Middlesex's Rau sweeps GMC Football Player of Week and Borden's Baller awards

Each week, the Middlesex High School football team’s triple option offense, which operates with machine-like precision, has allowed any of its talented backfield members to showcase their athletic abilities.

In the Blue Jays’ impressive 28-12 road victory over previously undefeated Point Pleasant Beach, senior fullback Tom Rau got his turn to be the workhorse back, and he responded with a career-high 216-yard rushing performance.

Rau scored on runs of 75, 53 and 52 yards, each of which head coach PJ Jankowicz said was the result of his bruising fullback’s offseason commitment in the weight room.

READ: GMC Top 10 rankings and division standings

“Tom’s strength there helped him,” Jankowicz said of the three touchdowns Rau scored on his 23 carries. “He sort of got through some clutter at the first level and made a couple of nice cuts and just sort of outran everyone. He just hit the open field and got vertical and the rest was history. He’s deceptively athletic and he’s able to run through those arm tackles. Once he gets into the open field, he’s tough to bring down. Those (three touchdowns) were weight-room runs. He’s very strong. He loves the weight room and his work ethic is second to none.”

Rau was voted MyCentralJersey.com’s Readers’ Choice Greater Middlesex Conference Week 4 Football Player of the Week, receiving 5,655 votes or 34 percent of the total 16,631 votes cast on a ballot featuring seven nominees.

READ: Greg Tufaro's Week 5 GMC football predictions and analysis

MyCentralJersey.com football analyst Marcus Borden also named Rau Borden’s Week 4 Borden’s Baller of the Week, making Rau the first player this season to earn both Readers’ Choice and Borden’s Baller honors in the same week.

A different player has starred for Middlesex (3-1) in each of its victories. Halfback Devin Lanza accounted for 160 of the Blue Jays’ 423 rushing yards in a 42-7 win over Metuchen. Quarterback John Kressbach accumulated 185 yards from scrimmage in a 31-21 victory over Spotswood the following week.

Middlesex already has amassed 1,413 yards on the ground for an average of 353.3 rushing yards per game.

“Every week it’s been a different guy, so they know if they just do their job and execute they are going to get an opportunity, so that’s been good,” Jankowicz said of his team’s offensive balance. “We haven’t had to rely on one guy. It’s been a group effort. We haven’t had one complaint about carries or anything like that.”

Jankowicz said the backfield’s willingness to block for one another, coupled with stellar play from the offensive line, demonstrates an unselfishness upon which the team’s offense is predicated.

“In our offense we have to be multi-dimensional,” Jankowicz said. “Look at all our guys and ask yourself, ‘Who do you stop?’ It was just the fullback’s turn (last week).”

Middlesex currently has the second-most power points (35) in Central Group I, just two fewer than Shore Regional, which along with the Blue Jays, Bound Brook, Manville and Point Pleasant Beach appear to be the cream of the crop in the section, with any of those teams capable of winning a crown.

“I’m very impressed with the leadership the seniors are displaying,” said Jankowicz, noting players such as Rau, a captain who is in his fourth year with the program, “are doing whatever than can to lead the team.”