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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --August 4, 2003
Contact: John Johnson, Randy Allen or Andy Frushour-- 517.332.5046
New School
Sports Season Approaches;
Fall Sports Playing Rules Changes Announced
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Aug. 4 - Nearly
110,000 student-athletes will greet the beginning of a new school
year this coming week, beginning fall practice in eight sports
at member schools of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
The fall season is generally the most popular participation season,
with approximately 110,000 youngsters of 300,000 for the entire
school year taking part. This year, practice in all but one sport
begins on Monday (August 11), the lone exception being those
schools in the Lower Peninsula sponsoring boys golf, which may
begin practice on Thursday (August 7), but may not begin competition
before Monday. Competition may also take place on the first day
of practice in cross country and girls tennis.
The earliest game date for boys soccer is August 22, girls swimming
and diving in the Lower Peninsula may open activity on August
23, and girls basketball may begin competition on August 25.
Practice in football must begin on Monday for all schools wishing
to begin regular season games the weekend of August 28-30. This
year, 218 games will be played on August 28, 84 games will be
played on August 29, and 12 games will be placed on August 30.
All football schools must conduct at least three conditioning
days of practice before beginning contact, and the conditioning
sessions may not include any pads.
There has been an expansion of the football rule where a foul
occurs on a scoring play against the defensive team. A year
ago, the rules were modified to allow the scoring team to accept
the penalty and replay the down or accept the result of the play
and have penalty yardage enforced at the ensuing kickoff if the
defensive team commits a penalty during a successful point after
touchdown attempt. The rule has been expanded this year to provide
coverage on the succeeding spot for touchdowns and field goals
as well.
In basketball, the big news in Michigan is the return of the
point differential rule after a one-year absence. In the Spring,
the National Federation of State High School Associations added
to the rules the option for state associations to utilize a point
differential rule. In Michigan, the rule where the running clock
begins once a 40-point differential has been reached anytime
after the beginning of the second half will be used at all levels
of play. The clock will continue to run until the differential
falls below 30 points, with the exceptions of called time outs,
injuries, the end of the period, and free throws being shot in
the final two
minutes of the fourth quarter. Another visible rule change will
be one where the number of players allowed along the free throw
lane during free throws will be limited to four defensive players
and two offensive players, with the spots closest to the shooter
remaining vacant.
There are no major rules changes for soccer for the upcoming
school year.
The 2003 fall campaign culminates with championships beginning
with the Upper Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals on October 6, and
wraps up with the Girls Basketball Finals on December 6.
Here is a complete list of fall championship dates:
Girls Basketball:
Districts -- Nov. 17-22
Regionals -- Nov. 24-26
Finals - Dec. 2, 4-6
Cross Country:
U.P. Finals -- Oct. 18
L.P. Regionals -- Oct. 25
L.P. Finals -- Nov. 1
Football:
Selection Sunday - Oct. 26
Pre-Districts - Oct. 31 - Nov. 1
District Finals -- Nov. 7 or 8
Regional Finals -- Nov. 14 or 15
Semifinals -- Nov. 22
Finals -- Nov. 28-29
L.P. Boys Golf:
Regionals -- Oct. 9 or 10 or 11
Finals -- Oct. 17-18
Boys Soccer:
Districts -- Oct. 20-25
Regionals - Oct. 28-Nov. 1
Semifinals -- Nov. 5
Finals -- Nov. 8
L.P. Girls Swimming & Diving
Diving Quals -- Nov. 18
Swimming/Diving Finals -- Nov. 21-22
Girls Tennis:
U.P. Finals -- Oct. 3
L.P. Regionals -- Oct. 9 or 10
L.P. Finals --Oct. 17-18
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary
membership by over 1,300 public and private senior high schools
and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common
rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government
funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such
association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament
entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these
rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which
attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.
Farm Bureau Insurance and MEEMIC Insurance
are year-round MHSAA Corporate Partners
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