Somehow this didn't save Wednesday night, but here's a quick rundown on the most significant rules changes for this fall decided at the MHSAA Representative Council meeting this spring.
The first adjusts the running clock/mercy rule, while the second deals with pre-determined sites for regional games.
- More mercy: From now one, when the score margin during the second half reaches 50 or more, the only time the clock will stop is when referees call timeout to deal with injuries. When the margin is 35-49, the status quo will continue -- stoppages for scores, penalties and when teams call time-outs. My take: Anything that can speed up a blowout is an improvement, for a number of reasons.
- Playoff points rule: As is the case with most playoff games prior to semifinals, teams with the highest playoff point averages will host -- even when a game is against an opponent more than 200 miles away. Previously, some games dealing with those long distances were pre-scheduled at "neutral" locations. For example, Montague traveled to Marquette's Superior Dome to face Iron Mountain last year despite having the most points in Division 6. My take: This definitely hurts the Upper Peninsula teams, which end up facing many more miles on the road than Lower Peninsula teams if they advance deep into the playoffs and especially end up at Ford Field. But I never understood why L.P. teams were penalized a home game for something they can't control.
High school sports editor 
