My only caution is don't expect there to be a huge jump in sophistication at the next level.

Awful lesson for the kids likely driven by the coaches' egos (ie in their mind 26-0 with 8 left in 2nd Q somehow better than ending 50-0

—It’s totally amazing to me the number of “men” who think they are fit and suitable to coach kids.  They quit when they’re behind, post questionable content on their social media accounts for their players to see, use inappropriate language, etc., yet act as if there is nothing wrong in how they model behavior for teens and younger children.

This is the kind of stuff that's really getting to me re youth football. Our Kickoff Classic opponent didn't even show up a few weeks ago after confirming that morning. The team we play next week forfeited to us last year (at least before the game w notice but still).

—I’ve experienced some of that this year and it sours me on the youth game.  The lack of professionalism and common courtesy is prevalent here; much more so than at the high school level, in my experience.

I know HS Ball isn't perfect but def feeling the itch. However I have a lot of family and career considerations that impact that decision - otherwise I'd already be coaching HS.

—Greg, I never had the desire to coach high school football until I got an offer I couldn’t turn down.  It took me a few years of adjusting to it, but there is no comparison between the two.  I’ve enjoyed high school much more.  And there is far less complaining about butt-kicking at the high school level.

Don't get me wrong, still enjoy coaching the youth game and our rivals present a very formidable challenge (albeit only twice a year - A LOT of time put in for two real games).

—Exactly.  When I first started coaching youth ball, I scouted everyone but learned that most of it was a waste of time, as our opponents rarely had decent coaching.  As you said, preparing for only a couple games a year is lacking when you consider the overall time investment.

I've dragged these guys to clinics, told them what they need to fix but realized they just don't care. They're fine w going 0-8.

—Yes, they are.

I've been with this program my whole coaching career. For the most part, I have accepted it as a challenge to overcome. However I've gotten to a point where I really believe for me to keep growing as a coach, I need to be surrounded by others with similar goals & mentality.

—Agree.  It took me a while to get comfortable with the high school game, but unlike youth (where the outcome is usually decided within the first 4 minutes), in high school I’ve got to keep my foot on the gas for the duration.

There is literally not one coach in our program who I learn anything from aside from what not to do which at this point I have seen plenty of.

—In the beginning of my coaching career, that was valuable to me.  But as I gained more experience, there was no in our org I could learn from.

Original timeline was a couple years from now but I'm starting to think about how I can speed that up significantly.

—Well good luck with it.  You’re more than capable to be very successful at the HS level and it will give you a more competitive option.

—Dave

We play in tyfa, so as long as there isnt any "wrong ball" trick play kind of crap, we're allowed to run wedge.