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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

Saturday Games Join Playoff Coverage

November 8, 2017

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties 

A pair of games Saturday (Nov. 11) have been added to the online live video coverage of the MHSAA Football Playoffs – powered by the Michigan Army National Guard – and produced by participants in the association’s School Broadcast Program.
 
A Division 5 Regional Final pitting Algonac at Frankenmuth will be produced by the SBP at Montrose High School, and a Division 6 matchup with Ithaca at Montague will be covered by Cedar Springs High School. Both games will be live on MHSAA.tv at 1 p.m.
 
A month’s subscription to watch live on MHSAA.tv is $9.95, which allows access to the full schedule of MHSAA Tournaments during the month of November:

  • Nov. 16-17 – Girls Volleyball Semifinals & Finals
  • Nov. 18 – Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals
  • Nov. 18 – Football Playoff Semifinals (12 games)

Those games will join the third week of games on the PrepZone on FoxSportsDetroit.com and FOX Sports GO! on Friday (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m.:

  • West Bloomfield at Utica Eisenhower (Div. 1)
  • Traverse City Central at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (Div. 2)
  • Riverview at Dearborn Divine Child (Div. 3)
  • Grand Rapids West Catholic at Portland (Div. 5)

The Riverview at Dearborn Divine Child game will receive bonus coverage, streaming live on the Fox Sports Detroit Facebook page. 
 
All PrepZone games will be archived on MHSAA.tv.
 
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 is used by schools wishing to stream games but which lack the ability to staff the events. The SBP program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.

All sporting events – Live or On-Demand - 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.

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

Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.

This week’s highlights package on MHSAA.tv comes from last weekend’s Boys Soccer Finals.
  

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 weekly program is also archived on the State Champs YouTube Channel. Consult your local listings for additional playback times.
 
Here are some of the playoff games to be featured this week on the State Champs! High School Sports Show:

  • Traverse City Central at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
  • Riverview at Dearborn Divine Child
  • Grand Rapids West Catholic at Portland
  • Detroit Catholic Central at Canton
  • Ithaca at Montague
  • Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central at Madison Heights Madison
  • West Bloomfield at Utica Eisenhower
  • Williamston at Escanaba
  • Algonac at Frankenmuth
  • Jackson Lumen Christi at Watervliet

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.