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FOOTBALL

Football: Middlesex beats top-seeded Burlington City in Central Group I semifinal

Andy Mendlowitz
@andy_mendlowitz
Middlesex at Burlington City football in a Central Group I semifinal on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017.

BURLINGTON – On a hot summer day, things didn’t go too well for Middlesex High School in a scrimmage against Burlington City. Fast forward three months on a chilly autumn evening, and the Blue Jays left the field celebrating and smiling.

Fourth-seeded Middlesex beat top-seeded Burlington 41-20 in Friday’s NJSIAA Central Group I semifinal to advance to the championship in two weeks. Next up is seventh-seeded Point Pleasant Beach, which beat third-seeded Bound Brook 22-19 in Friday’s other semifinal.

The Blue Jays have won four sectional titles since the current playoff format started in 1976 with the last title coming in 1984. The championship site and date will be determined (sometime between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3).

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Friday, Middlesex (9-1) won with a triple-option running attack that moved the ball, mostly with tough yards, and a defense that held Burlington’s 2,000-yard rusher Jimmy Browne in check for most of the game.

Quarterback John Kressbach rushed for four touchdowns, while Devin Lanza added a 10-yard TD and Anthony Mason punched in a 2-yard score. Fullback Tom Rau led the way on the ground by unofficially rushing for 90 yards.

“It was a great win,” Middlesex coach P.J. Jankowicz said. “They’re talented and we had our work cut out for us. Our hats off to the defense. We played outstanding on defense. Once we saw what they were trying to do we made some good adjustments. Our kids played really, really, really hard.”

Middlesex never trailed after taking a 7-6 lead on its first possession with just under 4:57 left in the first quarter. That doesn’t mean that things didn’t get tense at times. The Blue Jays led 19-14 at halftime and 26-20 with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Middlesex’s defense held and they scored twice in the final six minutes to seal the win.

“We knew they were going to take shots at us,” said Kressbach, sporting a cut on his left cheek. “We trusted that we could fight back with our offense. And we trust our defense that they would get stops at some point.”

It’s quite a turnaround after Middlesex finished 1-9 in 2016. As Jankowicz noted, the team didn’t get many breaks last fall, but the seniors held everyone together and the underclassmen gained valuable experience.

As far as that preseason scrimmage?

“They did do pretty good, but we’ve completely changed since then,” Kressbach said. “We’re a whole different team. We came together. Back then, we didn’t trust each other like we do now. … We talked after the game and said we could do better than this. And then we got to working.”

After all, teams aren’t expected to peak when its 90 degrees out.

“It was piece by piece,” Kressbach said. “It was like a puzzle for us. We figured out who was going to do what.”

A good chunk of Middlesex fans made the trip, including students who came on a fan bus. They had plenty to cheer about, as did the players.

“We worked so hard for this,” Kressbach said. “I never met a group of boys that worked harder. Every single day we’re out for three hours working as hard as we possibly can. And we love each other. We believe in each other. We trust each other. We know who has to do what job and we get it done.”

As the team gathered at the end of the game, Jankowicz finished addressing his team with, “Excellent job. I’m very proud of you. We’re going to the state championship.”

MIDDLESEX (9-1) 7-12-7-15 -- 41
BURLINGTON (8-2) 6-8-6-0 – 20

B – Brown 3 run (run failed)
M – Lanza 10 run (Semon kick)
M – Kressbach 3 run (kick failed)
M – Mason 2 run (pass failed)
B – Brown 1 run (Spencer-Smith pass from Roach)
M – Kressbach 1 run (Semon kick)
B – Woodbury 25 pass from Roach (run failed)
M – Kressbach 4 run (Mason run)
M – Kressbach 3 run (Semon kick)