May 2013

Tom Cabalka knows that better days are coming.

That the future is extremely bright for his Middleton boys golf program.

But that didn't make Tuesday any easier.

For the second consecutive year, the Cardinals were in undoubtedly the state’s toughest sectional. And for the second straight year, Middleton fell short of reaching the WIAA Division 1 state tournament.

Middleton finished in sixth place at the Sparta Sectional. Only the top two teams moved onto the state tournament, which will be held Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge.

Middleton also failed to advance any individual qualifiers, meaning the Cardinals’ year ended far too soon for their liking.

“I’m really proud of the kids,” Middleton coach Tom Cabalka said. “They gave it a great run. It’s just such a good sectional.”

Steven Harris has had four memorable years inside Middleton’s boys track and field program.

But the 2013 season will undoubtedly go down as his most unforgettable.

Harris had a day to remember at last Thursday’s WIAA Division 1 Madison Memorial Sectional.

Harris qualified for the state meet in two relays and one individual event. And Harris helped Middleton finish second at sectionals, narrowly losing to Madison La Follette, 85-83.

Now, when the state meet is held Friday and Saturday at UW-La Crosse, Harris and the Cardinals will have extremely high hopes.

“I couldn't have asked for a better year for the MHS program,” Harris said. “We have worked so hard this year and it shows pretty well with winning conference and regionals and taking second at sectionals. It's been a lot of fun watching how much success the whole team has had this year.”

Sectionals meant another successful day for the Cardinals.

On one hand, Evan Stone was ecstatic. Same goes for Griff Pyle.

The two Middleton tennis standouts have merged to become one of the best doubles tandems in the state. And when that deadly duo took first place at No. 1 doubles during last Thursday’s Middleton Sectional, they earned a trip to this weekend’s WIAA Division 1 state tournament.

“It’s awesome,” said Stone, a junior. “This was our goal from the start of the offseason.”

On the flip side, though, Stone, Pyle and the rest of the Cardinals left Nielsen Tennis Stadium somewhat despondent. That’s because Middleton finished second in its own sectional and failed to qualify for the state team tournament for the first time since 2008.

“We’re really happy to make it,” Pyle said of him and Stone. “But we’re all still pretty disappointed. We thought we could get there as a team.”

Middleton was hurt by two things at sectionals.

First, the Cardinals didn’t play their best. Not even close.

The complete turnaround didn’t happen, as hoped.

Oh, Middleton’s girls softball team made some strides this spring. But Cardinals coach Arin Oppermann and her team know there’s a lot of work to be done to become a Big Eight Conference power again.

“This season we had a lot of ups and downs,” Oppermann said. “We are a very capable team and played very well against some of the better teams in the conferences

“I think that if we play like we did against those teams consistently next year, we're going to come out ahead more often than not.”

Middleton finished the year 9-10 overall and lost a regional semifinal to DeForest, 6-5. The Cardinals were also 9-9 in the Big Eight Conference and finished in fifth place.

The Cardinals did heat up down the stretch and carried a four-game winning streak into the postseason. But the Cardinals lost their playoff opener for a second straight year.