The thing that’s been bothering me the most is our punt coverage and return
They seem disorganized
A group of 7-8 defenders going to an imaginary spot while the ball hits 10 yards behind them with opposing players potentially capable of fielding the ball or the bounce and having an easy TD
THEN
on the other side
How many times have I held my breath PRAYING the ball doesn’t hit one of us on the head -turnover-
We’re not the only team that does this but it boggles the mind
Worst case was when our punter shanked that one and it went straight up in the air
Everyone acted like the play was over and all of our players are running forward (ahead of the ball) to me you have to have some players “finding” the ball in the air instead of blindly running downfield
The punter didn’t even run to down the ball he was just upset with himself for having a bad punt.
These things can catch up and bite you someday
I know what you're talking about. The punt coverage down field appear to be keying on the punt return guys, rather than the ball, until the ball either hits the ground or is fielded. There've been a couple of close calls, although I presume that if the ball hits one of the kicking team then the ball is considered downed.
Punt returns bother me a bit more, and one or more coaches are often on the sidelines yelling and waving their arms, for return team members to get out of the way of the bouncing ball.
It's been many many years since I was involved in punt coverage or returns in HS, but I don't recall it being much different then, than it is now.