Yellow Pages
MOUNT VERNON — In last year’s Battle of the Bridge, early in the game and deep in his own territory, Mount Vernon football player Colin Findley-Meier took a snap in an obvious punt situation. With more than 10 yards to go for a first down, and almost certain to give up points to rival Burlington-Edison if he failed, Findley-Meier took off around right end and barely made the first down.
What may surprise some people is that Findley-Meier had, and still has, the OK to do that whenever he wants.
“If I see enough space, and I can run and think I can get a first down, I have the option. It’s my decision. I can either take off or I can punt it.”
Now a senior and in his third year as the team’s starting punter, Findley-Meier and the Bulldogs have perfected what they term rugby-style punting. Rather than stay 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, Findley-Meier rolls out to the side, with the ball in front of him poised to punt it. By the time he kicks the ball, he is typically within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
If the defense tries to set up a return and doesn’t pay enough attention, Findley-Meier has the option of going for the first down.
“You factor in the situation, the distance, all that stuff,” Findley-Meier said. “I try to think about that before the snap and then I just see how much space. If the corners are out there bailing, then it looks good. A lot of teams have picked up on it and they aren’t letting us do too much.”
Former coach Benji Sonnichsen first implemented the idea. Findley-Meier has been the one in charge of executing the past three years.
“I like the idea that he can be athletic and use it to his advantage,” said assistant coach Doug Nelson, who works with the Bulldog special teams. “It puts a lot of pressure on a defense.”
When head coach Jaxon Schweikert took over this season, he admitted being a little skeptical of the play.
Schweikert had a punter use a similar style when he coached in Moscow, Idaho, but it was not as effective. It didn’t take long to convince him.
“We didn’t coach it like Doug Nelson does. He does a great job of coaching it, a lot better,” Schweikert said. “When he first mentioned it to me, I said, ‘Well, we did it a long time ago.’ But his scheme is a lot better on it. It wasn’t a hard sell when I saw how he did it.”
Rugby-style punting has several advantages.
At first, when it was a surprise, it earned the Bulldogs a few extra first downs.
Then, as teams became more wary of the play and kept defenders close to shadow him, it made it more difficult to set up punt returns.
From a practical standpoint, it puts the punter closer to the line of scrimmage. Being five yards closer than the typical punter adds five yards to the length of the punt.
And finally, the extra time he holds the ball gives coverage teams longer to race downfield.
There are downsides as well. Punting on the run doesn’t generally lend itself to the distance a typical punt can cover, and a punter drifting one direction or the other is more prone to punting out of bounds.
It also places a lot of responsibility on a high school player. If a running back tries to cut back or reverse his field, he may lose five yards. If the punter goes for it and doesn’t make it, it costs 30 or more.
The one who makes it all go is Findley-Meier. Just 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds, he is one of the most elusive athletes in the county.
He leads all area receivers in receptions with 29 and is feared enough as a kick returner that teams have started kicking away from him.
He is dangerous in the open field (three career return touchdowns) to be much more a threat that the typical punter.
He can also punt with either foot, though he is stronger rolling right and punting with the right foot.
“It actually came kind of naturally,” Findley-Meier said. “It’s not too much different. When you’re going sideways, you just have to make sure you set yourself up almost like a normal punt.”
“He makes the call on which direction to go with moving the pocket, and he has the green light to go,” Schweikert added. “We’ve actually told him we think he should gamble a little bit more. We have such a strong belief in his abilities.”
• Eric Francis can be reached at 360-416-2131 or by e-mail at
