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
Today in the MHSAA: 6/5/23
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 5, 2023
2. TRACK & FIELD/GIRLS TENNIS The busiest Saturday of the MHSAA school sports calendar again saw Finals for 14 divisions of track & field and four of Lower Peninsula girls tennis provide this time 19 team champions, with a tie in Upper Peninsula Division 3 girls track. We covered all 18 events – MHSAA.com
2. BASEBALL Unranked Lake Orion enjoyed the most major upset of the weekend, downing top-ranked Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 3-2 in a Division 1 District Final – Cold Weather Bats
3. GIRLS SOCCER No. 3 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek delivered top-ranked Rochester High its lone loss, 3-1, in a Division 1 District Final – Oakland Press
4. BASEBALL Unranked Midland Dow also did its part to shake up Division 1 with a 2-1 upset of No. 2 Bay City Western in a District Final – Midland Daily News
5. SOFTBALL Division 2 top-ranked Gaylord won a matchup of favorites, 13-1 over No. 2 Escanaba before finishing the District title run with a 10-0 win over Cheboygan – Petoskey News-Review
6. GIRLS LACROSSE Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern repeated as a Division 1 Regional champ with a 14-11 win over Rockford – FOX 17
7. BASEBALL No. 12 Birmingham Seaholm edged No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 4-3 in a Division 1 District Final – Oakland Press
8. BASEBALL Unranked Grandville also repeated as a District champ with a 5-3 upset of No. 9 Jenison in Division 1 – Grand Rapids Press
9. SOFTBALL/BASEBALL The Lansing Waverly softball team and Mason baseball team celebrated their first District championships – Lansing State Journal
10. SOFTBALL Royal Oak also was a first-time District champion with its 20-9 clinching win over Berkley – Oakland Press