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
Enjoy Audio & Video of Lacrosse Finals
June 5, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The MHSAA Boys & Girls Lacrosse Finals on Saturday will have live streaming audio and video coverage on the MHSAA Network and MHSAA.tv.
The MHSAA’s audio streaming website – MHSAANetwork.com – goes back on the air for the last two weekends of the Spring sports tournament run for live coverage of the Lacrosse and Girls Soccer Finals, as well as the Semifinals and Finals in Baseball and Softball.
Here’s the complete Lacrosse Finals schedule with direct links to the live video streams on MHSAA.tv:
Girls Finals at Grand Ledge High School
- 2 p.m. – Division 1 – Bloomfield Hills/Brighton Semifinal winner v. Rockford/Hartland Semifinal winner
- 4:30 p.m. – Division 2 – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood/Farmington Hills Mercy Semifinal winner v. East Grand Rapids/Okemos Semifinal winner
Boys Finals at Parker Middle School, Howell
- 2 p.m. – Division 2 – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central/Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Semifinal winner v. East Grand Rapids/Grosse Pointe North Semifinal winner
- 4:30 p.m. – Division 1 – Detroit Catholic Central/Hartland Semifinal winner v. Birmingham Brother Rice/Bloomfield Hills Semifinal winner
Subscribe for a Month Pass to the NFHS Network for $9.95, which will provide access to more than 100 hours of live programming of Spring Finals. Next weekend, MHSAA Finals in Lower Peninsula Girls Soccer (June 15-16) and Semifinals and Finals in Baseball and Softball (June 14-16) will be streamed live. All events will be archived for free on-demand viewing, beginning three days after their completion. Subscriptions must be cancelled before the 30-day period is over to avoid recurring charges.
Instant audio and video downloads of events taking place on the MHSAA Network and MHSAA.tv will be available shortly following the conclusion of each stream. Click the appropriate button next to the media player of the broadcast to order. Audio downloads are $4.99. Video downloads will be the same resolution as live broadcasts and are priced at $19.95.
MHSAA members participating in the School Broadcast Program will be providing bonus coverage during the final days of the spring sports season. SBP participants routinely stream MHSAA tournament events their schools host.
East Lansing’s SBP will be providing coverage of a Division 2 Girls Soccer Regional this week. Here’s the schedule:
Semifinals – Tuesday
- Petoskey v. St. Clair – 5 p.m.
- Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. DeWitt – 7 p.m.
- Finals – Thursday – 6 p.m. (Stream available only if game is played at East Lansing)
Novi is one of 30 SBP schools using the NFHS Network’s automated production solution – Pixellot – to produce games, and is one of a handful of Pixellot schools with units installed at outdoor and indoor facilities. Novi will provide Pixellot coverage of two Semifinal games on Wednesday (June 6) in the MHSAA Girls Lacrosse Tournament. Here’s the schedule:
- Division 2 - Farmington Hills Mercy v. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – 5:30 p.m.
- Division 1 - Bloomfield Hills v. Brighton – 7:30 p.m.
Comstock Park will stream video of a Division 4 Girls Soccer Semifinal on June 12 at 7 p.m. between the winners of the Cadillac and Portage Northern Regionals, and Cedar Springs High School will cover a Division 3 Girls Soccer Semifinal on June 13 at 6 p.m., involving the winners of the Hope College and Clare Regionals.