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
Football, Swim, Volleyball Stream LIVE
November 14, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
It’s the biggest streaming weekend of the Fall sports season on the MHSAA.tv, FoxSportsDetroit.com and MHSAANetwork.com websites and the FOX Sports app.
The weekend centers on MHSAA.tv wrapping up its Fall coverage with live video streaming of all Semifinals and Finals in Girls Volleyball, the championship round of all three Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals and 13 Semifinal games in the 11-Player Football Playoffs – most of which will be produced by members of the School Broadcast Program. All live events are shown on a subscription basis.
The 8-Player Football Finals on Saturday (Nov. 17) at Marquette’s Superior Dome between Pickford and Morrice at 11 a.m. in Division 1 and Rapid River and Onekama at 2 p.m. in Division 2 will be streamed live on the Prep Zone on the FoxSportsDetroit.com website and the FOX Sports app. The games also will be shown on FOX Sports Detroit on Tuesday (Nov. 20), with Division 1 at 8 p.m. followed by Division 2 at 11 p.m.
It's also the last week of the PrepZone on FoxSportsDetroit.com, with three 11-Player Football Semifinal games being streamed live. All games will be archived at MHSAA.tv.
The MHSAANetwork.com website will carry live free audio of all Volleyball Semifinal and Final matches Thursday through Saturday (Nov. 15-17), as well as the 8-Player Football Finals.
Here is this week's video streaming schedule (all events live online):
Thursday - Girls Volleyball Semifinals - MHSAA.tv & MHSAANetwork.com
Division 3
- Unionville-Sebewaing v. Traverse City St. Francis - Noon
- Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central v. Bronson - 2 p.m.
Division 2
- Grand Rapids Christian v. Lake Odessa Lakewood - 4:30 p.m.
- Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. Corunna - 6:30 p.m.
Friday - Girls Volleyball Semifinals - MHSAA.tv & MHSAANetwork.com
Division 4
- Mendon v. Southfield Christian - Noon
- Leland v. Carney-Nadeau - 2 p.m.
Division 1
- Lake Orion v. Farmington Hills Mercy - 4:30 p.m.
- Northville v. Rockford - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday - 8-Player Football Finals – Prep Zone on FoxSportsDetroit.com & MHSAANetwork.com
- Pickford v. Morrice, Division 1, 11 a.m.
- Rapid River v. Onekama, Division 2, 2 p.m. (Approx.)
- Delayed cable broadcast on FOX Sports Detroit, Tuesday, Division 1 - 8 p.m.; Division 2 – 11 p.m. Archived at MHSAA.tv.
Saturday - Girls Volleyball Finals - MHSAA.tv & MHSAANetwork.com
- Division 4 Final, 10 a.m.
- Division 3 Final, Noon
- Division 1 Final, 2 p.m.
- Division 2 Final, 4 p.m.
Saturday - L.P. Girls Swimming & Diving Finals - MHSAA.tv - Noon
- Division 1 – Eastern Michigan University
- Division 2 – Oakland University
- Division 3 – Holland Aquatics Center
Saturday - 11-Player Football Semifinals – Prep Zone on FoxSportsDetroit.com – 1 p.m.
- Belleville v. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, Division 1
- DeWitt v. Detroit Martin Luther King, Division 3
- Grand Rapids Catholic Central v. Edwardsburg, Division 4
Saturday - 11-Player Football Semifinals on MHSAA.tv - All games 1 p.m.
- Clarkston v. Saline, Division 1
- Midland v. Muskegon Mona Shores, Division 2
- Birmingham Groves v. Warren DeLaSalle, Division 2
- Zeeland East v. Muskegon, Division 3
- Chelsea v. Williamston, Division 4
- Hudsonville Unity Christian v. Saginaw Swan Valley, Division 5
- Marine City v. Portland, Division 5
- Montague v. Traverse City St. Francis, Division 6
- Montrose v. Jackson Lumen Christi, Division 6
- New Lothrop v. Lake City, Division 7
- Cassopolis v. Madison Heights Madison, Division 7
- Breckenridge v. Harbor Beach, Division 8
- Holton v. Reading, Division 8
A subscription to MHSAA.tv is $9.95, and allows 30 days of viewing live content on the NFHS Network. All sporting events – live or delayed – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.