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
Super Streaming Weekend Arrives
November 15, 2017
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
More than 100 hours of live streaming of MHSAA action in four tournaments will take place this weekend on the MHSAA.tv, FoxSportsDetroit.com and MHSAANetwork.com websites and the FOX Sports Detroit Facebook page.
The weekend centers on MHSAA.tv wrapping up its fall coverage with live video streaming of all Semifinals and Finals in Girls Volleyball, the Final round of L.P. Girls Swimming & Diving and 12 Semifinal games in the MHSAA Football Playoffs powered by the Michigan Army National Guard. All games will be shown live on a subscription basis, and will become available for free on-demand viewing by Nov. 23.
The 8-Player Football Finals on Saturday (Nov. 18) between Deckerville and Central Lake at 11 a.m. and Crystal Falls Forest Park and Portland St. Patrick at 2 p.m. at Marquette’s Superior Dome will be streamed live on the FOX Sports Detroit Facebook page to kick off Football Week In Michigan, and be shown on FOX Sports Detroit on Tuesday (Nov. 21) with Division 1 at 8 p.m., followed by Division 2 at 11 p.m. It's also the last week of the PrepZone on FoxSportsDetroit.com, with four 11-Player Football Semifinal games being streamed live. All games will be archived at MHSAA.tv.
The MHSAANetwork.com website will carry live audio of all Volleyball Semifinal and Final matches Thursday through Saturday (Nov. 17-19), as well as the 8-Player Football Finals.
Here is this week's video streaming schedule (all events live online):
Thursday - Girls Volleyball Semifinals - MHSAA.tv & MHSAANetwork.com
- Munising v. Fowler, Class D, Noon
- Plymouth Christian v. Rogers City, Class D, 2 p.m.
- Farmington Hills Mercy v. Bloomfield Hills Marian, Class A, 4:30 p.m.
- DeWitt v. Novi, Class A, 6:30 p.m.
Friday - Girls Volleyball Semifinals - MHSAA.TV & MHSAANetwork.com
- Wixom St. Catherine v. Laingsburg, Class C, Noon
- Bronson v. Calumet, Class C, 2 p.m.
- Lake Odessa Lakewood v. Livonia Ladywood, Class B, 4:30 p.m.
- Pontiac Notre Dame v. Fruitport, Class B, 6:30 p.m.
Friday - 11-Player Football Semifinal – Prep Zone on FoxSportsDetroit.com – 7 p.m.
- Iron River West Iron County v. Saginaw Nouvel, Division 8
Saturday - 8-Player Football Finals – FOX Sports Detroit Facebook & MHSAANetwork.com
- Deckerville v. Powers North Central, Division 1, 11 a.m.
- Crystal Falls Forest Park v. Portland St. Patrick, Division 2, 2 p.m. (Approx.)
Delayed cable broadcast on FOX Sports Detroit on Tuesday: Division 1 - 8 p.m., Division 2 – 11 p.m. Archived at MHSAA.tv.
Saturday - Girls Volleyball Finals - MHSAA.TV & MHSAANetwork.com
- Class D Final, 10 a.m.
- Class C Final, Noon
- Class A Final, 2 p.m.
- Class B Final, 4 p.m.
Saturday - L.P. Girls Swimming & Diving Finals - MHSAA.tv - Noon
- Division 1 – Oakland University
- Division 2 – Holland Aquatics Center
- Division 3 – Eastern Michigan University
Saturday - 11-Player Football Semifinals – Prep Zone on FoxSportsDetroit.com – 1 p.m.
- Detroit Catholic Central v. West Bloomfield, Division 1
- Detroit Martin Luther King v. Warren DeLaSalle, Division 2
- Muskegon v. Battle Creek Harper Creek, Division 3
Saturday - 11-Player Football Semifinals – MHSAA.tv - All games 1 p.m. unless noted
- Detroit Cass Tech v. West Bloomfield, Division 1
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central v. Livonia Franklin, Division 2
- Riverview v. Farmington Hills Harrison, Division 3 – Noon
- River Rouge v. Edwardsburg, Division 4
- Escanaba v. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Division 4
- Reed City v. Saginaw Swan Valley, Division 5
- Grand Rapids West Catholic v. Frankenmuth, Division 5
- Traverse City St. Francis v. Ithaca, Division 6
- Jackson Lumen Christi v. Warren Michigan Collegiate, Division 6
- Lake City v. Pewamo-Westphalia, Division 7
- Saugatuck v. Madison Heights Madison, Division 7
- Mendon v. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, Division 8
A subscription to MHSAA.tv is $9.95 and allows 30 days of viewing live content on the NFHS Network.
Highlights of playoff games this weekend will be featured on the State Champs! High School Sports Show on FOX Sports Detroit at 9 a.m. Sunday - with multiple replays on FOX Sports Detroit and Comcast Channel 900 throughout the week. The program is also archived on the State Champs YouTube Channel. Consult your local listings for additional playback times.
The MHSAA also has content on the State Champs Scoreboard! High School Radio Show on Friday nights during the football and basketball seasons, originating on WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit and carried on more than 10 radio stations across the state. This Week In High School Sports and Be The Referee are weekly features on the program.