Moore, Nagle provided valuable leadership for young Middle team during difficult rebuilding season

Posted: November 20th 2025

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

The high school football season is long, and it can be a grind.

So when things aren’t going well on the field, a program can go sideways – or even backward – if the players at the top waver in their commitment.

The Middle Township High School football team experienced one of the most difficult seasons in the history of the program, the Panthers going winless until scratching out a victory over a one-win Group I school in an NJSIAA consolation game in the season finale.

But the Panthers certainly didn’t have problems with leadership, thanks in large part to seniors Chase Moore and Noah Nagle.

Moore and Nagle were standouts in a rebuilding season that saw Middle put many sophomores and freshmen on the field in order to help them gain experience for the future.

Chase Moore was one of the top wide receivers and defensive backs in the West Jersey Football League.

Moore is by far the most physically gifted player in the program. A wide receiver and defensive back, Moore led the team with 34 receptions on offense while also recording 60 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles on defense. He scored three touchdowns, one of which came on a return after a fumble recovery in the win over Lindenwold.

“Chase has a great mentality and approach to football,” Middle coach Gavin Liepe said. “I was impressed with how he responded to adversity. After the first few weeks, he realized how young and inexperienced we were and he really stepped into a leadership role. Instead of him worrying about himself and his stats, he was coaching up young kids and helping out the young guys in the secondary. 

“Of all the things he did this season, that’s what I’m most proud of. He really went out of his way to help the young guys in the secondary. It was great to see the growth of his character over the past couple years. It would’ve been easy for him to mentally check out and just focus on himself and he didn’t do that.”

For Moore, it was important to help guide the younger players in the program despite the setbacks.

“It was a strong adjustment but I had to get through it and be a leader,” said Moore, who was a major contributor on the 2024 Middle team that qualified for the Group II playoffs. “Those guys are young so there’s only so much they can do. We had to take it day by day and I had to try to lead them, no matter what the score of the game was or however practice was going. They’re all going to be the future of Middle Township football so we had to ride with them.

“I feel like we all got one percent better every day throughout the year. We all got better and I feel like I taught them a lot, so I’m proud of that.”

CHASE MOORE

The 6-4, 185-pound Moore, a first team West Jersey Football League Liberty Division all-star as a defensive back, has received college interest from Maine, Delaware, Stony Brook and Rutgers.

“A lot of college coaches are interested in him because of his size and athleticism and that’s important,” Liepe said, “but he’s become that much easier to sell to the people at that level because of his character and how he’s matured. I’m really proud of him.”

While the losing was difficult to endure, Moore said staying motivated to play was never a problem.

“Football has always been fun for me,” he said. “I’ve played for 12 years and I’ve never lost the love of the game. Being out there on the field with my brothers, I love it.

“I think this year really helped my character and got me ready for life. Things aren’t always going to go your way. Anything can happen, so you have to keep going and you have to keep doing you. I had to still show interest and that I trust in our team and believe in them and help them for the upcoming years of Middle Township football.”

Like Moore, Nagle cited a love for the game and a sense of obligation to be a leader as the driving forces behind his willingness to grind through a trying season.

“It’s football and I’ve played it for 12 years, so it’s an opportunity to play the sport I love,” Nagle said. “Once you lose that opportunity, it never comes back, so you have to make the most of it. Even though we weren’t winning too much, I felt it was my job to show the young guys the right things to do in the future. I want to come back in a couple years and see that they’re having success.”

Noah Nagle led Middle Township in tackles this fall.

Nagle was mostly a special teams contributor and backup linebacker during his first three years with Middle. Once he got the chance to start as a senior, however, he quickly became one of the top players at his position in the WJFL Liberty Division, earning first team all-star status as a linebacker.

“Noah was in our program for four years but he had a lot of talent ahead of him but he didn’t let that phase him,” Liepe said. “He pitched in on special teams each and every year and he was without a doubt the hardest worker I’ve ever seen at Middle Township. He showed up, never complained and put his nose to the grindstone every day. He got his opportunity to start this year and that was great to see even though obviously it didn’t go the way we planned.”

Nagle led the team with 64 tackles and also recorded six sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Aside from the statistics, Nagle’s intangible characteristics are what made him stand out this season, Liepe said.

“You look at the kid’s career and in his four years I don’t remember him missing a single practice,” Liepe said. “He showed up and did things the right way and most importantly brought a really good mentality to our defense. The young guys could see that if you do things the way Noah did you’ll see results. He was a great example to our young freshmen and sophomores. They were able to look up to him.”

Nagle is hoping to play college football. He’s receiving interest from the sprint team at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as from Ursinus and Franklin & Marshall.

NOAH NAGLE

Nagle has come a long way since his days as a backup.

“By the time I got the lineup I felt like I went through the mental reps of playing a thousand times, so I was ready to do whatever to help the team,” Nagle said.

Nagle admitted he was mentally challenged by the chore of competing for a struggling team with a lot of young players. But he also felt it was important to rise above any negative feelings.

“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to do,” he said. “Anytime you’re losing like that, it’s very hard. I learned that it’s OK to not always be positive. Sometimes you have to take a step back for a minute. But then I knew I had to show the rest of the team to keep working despite the circumstances. If the young guys see one of the leaders start to break, then everything’s going to fall. 

“One of the great things about sports is that it’s like the real world. There’s a winning team and a losing team and no matter what side you’re on there’s something to learn from it. Sports do a good job helping you learn about life. I was blessed to be able to play 12 years of football, whether it was winning or losing.”

Chase Moore and Noah Nagle won’t be around when better days come for the Middle Township High School football team. But there’s no doubt they will have had a hand in any of the program’s future success.

(Photos courtesy MTHS athletics and Nate McMaster)