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
Districts to be Decided on MHSAA TV
November 5, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Girls Volleyball Districts on the NFHS Network/MHSAA.tv continue with nearly 50 matches coming up online over the next three days.
Here is the District broadcast schedule for the rest of the week:
Thursday - Nov. 5
Comstock or Kalamazoo Christian vs. Vermontville Maple Valley 5:00 PM
Leland vs. Traverse City Christian 5:30 PM
Birch Run vs. Caro 6:00 PM
Chesaning vs. Saginaw Swan Valley 6:00 PM
DeWitt vs. St. Johns 6:00 PM
Fraser vs. Harrison Twp L'Anse Creuse 6:00 PM
Goodrich vs. Flint Powers Catholic 6:00 PM
Grosse Pointe North vs. Grosse Pointe South 6:00 PM
Hesperia vs. White Cloud 6:00 PM
Manistee vs. Cadillac 6:00 PM
Morley Stanwood vs. Carson City Crystal 6:00 PM
Niles vs. Edwardsburg 6:00 PM
Otisville LakeVille vs. Burton Bentley 6:00 PM
Richmond vs. Macomb Lutheran North 6:00 PM
South Lyon vs. South Lyon East 6:00 PM
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian vs. Marine City Cardinal Mooney 6:00 PM
Unionville-Sebewaing vs. Bad Axe 6:00 PM
Walled Lake Central vs. Walled Lake Western 6:00 PM
Watervliet vs. Niles Brandywine 6:00 PM
Charlevoix vs. St. Ignace 6:15 PM
Brethren vs. Onekama 7:00 PM
Calumet vs. L'Anse 7:00 PM
Clarkston vs. Lake Orion 7:00 PM
Eben Junction Superior Central vs. Rock Mid Peninsula 7:00 PM
Elk Rapids vs. Traverse City St. Francis 7:00 PM
Escanaba vs. Houghton 7:00 PM
Lake Leelanau St. Mary vs. Suttons Bay 7:00 PM
Grosse Ile vs. Flat Rock 7:00 PM
Houghton Lake vs. Beaverton 7:00 PM
Lansing Catholic vs. Williamston 7:00 PM
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Ottawa Lake Whiteford 7:00 PM
New Lothrop vs. Saginaw Valley Lutheran 7:00 PM
Peck vs. Dryden 7:00 PM
Portage Northern vs. Portage Central 7:00 PM
Salem vs. Novi 7:00 PM
Friday - Nov. 6
Novi Christian vs. Southfield Christian 5:00 PM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Detroit Country Day 5:30 PM
Brown City vs. Marlette 6:00 PM
Davison vs. Grand Blanc 6:00 PM
Garden City vs. Dearborn Divine Child 6:00 PM
Three Rivers vs. Battle Creek Harper Creek 6:00 PM
Traverse City West vs. Traverse City Central 6:00 PM
Troy Athens vs. Bloomfield Hills Marian 6:00 PM
Center Line vs. Warren Regina 6:30 PM
Plymouth Christian Academy vs. Lutheran Westland 7:00 PM
Saturday - Nov. 7
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central vs. Lowell 10:00 AM
Springport vs. Grass Lake 1:00 PM