A Day in the Life of an Official (Port Huron Times Herald)
September 25, 2012
At least six days a week and occasionally seven, officials all over Michigan suit up to manage our competitions.They do so mostly under the radar, as is the goal.
The Port Huron Times Herald's Joseph Hayes shines a small spotlight on this key part of making our games go. He took us inside the workings of an experienced football crew from that corner of the state, led by Marysville's Joe Venia.
Ref Life - A day in the life of an official (Port Huron Times Herald)
Be the Referee: Intentional Grounding
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 9, 2021
This week, MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice explains football intentional grounding at the high school level.
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 – Intentional Grounding – Listen
A quarterback is under heavy pressure and immediately throws the ball away. International grounding, right? Maybe. And maybe not.
What goes into an official deciding if grounding has occurred?
First, there is no such thing as a “tackle box” in high school football as it pertains to grounding. A quarterback scrambling outside of the tackle box who throws the ball away could still be penalized for grounding – even if it reaches the line of scrimmage.
Any pass can be penalized for grounding if there is no receiver in the immediate area. Behind the line, inside the tackle box – none of that matters – it only matters if there’s a potential receiver nearby. If there is – no grounding. If there’s not – there will be a flag on the field.
Previous editions
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics – Listen