EASTON — Notre Dame thrives on the big play.

In each of its victories this season, the Crusaders have had at least two scoring splash plays of at least 30 yards. Last week, during its first loss of the season to Southern Lehigh, Notre Dame didn’t have any.

But the Crusaders got back on track with a 50-14 Colonial League win against Palmerton on Friday, tallying five scoring plays of more than 30 yards each.

“We didn’t get off to the start that we wanted,” said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak. “We settled down a little bit, but the big backbreaker was when we trailed 14-0 early on we stopped them, but then we drove the length of the field and we didn’t punch it in down there. That kind of gave them momentum. Then they hit us with two big plays, which that’s a big part of their offense.”

Palmerton (1-3) was intercepted on the second play on a tipped pass that fell into the diving arms of Crusaders’ junior linebacker Joey Rivituso. Notre Dame cashed in on the ensuing drive when Andrew Darno plunged in from a yard away. Palmerton drove deep into Crusaders’ territory on its next possession, but came up empty.

Later in the first quarter, Matt Frauen contributed Notre Dame’s first splash play of the contest with a 34-yard scamper to the house. The Crusaders’ next score, which came with 2:20 remaining the second frame, was on a 73-yard Darno strike to Christian Greggo, who caught the pass in stride and outran the Bombers’ secondary, making the score 21-0.

Notre Dame used a few timeouts on Palmerton’s next possession and got the ball back with 1:20 left before halftime. The clock management worked in favor of the Crusaders (3-1), as Darno connected on a bomb with 6-2 receiver Derek Berlitz for a 63-yard touchdown.

Darno tallied 171 yards through the air during his big night. The former receiver is now behind center for the Crusaders, due to multiple injuries to other quarterbacks on the depth chart. “He was their best wide receiver and a really good athlete, so it wasn’t a surprise,” said Walkowiak. “They’re tough with their offense. They spread you out, and depth in numbers is a big difference between both programs.”

Following intermission, Frauen scored on a 34-yard run, which put the mercy rule in effect at 36-0. Palmerton’s first possession after half was arguably its best of the evening. The Bombers constructed an 8-play, 72-yard drive capped off by an Andrew Sabo 2-yard plunge.

But on Notre Dame’s next drive, Darno made an off-schedule play on a 41-yard run to the house, picking up a few critical blocks and making a great series of moves to make the game 43-7. “We have to regroup, heal up and be ready to play next week,” Walkowiak said. “We’ll be ready to put a team on the field next week and be ready to go.”

Palmerton’s Jordan Nelson scored on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 132 total yards from the quarterback position. “Jordan does a bit of everything,” Walkowiak said. “We’re going through injuries and we’re working people around, so he’s our guy there.”

BOOM OR BUST... There was a punt of 63 yards in the contest, as well as a punt of -1.

LOOKING AHEAD ... Palmerton will battle Pen Argyl next week at home. The Bombers have won their last five meetings with the Green Knights.