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
Dot TV Schedule May Get Weather Worn
January 29, 2019
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
This week’s wicked weather likely will have an effect on the schedule for MHSAA.tv, with events being produced by School Broadcast Program participants likely to be rearranged significantly.
Here’s the upcoming MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by School Broadcast Program members and the NFHS Network: Check the online schedule throughout the week for late changes.
Tuesday - Jan. 29
Freshman Girls Basketball - Hartland at Howell - 3:50 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Walled Lake Central at White Lake Lakeland - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Detroit Catholic Central at Warren DeLaSalle - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Saginaw at Saginaw Heritage - 4 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - Grand Blanc at Fenton - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Stockbridge at Fowlerville - 4 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - Gabriel Richard at Bloomfield Hills Marian - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Walled Lake Northern at Highland Milford - 4 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - Sparta at Fremont - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - East Kentwood at Grandville - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Saugatuck at Kalamazoo Christian - 4:15 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Ann Arbor Greenhills - 4:30 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Millington at Freeland - 4:30 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Utica at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 4:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Hartland at Howell - 5:20 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Durand at Otisville Lakeville - 5:25 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Holly at Flint Kearsley - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Stockbridge at Fowlerville - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Chesaning at Ovid-Elsie - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Flint Beecher at Grand Blanc - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Detroit Catholic Central at Warren DeLaSalle - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Salem at Novi - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Walled Lake Northern at Highland Milford - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Saginaw at Saginaw Heritage - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - New Lothrop at Mt. Morris - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Clio at Fenton - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Saugatuck at Kalamazoo Christian - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Walled Lake Central at White Lake Lakeland - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - West Bloomfield at Southfield Christian - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball – Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard at Bloomfield Hills Marian - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - East Kentwood at Grandville - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Mason County Central at Hart - 6 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Ann Arbor Greenhills - 6 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Millington at Freeland - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Morrice at St. Charles - 6 PM
Girls Basketball - Ubly at Bad Axe - 6 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Utica at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Shepherd at Frankenmuth - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Morrice at St. Charles - 6 PM
Girls Basketball – Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker at Harbor Beach - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Kingsford at Norway - 6:30 PM
Girls Basketball - Durand at Otisville Lakeville - 6:50 PM
Girls Basketball - Hartland at Howell - 6:50 PM
Girls Basketball – Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard at Bloomfield Hills Marian - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Holly at Flint Kearsley - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - Detroit Catholic Central at Warren DeLaSalle - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - Walled Lake Central at White Lake Lakeland - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - Saginaw at Saginaw Heritage - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - Stockbridge at Fowlerville - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - New Lothrop at Mt. Morris - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Clio at Fenton - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Rochester Adams at Lake Orion - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Salem at Novi - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - Walled Lake Northern at Highland Milford - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - Flint Beecher at Grand Blanc - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Chesaning at Ovid-Elsie - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Whitehall at Fremont - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - Saugatuck at Kalamazoo Christian - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - East Kentwood at Grandville - 7 PM
Boys Basketball - West Bloomfield at Southfield Christian - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Hopkins at Plainwell - 7:15 PM
Boys Basketball - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Ann Arbor Greenhills - 7:30 PM
Boys Basketball - Millington at Freeland - 7:30 PM
Boys Basketball - Utica at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 7:30 PM
Girls Basketball - Shepherd at Frankenmuth - 7:30 PM
