EASTON — Jim Thorpe ran into the same problem Friday night that most teams have faced when playing Notre Dame.

While the Olympians had a number of positive moments throughout their District 11 Class 3A semifinal contest, defensively they simply couldn’t slow down the high-octane offense of the Crusaders.

Led by quarterback Tommy Murphy, Notre Dame piled up 546 total yards and pulled away from Thorpe for a 55-21 victory and a berth in next week’s title game.

“They’re a heck of an offensive team, and we just couldn’t figure out how to slow their offense, which no one really has this year,” said Olympian head coach Mark Rosenberger.

“We made a lot of nice plays today, but unfortunately defensively we couldn’t get the stops. Their quarterback with his ability to run, and then their RPO stuff they were doing is really tough to stop.”

Murphy finished with five touchdown passes, but also ran for two scores, which covered 36 and 65 yards.

Known more for their passing attack, the ground game fueled the Crusaders (11-1) in the opening half, especially under cold conditions and a wet field.

“With the way the weather was a little bit we wanted to push that end of it, and we have talented kids in the backfield and they showed that tonight,” said Crusader mentor Phil Stambaugh.

Thorpe has some talented runners, as well, and they proved it on the game’s first drive.

The Olympians (7-5) took the opening kickoff and marched 67 yards in 15 plays — all but one coming on the ground — to take a 7-0 lead. Thorpe converted a fourth down early in the drive, which took 9:10 off the clock, and keys runs of over 10 yards came from Bobby Levins and Anthony Kiehl, with Levins going the final yard.

“We couldn’t have scripted it any better,” said Rosenberger. “As big as it was to score on the first drive ... we were able to take out nine minutes. So, it couldn’t have gone any better.”

“They’re a tough team, well-coached,” added Stambaugh. “Their coach has been there (a long time) and we knew they were going to come in ready to go, and that (drive) didn’t surprise me at all. I was happy with how our kids fought back, and got points right back on the board and took control of the game.”

It didn’t take long for the Crusaders to respond, as Murphy hit Jonathan Striba with an 18-yard pass before the junior QB broke free down the right side for a 36-yard scoring run.

While Notre Dame’s defense adjusted and held Thorpe in check, Notre Dame registered touchdowns on its next three possessions. Eight straight running plays came before the Murphy-Striba duo connected again on a 13-yard scoring strike.

Midway through the second quarter, a Murphy pass to Clemente Cintron went for a 69-yard TD when Thorpe’s defender slipped in coverage to make it 21-7. After a three-and-out by Thorpe, Striba caught his second touchdown of the evening on a 9-yard hook-up from Murphy.

The Olympians, however, showed some life and gained some momentum going to the locker room when Tyler Hoherchak went deep to Spencer Gothard for a 46-yard touchdown with 42.8 seconds until the break. Gothard reached low to make a shoestring catch before waltzing into the end zone to make it 27-14.

“That was a huge play,” said Rosenberger. “Tyler did a great job of buying some time, and Spence made an outstanding catch down by his knees and was able to keep his feet and go for a touchdown.

“But again, we just couldn’t get the stops in the second half defensively.”

Actually, it was Notre Dame that came up with the big defensive play in the second half.

After the Crusaders received the second-half kickoff and needed just two plays to score again when Murphy scrambled and eluded tacklers for a 65-yard score, Thorpe looked like it might answer back. But Nyechay Lawless corralled a tipped pass and returned his interception 49 yards to up the margin to 41-14.

If that didn’t seal the deal, Lawless added a touchdown on offense when he took a short pass from Murphy and broke free down the left sideline for a 57-yard tally.

Both teams added scores in the final frame, with Novack going over from four yards out for Thorpe to account for the final.

“Credit to our kids,” said Rosenberger about the season. “They bought into what we were selling. They worked hard each and every day, and the progression we’ve made, the transformation we’ve made as players and young men was amazing. So I’m just extremely proud of these guys.

“It wasn’t the finish we wanted, but where we came from — from the summertime into week one to where we’re at finishing out is truly amazing. And that’s a credit to kids who buy into the coaching staff, and kids who trust one another, and the love they have for one another, and the same thing with the coaches.”

NUMBERS ... Murphy ended with 271 yards passing and 124 rushing. Striba had 131 yards of combined offense. Thorpe’s Hoherchak threw for 134 yards, while Levins ran for 58 yards.

UP NEXT ... Notre Dame will play Northwestern for the 3A championship. Both teams own records of 11-1. “These are the games we want to be in,” said Stambaugh. “We know that it’s going to be a heavyweight title fight, and we’re anxious to play in that game.”

No. Dame 55,

Jim Thorpe 21

Jim Thorpe 7 7 0 7 - 21

Notre Dame 7 20 21 7 - 55

JT - Levins 1 run (Flyzik kick)

ND - Murphy 36 run (Cintron kick)

ND - Striba 13 pass from Murphy (Cintron kick)

ND - Cintron 69 pass from Murphy (Cintron kick)

ND - Striba 9 pass from Murphy (kick failed)

JT - Gothard 46 pass from Hoherchak (Flyzik kick)

ND - Murphy 65 run (Cintron kick)

ND - Lawless 49 interception return (Cintron kick)

ND - Lawless 57 pass from Murphy (Cintron kick)

ND - Diaz 50 pass from Murphy (Cintron kick)

JT - Novack 4 run (Flyzik kick)