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
Another Big Week Ahead for MHSAA TV
September 10, 2019
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The number of games being broadcast keeps going up every week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network.
Here’s a list of the upcoming varsity level events taking place over the coming week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network:
Tuesday - Sept. 10
Girls Volleyball - Grand Rapids Catholic Central v. Comstock Park - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Marine City - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Manchester v. Vandercook Lake - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Mt Morris v. Chesaning - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - New Lothrop v. Montrose - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Petoskey v. Cadillac - 6:45 PM
Boys Soccer – Troy Athens v. North Farmington - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Brighton v. Salem - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – White Lake Lakeland v. Waterford Mott - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Novi v. Hartland - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Saline v. Ann Arbor Pioneer - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - South Lyon v. South Lyon East - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Fremont v. Reed City - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Kalamazoo Christian v. Constantine - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep - 7:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bad Axe v. Caro - 7:30 PM
Wednesday - Sept. 11
Girls Field Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Grosse Pointe North - 4:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Freeland v. Essexville Garber - 5 PM
Boys Soccer – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Warren Mott - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Freeland v. Ogemaw Heights - 6 PM
Boys Soccer - Lansing Waverly v. Fowlerville - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Williamston v. Fowlerville - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Cadillac v. Petoskey - 6:45 PM
Boys Soccer - Clare v. McBain - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Freeland v. Frankenmuth - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Frankenmuth v. Ovid-Elsie - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Freeland v. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Morley Stanwood v. Kent City - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Potterville v. Pewamo-Westphalia - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - St. Charles v. Carrollton - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Harrison - Harrison v. Shepherd - 7:30 PM
Thursday - Sept. 12
Boys Tennis - Williamston v. Fowlerville - 4 PM
Boys Football – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Riverview Gabriel Richard - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Warren Woods-Tower - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Norway v. Kingsford - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Fenton v. Flint Kearsley - 6:15 PM
Girls Volleyball - Swartz Creek v. Linden - 6:15 PM
Girls Volleyball - Corunna v. Clio - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – White Lake Lakeland v. Walled Lake Central - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Macomb Lutheran North v. Royal Oak Shrine - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Highland Milford v. South Lyon - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Oakland Christian v. Brighton Stockwell Prep - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Royal Oak Shrine v. Macomb Lutheran North - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - St. Charles v. Montrose - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Holton v. Hart - 6:45 PM
Girls Volleyball - Linden v. Swartz Creek - 6:45 PM
Boys Soccer – Troy Athens v. Rochester - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – White Lake Lakeland v. Waterford Kettering - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek v. Grand Blanc - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Troy Athens v. Bloomfield Hills - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bear Lake v. Mesick - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - St. Charles v. Chesaning - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bad Axe v. Cass City - 7:30 PM
Friday - Sept. 13
Boys Soccer - South Lyon v. Birmingham Seaholm - 6 PM
Football - Northville v. Howell - 6:45 PM
Football – Stevensville Lakeshore v. Niles - 6:55 PM
Football - Bad Axe v. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker - 7 PM
Football - Brighton v. Hartland - 7 PM
Football – Saginaw Heritage v. Saginaw - 7 PM
Football - Ithaca v. St. Louis - 7 PM
Football – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Fitzgerald - 7 PM
Football – White Lake Lakeland v. South Lyon - 7 PM
Football - Montrose v. Chesaning - 7 PM
Football - Norway v. Ishpeming - 7 PM
Football - Saline v. Adrian - 7 PM
Football - Troy v. Birmingham Seaholm - 7 PM
Football – Brownstown Woodhaven v. Lincoln Park - 7 PM
Football - Fowlerville v. Williamston - 7 PM
Football – Detroit Old Redford v. Warren DeLaSalle Collegiate - 7 PM
Football - Paw Paw v. Plainwell - 7 PM
Football – Muskegon Reeths-Puffer v. Muskegon Mona Shores - 7 PM
Football - Rochester Adams v. Lake Orion - 7 PM
Saturday - Sept. 14
Boys Soccer - Saline v. Tecumseh - 12 PM
Boys Soccer - Rockford v. Grand Ledge - 12:45 PM
Football – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Riverview Gabriel Richard - 3 PM
Girls Volleyball - Novi v. Away - 8 AM
Monday - Sept. 16
Boys Soccer - Ithaca v. Midland Bullock Creek - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Sterling Heights - 6 PM
Boys Soccer - Freeland v. Saginaw Valley Lutheran - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – Flint Powers Catholic v. Grand Blanc - 7 PM
Girls Field Hockey - Saline v. Dexter - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Frankenmuth v. Pinconning Area - 7 PM
Tuesday - Sept. 17
Boys Tennis - Haslett v. Fowlerville - 4 PM
Boys Soccer – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Norway v. Rapid River - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Canton v. Howell - 6:15 PM
Boys Soccer - Williamston v. Fowlerville - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Clarkston Everest Collegiate - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Davison v. Grand Blanc - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Durand v. New Lothrop - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Otisville LakeVille v. Montrose - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Manchester v. Addison - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Novi v. Salem - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Ovid-Elsie v. Mt Morris - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Flint Powers Catholic v. Midland Dow - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Grand Rapids South Christian v. Grand Rapids Christian - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Petoskey v. Gaylord - 6:45 PM
Girls Volleyball – Painesdale Jeffers v. Dollar Bay - 6:50 PM
Boys Soccer – White Lake Lakeland v. Highland Milford - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Troy Athens v. Troy - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Big Rapids v. Fremont - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Muskegon Oakridge v. Hart - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Fraser v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep - 7:30 PM
Now in its 11th year, the