Be the Referee: Missed Field Goal

August 27, 2015

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl kicks off the second season of "Be the Referee" with a "You Make the Call" on what happens after a missed field goal rolls out of bounds. 

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 - Missed Field Goal - Listen



Let’s get everyone in “football game shape” with the following You Make The Call.

One team has the chance to kick a 50-yard field goal just before halftime. As the kicker approaches the ball being held at the 40-yard line, his plant leg slips and the kick comes up well short and wide as it rolls out of bounds at the 4-yard line. Under high school rules, where will the team that forced the bad kick next snap the ball? 

Believe it or not, under high school rules, missed field goals that roll out of bounds before reaching the goal line are treated just like a punt! The new offense will put the ball in play, first and 10, from the 4-yard line.

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