Murphy Throws Five Touchdowns as Notre Dame-Green Pond Blanks Salisbury, 79-0, in Playoff Rout

EASTON – Notre Dame-Green Pond put together a dominant performance on both sides of the football Thursday night, November 5, as the Crusaders rolled past Salisbury Township 79-0 in a lopsided postseason matchup.

Quarterback Tommy Murphy led the offensive explosion, completing 10 of 18 passes for 226 yards and five touchdowns while adding 41 rushing yards and another score. The Crusaders’ defense was equally impressive, forcing seven turnovers and holding the Falcons to just 46 yards of total offense.

Notre Dame-Green Pond, led by head coach Phil Stambaugh, improved to 10-1, while Salisbury, under head coach Kevin DiZenzo, finished its season at 3-8.

The Crusaders scored 28 points in the opening quarter, erupted for 38 more in the second and added 13 in the third to complete the shutout.

Notre Dame-Green Pond wasted little time establishing control.

Murphy opened the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Striba. Clemente Cintron converted the extra point to give the Crusaders a 7-0 advantage.

Murphy then showed his ability to make plays with his legs, breaking free for a 33-yard touchdown run. Cintron’s extra point extended the lead to 14-0.

The Crusaders continued their first-quarter scoring surge when Aaron Gordon powered his way into the end zone on a five-yard touchdown run. Cintron added another extra point to make it 21-0.

Notre Dame-Green Pond capped its explosive opening quarter with one of the biggest plays of the night.

Murphy connected with Cintron for a 70-yard touchdown pass, and Cintron converted the extra point to give the Crusaders a commanding 28-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

The offensive fireworks continued in the second quarter.

Cintron opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal, increasing Notre Dame-Green Pond’s lead to 31-0.

Murphy then connected with Lucas Luise for a five-yard touchdown pass. Cintron’s extra point pushed the advantage to 38-0.

The Crusaders continued to attack through the air as Murphy found Luise again, this time for a 22-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 45-0 following Cintron’s extra point.

Notre Dame-Green Pond’s defense then joined the scoring party.

John Hull intercepted a Salisbury pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. Cintron converted the extra point, giving the Crusaders a 52-0 advantage.

The Crusaders weren’t finished.

Gordon scored his second rushing touchdown of the night, this time from seven yards out. Cintron’s extra point made it 59-0.

Murphy capped his outstanding first-half performance by connecting with Drew Boyd for a 52-yard touchdown pass. Cintron added the extra point, sending Notre Dame-Green Pond into halftime with a commanding 66-0 lead.

The Crusaders had scored nine touchdowns and a field goal in the opening two quarters.

Notre Dame-Green Pond continued to add to its advantage in the third quarter.

Tyler Coad broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown run, increasing the lead to 72-0 after the extra-point attempt failed.

Anthony Stefano later scored on a three-yard touchdown run, and Drew Salaki converted the extra point to make it 79-0.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as the Crusaders completed the shutout.

Murphy was the centerpiece of Notre Dame-Green Pond’s offensive performance, accounting for six touchdowns. He threw for 226 yards and five scores without an interception while adding 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on two carries.

Boyd led the receiving corps with four catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns, including his 52-yard scoring reception.

Cintron added a 70-yard touchdown reception and a 39-yard field goal, while Striba caught two passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Luise finished with two receptions for 13 yards and a touchdown, according to the individual receiving statistics, while CJ Diaz added an 11-yard reception.

Notre Dame-Green Pond also received contributions from several running backs.

Coad led the Crusaders with 55 rushing yards and a touchdown on three carries, highlighted by his 53-yard scoring run.

Gordon carried four times for 25 yards and two touchdowns, while Stefano added 20 yards and a score on three attempts.

Jackson Hughes and Cam Kish each contributed eight rushing yards.

The Crusaders finished with 393 yards of total offense, including 226 passing yards and 167 rushing yards.

While Notre Dame-Green Pond’s offense grabbed the headlines, its defense was just as dominant.

The Crusaders held Salisbury to minus-41 rushing yards and forced seven turnovers, including three interceptions and four lost fumbles.

Hull led the defensive charge with two sacks, an interception and an 18-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Joseph Nehme recorded four solo tackles, two assists, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

Jeff Cemelli added three solo tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Madden Roselli contributed four tackles, while Jackson Wallace added three.

Patrick Parkes and Gordon each recorded interceptions, while Dominic Tocci and Zach Huber recovered fumbles.

Noah Snyder, Nathan Horton and Chase Ryan also registered sacks as the Crusaders consistently pressured Salisbury’s quarterbacks.

The Falcons struggled to establish any offensive rhythm against Notre Dame-Green Pond’s aggressive defense.

Salisbury quarterback Keaton Frye completed all three of his passes for 57 yards, while Iovani Lopez, listed as Lopez-Rodriguez in the statistical report, completed 5 of 19 passes for 25 yards but was intercepted three times.

Alexander Moren was Salisbury’s leading receiver, catching five passes for 48 yards, including a 45-yard reception. Jadiel Gonzalez added one reception for three yards.

On the ground, Moren led Salisbury with nine yards on one carry.

Frye was held to minus-20 rushing yards on six attempts, while Payton Santiago finished with minus-6 yards on three carries.

The Falcons managed just four first downs and converted only one of 11 third-down opportunities.

Notre Dame-Green Pond, meanwhile, converted four of seven third-down attempts and finished with 13 first downs.

The Crusaders also played turnover-free football, allowing their offense to consistently capitalize on Salisbury’s mistakes.

Cintron was another standout performer, finishing with 12 points on nine extra points and a 39-yard field goal. Salaki added an extra point in the third quarter.

For Stambaugh and the Crusaders, the victory was a complete team effort.

Notre Dame-Green Pond scored touchdowns through the air, on the ground and on defense while keeping Salisbury off the scoreboard for all four quarters.

The Crusaders’ 38-point second quarter put the game well out of reach before halftime, and their defense continued to dominate throughout the second half.

With Murphy leading the passing attack, Gordon and Coad providing explosive runs and Hull anchoring the defensive effort, Notre Dame-Green Pond delivered one of its most impressive performances of the season.

The 79-0 victory over Salisbury Township improved the Crusaders to 10-1 and kept their postseason run alive.

Scoring Summary

Final: Notre Dame-Green Pond 79, Salisbury Township 0

First Quarter:
NDGP – Jonathan Striba 15-yard pass from Tommy Murphy (Clemente Cintron kick) 11:25
NDGP – Tommy Murphy 33-yard run (Cintron kick) 8:26
NDGP – Aaron Gordon 5-yard run (Cintron kick) 5:46
NDGP – Clemente Cintron 70-yard pass from Murphy (Cintron kick) 2:52

Second Quarter:
NDGP – Clemente Cintron 39-yard field goal
NDGP – Lucas Luise 5-yard pass from Murphy (Cintron kick) 8:31
NDGP – Drew Boyd 22-yard pass from Murphy (Cintron kick)
NDGP – John Hull 18-yard interception return (Cintron kick) 6:54
NDGP – Aaron Gordon 7-yard run (Cintron kick) 3:18
NDGP – Drew Boyd 52-yard pass from Murphy (Cintron kick) 1:33

Third Quarter:
NDGP – Tyler Coad 53-yard run (Drew Salaki kick failed) 9:18
NDGP – Anthony Stefano 3-yard run (Salaki kick) 2:10

Fourth Quarter:
No scoring

Team Statistics