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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

Prep Zone Includes Facebook Live Stream

October 25, 2017

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties 

There’s a new twist as the MHSAA Football Playoffs – powered by the Michigan Army National Guard – begin their seventh season on FOX Sports Detroit’s PrepZone. One of the four games each week also will be streamed on Facebook Live.

Each Monday for the first four weeks of the Playoffs, a FOX Sports Detroit Twitter poll will be conducted for 24 hours to select one game to be available on Facebook. This week’s poll was won by Livonia Franklin at Walled Lake Western, which garnered more than 50 percent of the vote.

The four live games each week will be free on the FOX Sports Detroit Website and will also be available to mobile users of FOX Sports GO!  Authentication may be required to watch on FS GO!

Here’s this week’s PrepZone schedule. All games kick off Friday (Oct. 27) at 7 p.m.:

  • Lowell at Flushing
  • Livonia Franklin at Walled Lake Western
  • Grand Rapids Christian at DeWitt
  • Lansing Catholic at Olivet 

In addition to the games on FOXSportsDetroit.com, a number of additional Playoff games this weekend will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv by School Broadcast Program participants. That schedule includes (all games Friday at 7 p.m.): 

  • Midland Dow at Traverse City West
  • Tecumseh at East Lansing
  • Coopersville at Comstock Park
  • Remus Chippewa Hills at Clare
  • Carrollton at Freeland
  • Laingsburg at Montrose
  • Oscoda at Breckenridge
  • Bark River-Harris at Norway
  • Parma Western at Haslett 

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.

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

Tuesday, October 24

Wednesday, October 25

Thursday, October 26

Friday, October 27

Saturday, October 28

  • Boys Soccer – Division 2 Regional Final at East Lansing, 5 p.m. 

Monday, Oct. 30

Wednesday, Nov. 1

NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 per 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 Month Pass purchased this week would enable a viewer to access all of the live MHSAA Tournament action this fall.  That schedule includes: 

  • Saturday Specials - Weekly Football Playoff Coverage on Nov. 4 and Nov. 11
  • MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals on Nov. 4
  • MHSAA Girls Volleyball Semifinals & Finals – Nov. 16-18
  • MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals – Nov. 18
  • Super Streaming Saturday – All 16 Football Semifinal Games – Nov. 18 

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

A weekly staple on the MHSAA.tv website and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube is back for another year with highlights of selected games last week produced by members of the Association’s School Broadcast Program. 

This week’s highlights package consists of clips from football games Montrose at Birch Run, Coldwater at Traverse City West and Corunna at Fowlerville. Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office. 

More than 15 football games are featured each week on the State Champs! Sports Network Extra Point – powered by the Michigan High School Athletic Association – Saturday at 10 a.m. on FOX Sports Detroit.

The half-hour program features highlights from more than a dozen games each week, including clips from games produced by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members. The program airs multiple times each weekend on FOX Sports Detroit and on Comcast Channel 900, and will be archived on the State Champs YouTube Channel. Consult your local listings for additional playback times.

Here are some of the games to be featured this week on State Champs! Extra Point:

  • Livonia Churchill at Pinckney 
  • Romeo at Rochester Adams
  • Detroit Central at Clintondale 
  • Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard at Algonac
  • Grand Rapids Christian at DeWitt
  • Lowell at Flushing
  • Livonia Franklin at Walled Lake Western
  • Lansing Catholic at Olivet 

PLUS - Additional coverage from Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, Upper Peninsula and School Broadcast Program games. 

The MHSAA also has a presence on other State Champs! Network programs throughout each weekend. The MHSAA Minute is a weekly part of the State Champs! High School Sports Show on FOX Sports Detroit at 9 a.m. every Sunday – with multiple replays on FOX Sports Detroit and Comcast Channel 900 throughout the week. That program also is archived on the State Champs YouTube Channel. Consult your local listings for additional playback times.

This week’s MHSAA Minute on State Champs talks about local officials associations.

The MHSAA also has content on the State Champs Scoreboard! High School Football 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.