Knoch’s Mullen is 1-man wrecking crew in remarkable game

By: Michael Love
Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 7:04 PM

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Tim Burchett has been a high school football coach for 14 years including the past two-plus seasons at Knoch, and he said he can’t remember many single-game performances like the one senior quarterback and defensive back Codi Mullen put on Friday in a 38-14 victory over Hampton on homecoming at Knoch Knights Stadium.

Mullen did it all for the Knights.

He completed 11 of 18 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns, ran the ball 23 times for 246 yards and intercepted two passes from his safety position in addition to the work put in as a punter and punt returner on special teams to help lift Knoch to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Greater Allegheny Conference (Class 4A).

“I couldn’t really sleep (Friday) night trying think of anyone in my 14 years who had a night on offense and defense like that,” Burchett said.

“We had a couple at Peters (Township) who were phenomenal players in their own right. But to have close to 250 passing and 250 rushing on offense, two interceptions on defense, and also be such a factor in special teams, that was pretty unheard of. That was a very special performance from Codi. He does everything, and he’s really starting to show out even more.”

For Mullen, Friday’s game was all about helping the team get an important conference win and get back on track after a tough 42-7 loss to Mars the week before.

“I just want to do what I could to get our offense rolling again,” Mullen said. “We had a great game against Indiana (42 points) and then kind of got crushed against Mars. It was nice to see the offense get back rolling. I didn’t really think about the numbers at all.

“I knew I had a good amount of passing yards with a couple long touchdowns. I got off the field, and coach Burchett told me I had about 240 in each. I was surprised about the rushing. The important thing was that we came away with a good win.”

Mullen, a starter at quarterback last year and as a sophomore in 2022, transitioned to receiver and running back with the emergence of Colt Sprankle, an offseason transfer from Armstrong.

“Colt has a great arm, and with the offense we’re in, you need a quarterback with a super good arm,” Mullen said. “He was a perfect fit. Coach (Burchett) calls me an athlete. I was like, ‘Whatever you need me to do coach, I will do it for you.’ ”

When Sprankle went down with an injury at Montour in Week 3, Mullen was back in his familiar position.

“Then plan was that he wasn’t going to play quarterback at all,” Burchett said. “He basically didn’t take reps at quarterback from summer on. He had a slight injury over the summer that we managed. He was limited over the summer. We focused on developing Colt in that quarterback role. He was very receptive to how we wanted to use his versatility as a slot receiver, an outside receiver, and running back. We wanted to make him a focal point of the offense but in a different way.

“To Codi’s credit, we were able to kind of switch him back to that quarterback role rather quickly. When Colt went down at Montour, Codi was ready. He was like, ‘OK, we’re rolling with this again. Let’s do this.’ ”

Mullen entered his senior season with a lot of momentum after a junior year in which he took steps forward on the field.

He threw for 1,852 yards and 18 touchdowns and added 525 rush yards and five scores on 120 attempts as the Knights qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2014 and finished 8-3 overall.

As a reliable punter, Mullen earned first-team Allegheny 6 Conference honors on special teams as well as at defensive back.

Burchett said Mullen has grown exponentially as a leader on and off the field through this season.

“His sophomore year, as the starting quarterback, he was learning in our system,” said Burchett, a teacher in the South Butler County School District. “It was my first year here. He was rather quiet. Last year, he started to get a little bit more comfortable in his skin, and we had a good senior group that was vocal, so that helped him.

“This year, we call him the heart and soul. We’ve had a bad run of injuries, and we’re down to some low numbers because of those injuries. We could basically suit up 11 strong just with our injured kids. That makes what Codi does that much more meaningful. He wants the responsibility of being able to take a game over and put a team on his back. What he’s shown as a leader these past couple of weeks speaks to the kind of culture we’ve wanted to develop here. It’s just the type of kid that he is and what he will be at the next level starting next year.”

Knoch is in the mix for a WPIAL playoff spot heading into challenging conference clashes at West Mifflin on Friday and at home with McKeesport to end the regular season.

Beyond this final varsity season, Mullen is hoping to find the right fit for his football talents at the next level.

“Right now, I am more focused on the season, but I am getting a couple of (Division III) looks from like Washington & Jefferson, Marietta and Allegheny,” he said.

“Once the season is over, I want to get my name out there more.”

Burchett said Mullen will be a strong asset to any college program that brings him aboard.

“He probably doesn’t project as a quarterback at the next level, so it is good that he’s been able to get a lot of film at some different spots,” Burchett said.

“He has some tape at running back, at slot receiver and outside receiver where he has made some really good catches and has played well in the open field. Now, he has some good film at quarterback for two and a half years. We also moved him to safety on defense, and he can project as a pretty good safety in college. We just want to do what we can to help him realize the next step in his journey.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Knoch