Be the Referee: Football Targeting

August 22, 2014

The MHSAA this week is introducing a the first of a weekly "Be the Referee" segment designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.   

The series features MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl's insights on officiating.  These weekly messages can be heard on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the school year on The Drive With Jack Ebling on WVFN-AM, East Lansing.

Below is this week's segment:  

"Be The Referee" 
Aug. 25 - Targeting - Listen

Today we are going to talk about one of the new rules changes for this fall’s high school football season, targeting. This is yet another example of player safety being the number one priority in our game.

Targeting deals with getting the “head” out of the game of football. Many times when you will see a targeting foul is when a player will use the top or the crown of his helmet to launch or propel himself into an opposing player, making that helmet to helmet contact, which can be so dangerous for both players involved.

When a targeting foul happens, the officials, if they judge it to be flagrant, can not only enforce a 15-yard penalty but also can eject the offending player.

Be the Referee: Boys Lacrosse Helmets

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

April 30, 2024

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 – Boys Lacrosse Helmets - Listen

We’re talking helmets in boys lacrosse today – and what happens when one comes off during play.

The high school rule differs from the college rule—in high school play, a helmet coming off during normal play is not a foul. If that happens, play is stopped, the player who lost his helmet must come off the field, and the team with possession maintains possession. If the ball is loose, alternate possession is used. The player can return at the next dead ball after play has resumed. In college lacrosse, this would be a technical foul.

When a helmet is knocked off (in high school) as a result of a foul, the helmetless player must leave the field until the next dead ball, and the foul will be administered.

Previous Editions

April 23: Softball Interference - Listen
April 16: Soccer Red Card - Listen
April 9: Batted Baseball Hits Runner - Listen
March 12: Basketball Replay - Listen
March 5: Hockey Officials - Listen
Feb. 27: Less Than 5 - Listen
Feb. 20: Air Ball - Listen
Feb. 13: Hockey Penalties - Listen
Jan. 30: Wrestling Tiebreakers - Listen
Jan. 23: Wrestling Technology - Listen
Jan. 9: 3 Seconds - Listen
Dec. 19: Unsuspecting Hockey Hits - Listen
Dec. 12: No More One-And-Ones - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 14: Volleyball Unplayable Areas - Listen
Nov. 7: Pass/Kick Off Crossbar - Listen
Oct. 31: Cross Country Interference - Listen
Oct. 24: Soccer Overtime - Listen
Oct. 17: Tennis Spin - Listen
Oct. 10: Blocked Kick - Listen
Oct. 3: Volleyball Double & Lift - Listen
Sept. 26: Registration Process - Listen
Sept. 20: Animal Interference - Listen
Sept. 13: Feet Rule on Soccer Throw-In - Listen
Sept. 6: Volleyball Jewelry - Listen
Aug. 30: Football Rules Similarities - Listen
Aug. 23: Football Rules Differences - Listen