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
MHSAA TV Celebrates 10th Anniversary
August 29, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
It was 10 years ago today that the MHSAA began its current television network efforts by broadcasting a season-opening football game pitting local rivals in small-town setting.
Sand Creek High School was hosting Blissfield in what had become a traditional season-opening game at the time, the two schools less than 15 miles apart. The Aggies were celebrating a community effort by debuting new grandstands on the home side of the field salvaged from nearby Michigan International Speedway. Townsfolk gathered across the street in the high school for a fund-raising taco dinner, and the MHSAA Network was there.
In the 10 years since that kickoff game, won by Blissfield 14-6, the MHSAA’s video production efforts have gone from games on cable television to an exclusively online effort powered by the NFHS Network – which produces more than 135 events and 400 hours of MHSAA Championships – and feature a growing School Broadcast Program, which will produce upwards of 2,000 hours of regular-season games at more 80 participating schools in 2018-19.
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members and the NFHS Network:
Wednesday, Aug. 29
- Freshman Boys Soccer - Dearborn at Saline - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Football - Brighton at Novi - 4:30 p.m.
- Freshman Football - Saginaw Swan Valley at Frankenmuth - 4:30 p.m.
- Freshman Football - Saginaw Heritage at Grand Blanc - 4:30 p.m.
- Freshman Girls Volleyball – West Iron County at Calumet – 4:30 p.m.
- Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball – West Iron County at Calumet – 5:30 p.m.
- Junior Varsity Football - Saginaw Swan Valley at Frankenmuth - 6 p.m.
- Junior Varsity Football - Brighton at Novi - 6:30 p.m.
- Junior Varsity Football - Saginaw Heritage at Grand Blanc - 6:30 p.m.
- Girls Volleyball – West Iron County at Calumet – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 30
- Field Hockey - Wixom St. Catherine at Novi - 4:30 p.m.
- Football - Windsor Holy Name at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook - 5 p.m.
- Junior Varsity Field Hockey - Wixom St. Catherine at Novi - 6 p.m.
- Football - Ovid-Elsie at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Football - Novi at Brighton - 7 p.m.
- Football - Oxford at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Football - Carrollton at Freeland - 7 p.m.
- Football – Negaunee at Calumet – 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 31
- Football - Grandville at Warren DeLaSalle - 7 p.m.
- Football - Munising at Norway - 7 p.m.
- Football - Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Saline - 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 4
- Junior Varsity Boys Soccer - Ann Arbor Skyline at Saline - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Volleyball - Iron Mountain at Norway - 6 p.m.
- Boys Soccer - Ann Arbor Skyline at Saline - 7 p.m.
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.
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 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 also will be selling Season and Annual Passes at a discounted rate. 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.
Highlights of games broadcast by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members and the NFHS Network make their 2018-19 debut this week. Featured games are in football with Trenton’s 27-21 win over Allen Park; Zeeland East topping East Grand Rapids, 36-27; and Flint Beecher defeating Flint Southwestern, 24-0.
Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.