Girls Basketball - Morrice at St. Charles - 7:30 PM
Boys Basketball - Mason County Central at Hart - 7:30 PM
Girls Basketball - Kingsford at Norway - 8 PM
Wednesday - Jan. 30
Boys Basketball – Blanchard Montabella at Vestaburg - 12 AM
Middle School Girls Basketball - Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett at Ann Arbor Greenhills - 4:30 PM
Wrestling – OK Silver Quad at Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian - 5:30 PM (Belding, Wyoming Kelloggsville, Wyoming Lee)
Middle School Boys Basketball - Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett at Ann Arbor Greenhills - 5:30 PM
Competitive Cheer – Saginaw Swan Valley at Freeland - 6 PM
Boys Basketball - Ubly at Bad Axe - 6 PM
Competitive Cheer – Caledonia, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, Lakewood Lake Odessa at Grandville - 6 PM
Middle School Competitive Cheer – Greater Flint Middle School League Jamboree at Fenton - 6 PM
Competitive Cheer – at St. Charles - 6 PM
Boys Basketball – Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker at Harbor Beach - 6 PM
Boys Basketball - Farwell at Harrison - 6 PM
Middle School Competitive Cheer - Novi - 6 PM
Middle School Boys Basketball - Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett at Ann Arbor Greenhills - 6:30 PM
Middle School Boys Basketball - Everest Academy at Waterford Our Lady - 7 PM
Girls Basketball – Portland St. Patrick at Pewamo-Westphalia - 7 PM
Thursday - Jan. 31
Freshman Boys Basketball - Davison at Flint Powers Catholic - 4 PM
Middle School Boys Basketball – Novi Christian Academy at Southfield Christian - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 4:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Davison at Flint Powers Catholic - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball – Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Grass Lake at Manchester - 5:30 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - Rochester at Fenton - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Durand at Mt. Morris - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Otisville Lakeville at Ovid-Elsie - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 5:45 PM
Girls Basketball - Cass City at Bad Axe - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Williamston at Fowlerville - 6 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 6 PM
Competitive Cheer – Southeastern Conference Jamboree at Saline - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball – Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary at St. Charles - 6 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Fenton at Flint Kearsley - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Shelby at Hart - 6 PM
Girls Basketball - Roscommon at Harrison - 6 PM
JV Girls Basketball – Powers North Central at Norway - 6:30 PM
Boys Basketball - Grass Lake at Manchester - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Durand at Mt. Morris - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Lake Orion at Oxford - 7 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Flint Kearsley at Fenton - 7 PM
Girls Basketball - Otisville Lakeville at Ovid-Elsie - 7 PM
Girls Basketball – Ewen-Trout Creek at Dollar Bay - 7:15 PM
Boys Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 7:15 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 7:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball – Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary at St. Charles - 7:30 PM
Girls Basketball - Shelby at Hart - 7:30 PM
Girls Basketball – Powers North Central at Norway - 8 PM
Friday - Feb. 1
JV Boys Basketball - Brighton at Howell - 3:50 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Ovid-Elsie at Otisville Lakeville - 3:55 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - South Lyon at White Lake Lakeland - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball - Lapeer at Grand Blanc - 4 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - Midland Dow at Saginaw Heritage - 4 PM
Boys Ice Hockey - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Houghton - 4 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball – Waterford Kettering at Highland Milford - 4 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball – Macomb L’Anse Creuse North at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 4:30 PM
Freshman Boys Basketball – Royal Oak Shrine at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 4:30 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - Ludington at Fremont - 4:30 PM
Wrestling – West Michigan Conference Meet at Hart - 5 PM
JV Boys Ice Hockey – Birmingham Brother Rice at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 5:15 PM
Unified Sports - Brighton at Howell - 5:20 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Ovid-Elsie at Otisville Lakeville - 5:20 PM
JV Girls Basketball – Temperance Bedford at Saline - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Lapeer at Grand Blanc - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Vandercook Lake at Manchester - 5:30 PM
Boys Basketball – Waterford Our Lady at Ann Arbor Greenhills - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball – Waterford Kettering at Highland Milford - 5:30 PM
Girls Basketball - Flint Hamady at Corunna - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball – Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest at Southfield Christian - 5:30 PM
Girls Basketball – Indian River Inland Lakes at Pellston - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - South Lyon at White Lake Lakeland - 5:30 PM
JV Girls Basketball - Midland Dow at Saginaw Heritage - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Canton at Novi - 5:30 PM
Freshman Girls Basketball - Temperance Bedford at Saline - 5:30 PM
JV Boys Basketball - Baraga at Dollar Bay - 5:45 PM
Girls Basketball - Flint Kearsley at Fenton&