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
42 MIHL Showcase Games to Stream Live
February 4, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The NFHS Network has completed arrangements with LiveBarn for the live video streaming of the 20th Annual MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase this Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 6-8) at Kennedy Recreation Center in Trenton.
All 42 games over the three-day event will be available on a subscription basis on MHSAA.tv and LiveBarn. To get directly to the games on MHSAA.tv – Click Here. Here’s the complete schedule:
Thursday - Feb. 6
5:20 p.m. Warren De La Salle Collegiate vs. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett
5:40 p.m. Grosse Pointe North vs. Allen Park Cabrini
6 p.m. Lake Orion vs. Plymouth
7:20 p.m. Port Huron Northern vs. Rochester United
7:40 p.m. Ann Arbor Skyline vs. Novi
8 p.m. Riverview Gabriel Richard vs. Howell
Friday - Feb. 7
9:30 a.m. Grosse Pointe South vs. Salem
9:50 a.m. Grandville vs. Detroit County Day
10:10 a.m. Hancock vs. Utica Eisenhower
11:30 a.m. Orchard Lake St. Mary's vs. Traverse City Central
11:50 a.m. Brighton vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central
12:10 p.m. Flint Powers vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
1:30 p.m. Calumet vs. Livonia Stevenson
1:50 p.m. Plymouth vs. Byron Center
2:10 p.m. East Grand Rapids vs Ann Arbor Skyline
4 p.m. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood vs. Hartland
4:40 p.m. Allen Park Cabrini vs Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern
4:20 p.m. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice vs. Saginaw Heritage
6 p.m. Detroit Catholic Central vs. Green Bay Notre Dame Academy
6:20 p.m. Detroit U-D Jesuit vs. Midland Dow
6:40 p.m. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett vs. Big Rapids
8 p.m. Trenton vs. Cleveland St. Ignatius
8:20 p.m. Houghton vs. Riverview Gabriel Richard
8:40 p.m. Port Huron Northern vs. Grand Rapids Christian
Saturday - Feb. 8
8 a.m. Detroit Country Day vs. Midland Dow
8:20 a.m. Howell vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central
8:40 a.m. Warren De La Salle Collegiate vs. Hancock
10 a.m. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice vs. Green Bay Notre Dame Academy
10:20 a.m. Grosse Pointe South vs. Grandville
10:40 a.m. Big Rapids vs East Grand Rapids
Noon Trenton vs. Calumet
12:20 p.m. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood vs. Houghton
12:40 p.m. Traverse City Central vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern
2:30 p.m. Livonia Stevenson vs. Saginaw Heritage
2:50 p.m. Orchard Lake St. Mary's vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
3:10 p.m. Byron Center vs. Flint Powers
4:30 p.m. Detroit Catholic Central vs. Hartland
4:50 p.m. Cleveland St. Ignatius vs. Brighton
5:10 p.m. Grand Rapids Christian vs. Utica Eisenhower
6:30 p.m. Detroit U-D Jesuit vs. Salem
6:50 p.m. Novi vs. Lake Orion
7:10 p.m. Grosse Pointe North vs. Rochester United
The Showcase is part of a week of nearly 600 live events on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network. You can Click Here to look at the latest list of all upcoming varsity games.
Now in its 11th 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 a month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. School Broadcast Program participants benefit as a portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.
A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website.