Logo

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 Marches On The Mats

February 27, 2018

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties   

Another big weekend of MHSAA Championships take place on Friday and Saturday (March 2-3) on MHSAA.tv, as March Magic marches onto the Individual Wrestling and Girls Competitive Cheer mats.

Live Finals streaming this week begins at noon Friday from Ford Field in Detroit at the Individual Wrestling Finals. Manned cameras will be on each of 20 mats on the floor, and broadcasts will include full graphics to indicate the participants in each match, plus full in-progress scoring information via Trackwrestling.

The Girls Competitive Cheer Finals at the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids begin Friday evening with Division 1, followed by the other three divisions Saturday.

Here’s the complete wrestling coverage schedule:

  • Friday – Rounds 1-2-3-4 – Noon
  • Friday – Semifinal Round – 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday – Rounds 6-7-8 – 8:30 a.m. - Round 6 at 8:30 a.m. is the third Consolation round. Round 7 at about 9:45 a.m. is the fourth Consolation Round. Round 8 at about 11 a.m. is the final round in the Consolation bracket.
  • Saturday – Finals – 3 p.m.
  • Saturday – Awards – 6 p.m. (TENTATIVE - Time approximate following conclusion of wrestling)

You can get to all of the wrestling action on a single landing page on the NFHS Network – Click Here.

Here’s the complete cheer coverage schedule:

  • Friday – Division 1 – 6 p.m. (East Kentwood, Grand Blanc, Grandville, Lake Orion, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, Sterling Heights Stevenson)
  • Saturday – Division 2 – 10 a.m. (Allen Park, Dearborn Divine Child, DeWitt, Gibraltar Carlson, Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills, Muskegon Mona Shores, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer,
    Southgate Anderson)
  • Saturday - Division 4 – 2 p.m.  (Addison, Adrian Madison, Farwell, Houghton Lake, Hudson, Merrill, Pewamo-Westphalia, Sanford Meridian)
  • Saturday - Division 3 – 6 p.m. (Charlotte, Comstock Park, Escanaba, Flat Rock, Lake Odessa Lakewood, Monroe Jefferson, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Richmond)

The continued Wrestling and full Cheer coverage is part of six straight weekends of live MHSAA Championship coverage on MHSAA.tv, and online viewers can catch every weekend of action for one low cost of $9.95. Over the next three weeks of live Winter championship coverage, the following events will be featured: 

  • March 8-10 – Ice Hockey Semifinals & Finals
  • March 13 – Girls Basketball Quarterfinals
  • March 15-16 – Girls Basketball Semifinals
  • March 20 – Boys Basketball Quarterfinals
  • March 22-23 – Boys Basketball Semifinals

In addition to all of the tournament action, regular-season coverage of contests by participants in the MHSAA’s School Broadcast Program will bring more than 45 contests into homes over the coming week – including a number of District contests in Girls Basketball.

Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members:

Tuesday, Feb. 27

Wednesday, Feb. 28

Thursday, March 1

Friday, March 2

Monday, March 5

Be sure to check “Upcoming Events” on the MHSAA.tv home page daily for last-minute additions.

In its ninth year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events, with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics. Pixellot – The NFHS Network’s automated streaming solution – is used by schools wishing to live stream games, but lacking the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions. 

A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.

Highlights of games produced in the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members

feature a girls basketball game, Powers North Central at Norway, and a boys basketball game, Fowlerville at Lansing Catholic.

Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.