals official and Official in Charge managing all officials working championship matches during those events. He also has served as a longtime president of the Lansing Wrestling Officials Association.