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
Fall Live Streams Return to MHSAA TV
August 23, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The MHSAA Network gets started for the 2018-19 school year this week, with live streaming football on MHSAA.tv.
The MHSAA.tv Website starts the 2018 football season with the NFHS Network streaming 11 games in three days from the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Flint and the Battle at the Big House in Ann Arbor on Thursday, the Thursday and Friday games at the Prep Kickoff Classic in Detroit and the West Michigan Sports Commission Gridiron Classic in Allendale on Saturday.
The MHSAA School Broadcast Program will be involved at three of the four sites for the NFHS Network this weekend. Montrose High School will produce the games at Flint. Lake Orion High School will produce the games in Ann Arbor, and Cedar Springs High School will produce the games at Allendale.
Topping off the weekend’s streaming activity will be a number of games being produced by other members of the MHSAA School Broadcast Program – which has experienced great growth since last year due to the NFHS Network’s automated production solution, Pixellot. Three dozen schools will be utilizing a total of 50 Pixellot units in the year ahead, with some schools installing multiple units to cover outdoor and indoor events.
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.
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members and the NFHS Network:
Thursday – Aug. 23
Football - Vehicle City Gridiron Classic - Flint vs. Flint Beecher - 1 p.m.
Football - Battle at the Big House - Warren Mott vs. Ann Arbor Skyline - 3:30 p.m.
Football - Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic - Oak Park vs. Utica Eisenhower - 4 p.m.
Football - Vehicle City Gridiron Classic - Flint Hamady vs. Byron - 4 p.m.
Freshman Football - Marshall vs. Freeland - 4:30 p.m.
Junior Varsity Football - Marshall vs. Freeland - 6:30 p.m.
Football - Battle at the Big House - Lapeer vs. Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
Football - Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic - Detroit Catholic Central vs. Walled Lake Western - 7 p.m.
Football - Vehicle City Gridiron Classic - Fenton vs. Ortonville Brandon - 7 p.m.
Football – Chippewa Valley vs. Saline - 7 p.m.
Football – Chippewa Valley vs. Saline - 7 p.m.
Football - Westland vs. Novi - 7 p.m.
Football – Bay City Central vs. Frankenmuth - 7 p.m.
Football - Cass City vs. Montrose - 7 p.m.
Friday – Aug. 24
Football - Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic - Allen Park vs. Trenton - 4 p.m.
Field Hockey - Skyline vs. Novi - 4:30 p.m.
Junior Varsity Field Hockey - Skyline vs. Novi - 6 p.m.
Football - Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic - Davison vs. Southfield - 7 p.m.
Saturday – Aug. 25
Football - West Michigan Sports Commission Gridiron Classic - East Kentwood vs. Muskegon Mona Shores - 4 p.m.
Football - West Michigan Sports Commission Gridiron Classic - Zeeland East vs. East Grand Rapids - 7 p.m.
Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball - Freeland - 9 a.m.
Varsity Girls Volleyball - Norway - 9:30 a.m.
Monday – Aug. 27
Freshman Girls Volleyball - Notre Dame Prep vs. Macomb Lutheran North - 5:30 p.m.
Varsity Girls Volleyball – Ann Arbor Greenhills - 9 a.m.
Tuesday – Aug. 28
Freshman Boys Soccer – Ann Arbor Pioneer vs. Saline - 4 p.m.
Junior Varsity Boys Soccer - Ann Arbor Huron vs. Saline - 5:30 p.m.
Varsity Girls Volleyball – Rock Mid Peninsula vs. Norway - 6 p.m.
Varsity Boys Soccer - Ann Arbor Huron vs. Saline - 7 p.m.
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 per 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.