Cole DeFranco has a reputation of being a great football player for Notre Dame of Green Pond. The junior quarterback is making his mark in the Crusaders’ program as a very capable player that has the talent and ability to run and pass with effectiveness.

Against Palmerton, the hype proved to be true, as DeFranco led his 4-2 Crusaders to a 28-14 win over the Blue Bombers (4-2), by attacking their defense on the ground and through the air.

“They are what they are, and that’s a very good football team,” Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak said post-game. “They spread you out, they run their empty formations, and DeFranco was everything as advertised.”

In fact, the Notre Dame talent completed 22-of-36 passes on the night for 297 yards, while rushing 29 times for 88 yards, all the while, scoring two touchdowns and converting a two-point conversion.

“I think what makes us so tough to defend, at times, is when we are able to have that pass and run balance, and spread the field out like we did,” Notre Dame head coach Phil Stambaugh said. “You have to respect a guy like Cole (DeFranco) in the backfield, and our guys were able to make plays, and put their defense in a bind.”

Midway through the season, both teams entered this contest with plenty of motivation, and it showed early on, with highly-potent offenses on display. However, the two sides’ defenses were what yielded some stellar plays, as neither side gave up much.

Eventually, on the Crusaders’ second possession, DeFranco managed to get in from the 11 for the initial tally. However, a missed PAT made it 6-0. After trading the ball twice, the Blue Bombers got on the board and took the lead when a seemingly improbable one-handed catch by Luke Yaindl across the middle resulted in a 30-yard score, and Jordan Nelson’s PAT made it 7-6 early on in the second.

“Palmerton is a very tough team,” Stambaugh admitted. “Those kids played hard the entire night. I was waiting for them to ‘break,’ so to speak, and they just didn’t.”

The Crusaders answered with their own score when senior tailback Gerald Grube scored on an eight-yard run, and DeFranco found Grube for the two-point conversion.

Some penalties and dropped passes haunted the Bombers, as Notre Dame added to its lead, eventually taking a 28-7 lead late.

Tekoah Guedes pounded a run in from the one with just three minutes remaining in the game, but it proved to be too little, too late, as the time played against them.

“Tonight, I think it just came down to the second half,” Walkowiak said. “We had our opportunities to score, we were in the red zone a few times, but came up empty. Against a good team, you have to counter and we just didn’t get the job done. That’s a credit to Notre Dame.”

GETTING ‘COLE’-D

... DeFranco’s abilities were on full display throughout the contest, as he kept coming up with the “goods.” He led his team to convert 29 first downs, showed he can throw on the run, scrambled to safety, and produced some great plays.

LONG EVENING

... With both DeFranco and Guedes possessing strong passing games, the contest ran slightly longer than most, as clock stoppages following incompletions brought about a prolonged event. Adding to it were 21 total penalties, along with several injury stoppages.

BLOODY FEET

... Both coaches were perplexed with their squads’ abilities to “shoot themselves in the foot.” Notre Dame had 14 penalties for 94 yards, while Palmerton missed some ‘catchable’ passes and tackles on the other side. “We did a good job of shooting ourselves in the foot tonight, and even though we’re still young, we have to learn from that and get better,” Walkowiak said.