By Matt Corbett
MILTON — Montoursville’s Cody Haupt has established himself as one of the area’s premier running backs. On Friday night, he displayed his versatility.
The senior tailback did it all against Milton, rushing for 327 yards and three TDs, passing for another score, and picking off a pass as Montoursville rolled to a 38-14 victory over the Black Panthers in a Heartland Athletic Conference Division I matchup.
Haupt had scoring runs of 87, 80 and 19 yards, and piled up all his yards on just 17 carries — including just three in the second half as the Warriors improved to 4-0, 2-0 HAC-I.
Haupt was spectacular in the open field, but both coaches were quick to credit the holes opened by Montoursville’s offensive line that got him into the open.
“He’s a very good young back, but he had holes big enough to drive a truck through,” said Milton coach Mike Bergey, whose squad fell to 1-3, 0-3. “Their offensive line did a very good job.”
Montoursville coach Jim Bergen concurred.
“Our offensive line did a nice job,” he said. “Once Cody gets through (the hole) and makes the last guy miss, it’s pretty much over.”
Haupt provided fireworks on the Warriors’ second play from scrimmage, when he took a handoff from quarterback Jacob Jones, broke through the line and roared down the right sideline for an 87-yard touchdown. He added a 19-yard TD run in the second quarter and an 80-yard score in the third on his final run of the night.
“Our defense has been solid, but our Achilles’ heel has been giving up the big play,” Bergey said.
In addition, Haupt tossed a 46-yard scoring strike to a wide-open DJ Yeagle in the third quarter when he rolled right on a tailback option pass, as the Milton defense was focused on stopping the run.
To complete his big night, Haupt intercepted a Colton Murray pass midway through the third quarter as he wrested the ball away from Luke Tillinghast on a fourth-and-five from the Montoursville 41. His 80-yard scoring jaunt came on the very next play to give the Warriors a 31-0 lead.
But there were plenty of positives for Milton. The Panthers racked up 368 yards in total offense, including 328 on the ground, as Murray directed the no-huddle offense. Milton put together long drives — of 11, 10 and 10 plays — on its first three possessions, driving into Montoursville territory each time before turning the ball over twice on fourth down and punting on the other.
“We were able to move the football against a good defensive team, but we shot ourselves in the foot (with missed opportunities),” Bergey said. “We took some strides in the right direction.”
Senior back Bobby Turnbaugh finished with 108 yards on 18 carries, while Tyler Digan ran for 65 yards and Murray added 63 on the ground, with each scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown. The Panthers ran 77 plays from scrimmage to just 52 for the Warriors, but couldn’t overcome Haupt’s big-play ability.
“We feel like (the no-huddle) definitely gives us an advantage,” Bergey said. “Colton is just a junior, and we’re asking him to do an awful lot. He’s doing a good job for us.”
