Interfering with the Punt Returner
 

What is the high school rule regarding protecting the punt returner? In tonight's game a flag was thrown when the kick team player hit the return right when the ball got there.

Does the rule require a certain amount of space to catch the ball?

How is it penalized? In tonight's game it looked like they gave the receiving team the option of the yardage or moving the kicking team back 15 and having them re-kick.

The receiver must have an unmolested opportunity to catch the football. There's is no distance or halo.

You on't say if he caught the ball or not. Once he catches it, it's poerfectly legal to hit him. That's why we have the fair catch rule. If he chooses not to FC it, oh well.

The enforcement was correct. It's an awarded FC at the spot or mark off 15 and re-kick.

He didn't catch the ball. So it's possible to have the kick team member to hit the returner as the ball is being touched AND it still be a penalty if in the judgment of the official the part about "unmolested" was violated?

Yes. He has to have an opportunity to catch it. If you hit him as he's catching it, he didn't have an unmolested opportunity. As I said, you can hit him as soon as he catches it.

Just remember that catching is not instantaneous, so touching the ball precedes possession of it. Kick catching interference works differently from pass interference, where touching the ball takes off the protection.