Be the Referee: Most Important Line
October 31, 2019
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains what the goal line means for offenses, defenses and special teams in high school football.
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 - Most Important Line - Listen
There’s an old saying in football officiating that the most important line on the field is the goal line.
This is certainly true when it comes to touchdowns, as the high school rule is just like that at the college and pro level, where all the ball has to do is break the plane for the score.
One unique part of the goal line under high school rules deals with kicks. Whenever a kickoff or a punt breaks the plane of the goal line, it becomes a dead ball with an automatic touchback. Now, whenever the defense gets possession of the ball in the end zone, it can return a fumble or interception out of the end zone for advancement, except if it’s on an extra point or any time in overtime.
Past editions
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
Track & Field Finals Lead Off Spring Championship Streaming
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 2, 2021
Live streaming video of the MHSAA Track & Field Finals on Saturday, June 5, will kick off three straight weekends of MHSAA Spring Championships action on the NFHS Network and MHSAA.tv.
Track action begins at 10 a.m. (EDT) on Saturday at Lower Peninsula sites in the greater Grand Rapids area at East Kentwood (Div. 1), Zeeland (Div. 2), Jenison (Div. 3) and Hudsonville (Div. 4); as well as at the Upper Peninsula Finals in Kingsford. All of the action can be viewed by purchasing a Month Pass for just $10.99. Here’s the complete schedule:
Lower Peninsula Finals (All times EDT)
► 10 a.m. – 3,200-Meter Relay Final; other Running Preliminaries (100-Meter Dash, 100 & 110-Meter Hurdles, 200-Meter Dash)
► 1 p.m. – Running Finals (100 & 110 Hurdles, 100 Dash, 800 Relay, 1,600 Run, 400 Relay, 300 Hurdles, 800 Run, 200 Dash, 3,200 Run, 1,600 Relay)
Upper Peninsula Finals (All event times approximate & EDT)
► 10 a.m. – 3,200 Relay
► 11:40 a.m. – 100 & 110 Hurdles
► 12:00 p.m. – 100 Dash
► 12:30 p.m. – 800 Relay
► 1 p.m. – 1,600 Run
► 1:30 p.m. – 400 Relay
► 1:55 p.m. – 400 Dash
► 2:25 p.m. – 300 Hurdles
► 2:55 p.m. – 800 Run
► 3:30 p.m. – 200 Dash
► 4 p.m. – 3,200 Run
► 4:45 p.m. – 1,600 Relay
Field events will not be shown, and awards presentations in all events will be shown when not in conflict with running events taking place at the same time.
Click the following links to watch:
LPD1 | LPD2 | LPD3 | LPD4 | UP (all)
Over the following weekends, MHSAA Finals in Boys and Girls Lacrosse (June 12), Girls Soccer (June 18-19) and Semifinals and Finals in Baseball and Softball (June 17-19) will be streamed live. All events will be archived for on-demand viewing after their completion.
The Lacrosse, Baseball/Softball and Girls Soccer events also will have live streaming audio on the MHSAA Network.
The coming two weeks also will feature pre-Finals games produced by MHSAA members participating in the School Broadcast Program. Today (June 2) features 10 Lacrosse Regional games on the broadcast schedule; click for listings: GIRLS | BOYS
Now in its 13th year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics. Pixellot – the NFHS Network’s automated streaming solution – is used by schools wishing to live stream games but lacking the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $10.99 per month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and on-demand video from across the country. School Broadcast Program participants benefit as a portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program. (Subscriptions must be cancelled before the 30-day period is over to avoid recurring charges.)