Week 8 in Review: Top Running Back Performances

<span style="font-weight: 400;">With Week 8 in the books, here is a look at the top running back performances from this past weekend. </span> &nbsp; <strong>Zach Palmer-Smith | Delran </strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Palmer-Smith once again found himself atop the top running back performers list as he followed up with a 358 yards performance in Week 7 with a 373 yard performance in Week 8. He rushed the ball 27 times which included five touchdowns in Delran’s 40-0 shutout victory over West Deptford. Palmer-Smith was the workhorse for the Delran offense as he churned out yards while helping drain the lock in the lopsided victory. He once again showed good patience while running and the ability to put his foot into the ground to make cuts. He’s got great vision and pull-away speed. </span><strong>Nasir McGlone | North Plainfield </strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Another repeat top performer from Week 7, McGlone rushed for 18 times and 355 yards while adding five touchdowns in North Plainfields 35-10 victory over Johnson. He now has five touchdown runs in back-to-back weeks as he scored on runs of 2, 9,9,71, and 94 yards. The 6-foot, 200-pound junior was able to pull off a few large chunk plays by showing good speed to get to the edge. If he gets into the open space he’s tough to catch and when contact is initiated he keeps his feet moving and is tough to bring down. </span><strong>Zaon Laney | Rahway </strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Laney surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season this week as he rushed 32 times for 287 yards and four touchdowns in Rahway’s 35-28 victory over South Plainfield. He’s a shifty back who excels in stretch plays as he has the speed to get the edge. He does a good following his blockers and using his cutback lanes. </span><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="146715" first="Kerry" last="Nicholas"] | Bordentown </strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Nicholas averaged 22.7 yards per carry as he rushed 11 times for 253 yards and four touchdowns in Bordentown’s 56-14 victory over Pitman. He scored on runs of 17, 25, 67 and 68 yards. He’s a 5-foot-7, 155-pound junior who is a quick, shifty back. He runs with good pad level and if he gets into the open field he’s tough to catch as he’s got the speed to pull away from the defense. </span><strong>Ethan MacNair | Somerville </strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">MacNair is another prospect who found himself on the top performer list in back-to-back weeks as he followed up his 29-291-3 stat line in Week 7 with a 22-253-3 line this weekend in a 43-13 victory over Warren Hills. MacNair is a patient runner who does a good job following his blocks. He’s not afraid to put his foot in the ground and change directions. He runs hard and never shies away from contact. He scored on runs of 34, 43 and 55 yards. </span>