VIDEO, PHOTOS: Middle clinches WJFL United Division title behind stellar performances by Anderson, White

Posted: October 24th 2026

Middle Township's Davon Anderson looks for running room after taking a handoff from Hunter White as offensive lineman Shaun Tangree prepares to block during Friday's football game.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – Davon Anderson shined in his usual role and Hunter White exhibited brilliance in a new one to lead the Middle Township High School football team to a division championship Friday evening.

Anderson was a handful carrying the football and also made the game’s biggest defensive play and White played quarterback for the first time this season and ran roughshod over the Palmyra defense to lead the Panthers to a 22-14 victory on Homecoming night.

The result allowed Middle (5-4 overall) to clinch the West Jersey Football League’s United Division. The Panthers finished division play at 5-0.

It’s just the fifth division championship in the history of Middle Township football.

“This is absolutely not the division we want to be in. We want to climb. But we’re in this division for a reason. We needed to be where our feet were and the kids responded well to it. We went undefeated in the division and got the job done,” Middle coach Gavin Liepe said.

White, playing quarterback due to an injury to talented freshman Julian Broughton, rushed 15 times for a career-high 194 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Middle offense.

Anderson was also a major factor running the ball, carrying 22 times for 138 yards. But a critical play on defense may have been Anderson’s biggest contribution to the victory.

Palmyra, trailing by a touchdown and a two-point conversion at 16-8, moved the ball inside Middle’s 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. But on first down, Anderson cleverly timed the snap of the ball while blitzing from his linebacker position, met the running back a couple yards behind the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Landen Beaudoin.

“Davon Anderson – you look at what he did on both sides of the ball tonight,” Liepe said. “We go back and forth with our seniors all the time, saying big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games and that’s what he did. Football’s a game of momentum and they had some there and it took a big play by No. 7 forcing that fumble to get it back in our favor.”

Five plays after the fumble recovery, White raced around the left side of the Palmyra defense and ran 62 yards for the last of his three touchdowns to give Middle a 22-8 lead with less than eight minutes to go.

“I can’t speak highly enough of No. 28,” Liepe said of White. “He has a willingness to do whatever’s needed. We reduced his snaps on defense because we knew he was going to be involved so much on offense and he did a heck of a job running the football.”

Middle opened the scoring on its first possession when M.J. Phillips booted a 25-yard field goal to finish a nine-play 67-yard drive that stalled at the Palmyra 8-yard line.

Later in the opening quarter, Middle executed a 14-play, 57-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by White. A 24-yard run by White on a first-and-20 play represented the biggest play of the possession.

Middle upped its lead to 16-0 on its first possession of the second half when White reached the end zone from 29 yards out. White ran three times for 60 yards on the drive.

Middle will finish its season with an NJSIAA consolation game against Lacey Township on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Memorial Field.