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 Minute Returns This Week
January 9, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
With the winter sports season fully underway, StateChamps! High School Sports Show returns with new weekly editions debuting each Sunday at 9 a.m. on Fox Sports Detroit – featuring a fresh series of messages called the MHSAA Minute.
The MHSAA Minute takes a look each week at different things happening in the life of the Association, from promoting educational programs to rules changes in high school sports. The first of two messages will air this week on high school rules changes in basketball. Archived editions of MHSAA Minute can be found on the StateChamps! YouTube Channel.
This week’s schedule of high school sporting events on MHSAA.tv produced by Association members taking part in the School Broadcast Program features 100 contests.
A total of 57 games at the varsity level are on the schedule for this week, with more to be added as the week progresses. 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 that wish to live stream games but lack the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members:
Tuesday - Jan. 9
Freshman Girls Basketball – Morley-Stanwood at Fremont - 4 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Vicksburg at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Warren Regina at Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 p.m.
Freshman Boys Basketball - Houghton Lake at Harrison - 4:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Byron at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Northville at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Central Montcalm at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Ontonagon at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Vicksburg at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Whittemore-Prescott at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Midland Bullock Creek at Freeland - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Warren Regina at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Houghton Lake at Harrison - 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Northville at Novi - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Warren Regina at Macomb Lutheran North - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Whittemore-Prescott at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Byron at Montrose - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Tawas Area at Alpena - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – St. Johns at Fowlerville - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Central Montcalm at Fremont - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Merrill at Vestaburg – 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Vicksburg at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Ontonagon at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Bessemer at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Midland Bullock Creek at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Houghton Lake at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday - Jan. 10
Wrestling - Central Montcalm at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
Wrestling - Alma at Freeland - 6 p.m.
Cheerleading – OAA Meet at Lake Orion - 6:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Ishpeming at Negaunee – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday - Jan. 11
Freshman Boys Basketball - Burton Bendle at Otisville-Lakeville - 4 p.m.
Freshman Boys Basketball - Carrollton at Freeland - 4:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Sparta at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Durand at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Burton Bendle at Otisville-Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Newaygo at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Hancock at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Carrollton at Freeland - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Mio at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Newaygo at Fremont - 7 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Burton Bendle at Otisville-Lakeville - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Mio at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Durand at Montrose - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Hancock at Dollar Bay - 7:15 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Carrollton at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
Friday - Jan. 12
Freshman Girls Basketball – Warren Woods-Tower at Macomb Lutheran North - 4 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Coopersville at Fremont - 4:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Republic-Michigamme at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Sparta at Comstock Park - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Sanford Meridian at Harrison - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Fowlerville at Williamston - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Newaygo at Fremont - 6 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey – Detroit U-D Jesuit at Calumet - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Carson City-Crystal at Vestaburg – 7 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey - Detroit Catholic Central at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 7:15 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Wyoming Kelloggsville at Wyoming Lee – 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Republic-Michigamme at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Fowlerville at Williamston - 7:27 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Newaygo at Fremont - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Sparta at Comstock Park - 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Sanford Meridian at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday - Jan. 13
Swimming and Diving - Marquette - 10 a.m.
Boys Ice Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Detroit Catholic Central - 6:15 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey – Detroit U-D Jesuit at Calumet - 7 p.m.
Monday - Jan. 15
Cheerleading – OK Meet at Comstock Park - 5 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Marion at Harrison - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - North Dickinson at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Oxford at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Marion at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - North Dickinson at Norway - 8 p.m.
Tuesday - Jan. 16
Freshman Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Otisville-Lakeville - 4 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Kent City at Comstock Park - 4:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Livonia Stevenson at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Genesee at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Otisville-Lakeville - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Lake City at Harrison - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Onaway at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Stephenson at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Onaway at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Kent City at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Ferndale at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Otisville-Lakeville - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Mason at Fowlerville - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Livonia Stevenson at Novi - 7 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey - Escanaba at Marquette - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Genesee at Montrose - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Grant at Fremont - 7:19 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Lake City at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Stephenson at Norway - 8 p.m.
Wednesday - Jan. 17
Wrestling - Paw Paw at Plainwell - 5:30 p.m.
Cheerleading - Lake Fenton at Montrose - 6 p.m.
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 will also 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 produced in the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members feature the following events:
Boys Basketball – Fremont 54, Big Rapids 49
Girls Basketball – Wakefield-Marinesco 56, Dollar Bay 54 (OT)
Boys Basketball – Harrison 48, Roscommon 40
Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube