Be the Referee: Soccer Timing
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
September 20, 2022
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 – Soccer Timing - Listen
One of the biggest complaints people make about professional soccer is never knowing how much time is really left in the game. The clock counts up from zero, and the referee can add time at their discretion.
But that’s not the case in high school soccer.
To start with, halves are 40 minutes, not 45. The clock starts at 40 and counts down. And when players are injured and the ball is not in play, the clock will stop and then restart when action is ready to continue.
In the last five minutes of the game, the clock stops for substitutions by the leading team, so a coach can’t stall by sending in a new player. When the clock hits zero and the buzzer sounds … the game is over. There’s no guessing how much added time there is – the end of the game is the end of the game.
Previous Editions:
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen
Be The Referee: Wrestling Tie-Breaker
January 16, 2020
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis discusses an addition this winter to the tie-breaker criteria for dual wrestling meets.
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 - Wrestling Tie-Breaker - Listen
In a dual meet in wrestling, if the team score is tied at the conclusion of all 14 weight classes, there are criteria in place that are used to determine a winner. The list is quite extensive, and has expanded to 17 tie-breakers this year.
The newest addition to the list is the sixth tie-breaker to be used – and it is the team giving up the least number of forfeits. Part of the rationale behind the addition is to encourage schools to field wrestlers in as many weight classes as possible to promote participation.
The first tie-breaker continues to be the team penalized the fewest number of team points for flagrant misconduct or unsportsmanlike conduct; and the last tie-breaker continues to be a coin flip.
Past editions
Jan. 9: Pregame Meeting - Listen
Dec. 19: Alternating Possession - Listen
Dec. 12: Ratings - Listen
Dec. 5: Video Review Success - Listen
Nov. 28: More Injury Time - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Review - Listen
Nov. 14: Sideline Safety - Listen
Nov. 7: Officials Playlist - Listen
Oct. 31: Most Important Line - Listen
Oct. 24: Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
Oct. 17: Catch Momentum - Listen
Oct. 10: Golf Rules Changes - Listen
Oct. 3: No Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 26: You Make the Overtime Call - Listen
Sept. 19: Swimming Finishing Touch - Listen
Sept. 12: Curbing Gamesmanship By Substitution - Listen
Sept. 5: Football Safety Rules Changes - Listen
Aug. 29: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen