Be the Referee: YMTC - Face Guarding

September 6, 2018

In this week's edition, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis takes us through a "You Make the Call" scenario regarding football face guarding.

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 – You Make the Call: Face Guarding - Listen

Let’s check out your knowledge of high school football rules with a “you make the call.”

The quarterback drops back to pass, and his intended receiver gets a step on the cornerback. As the ball approaches the receiver, the defensive player sticks his hands and arms out in front of the receiver’s face without contact. The receiver loses sight of the ball, and the pass falls to the ground.

What’s the call?

A national high school playing rule instituted last year removed the penalty for face guarding without contact. The change brought high school football rules in line with collegiate and professional rules. The pass is incomplete and there is no flag for defensive pass interference.

Past editions

August 30: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
August 23: Football Rules Changes - Listen

Be the Referee: Ball Over Backboard

By Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director

December 16, 2021

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 – Ball Over Backboard - Listen

A basketball player has the ball in the corner, ready to shoot a 3-pointer, when a lane opens up along the baseline. She starts to drive, only to have that lane closed off.

She puts up a shot that goes over the corner of the backboard and goes in. Two points, right?

Not so fast. Any time the ball passes over the backboard, it’s out of bounds. A shot, a pass, even a rebound that bounces up and over – the play should be whistled dead. The ball is considered out of bounds off the last player to have touched it.

So even though the shot comes from a player in bounds and goes in … wave it off. The ball can’t pass over the backboard. If it does, it’s now the other team’s possession.

Previous editions

Dec. 9: Winter Officials Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 26: Instant Replay - Listen
Nov. 11: Tourney Selection - Listen
Nov. 4: Receiver Carried Out of End Zone Listen
Oct. 28: Volleyball Back-Row Block Listen
Oct. 21: Soccer Disallowed Goal Listen
Sept 30: Field Goal Falls Short Listen
Sept. 23: Volleyball Obstruction Listen
Sept. 16: Catch or No Catch  Listen
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen 
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen 
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics 
 Listen