January 2014

Tue
21
Jan
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Swimmers 3rd at own relays

Many of the top swimming programs in the area gathered Saturday for the Middleton Relays.

And the Cardinals more than held their own, finishing in third place at the 12-team event.

Madison Memorial won the meet with 197 points, while Madison West (167), Middleton (155), McFarland (135) and Verona/Mount Horeb (133) rounded out the top five.

“The Cardinal invite went well and is a great meet for the boys to have fun while racing hard,” Middleton coach Luke Lengfeld said. “Individually we had several big swims on relays which is great to see.”

Middleton had six third place finishes among the 10 events.

The Cardinals’ top finish came in the 300 yard fly, where Harrison Bielski, Derek Pettit, Luke Delany and Lex Peterson finished second (2:44.35).

Fri
17
Jan
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Middleton's boys edge La Follette

 

Middleton boys basketball coach Kevin Bavery challenged Max Oelerich.

And the Cardinals’ senior forward delivered.

Oelerich scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds on Tuesday night to power Middleton past Madison La Follette, 57-55.

“We challenged him to get back to his strength, which is the mid-range game and offensive rebounding,” Bavery said of Oelerich. “It was great to see and much needed.” 

The Cardinals won for the fourth time in five games, improved to 7-5 overall and 5-5 in the Big Eight Conference. It marked the first time Middleton has reached .500 in the conference since Dec. 3.

La Follette slipped to 4-6, 6-7.

Middleton senior guard Derek Rongstad added 10 points, while freshman guard C.J. Fermanich and senior forward Demond Hill both scored eight points. Senior guard Luke Schafer and senior forward Derek Rogeberg added to the Cardinals’ balanced scoring with seven points each.

Tue
14
Jan
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Girls basketball team leads Big 8

Darby Raffel joined Middleton’s varsity basketball team late in the year two seasons ago.

Raffel, now a senior, remembers being blown away by those Cardinals — a group that eventually reached the state semifinals.

Today, Raffel is starting to get similar feelings about this Middleton team.

“I definitely see a lot of the same characteristics in our team,” Raffel said. “And that gets me really excited.”

Right now, there’s a lot to be excited about.

Middleton cruised past Madison La Follette last Friday, 62-44. One year ago, the Lancers defeated the Cardinals in three straight meetings, and toppled Middleton in the WIAA regional finals.

The Cardinals exacted some revenge Friday night, and maintained their hold on first place in the Big Eight Conference. Middleton improved to 8-0 in the conference and 10-2 overall, and stayed one game ahead of second place Verona (7-1, 11-1).

Tue
14
Jan
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Boys basketball team edges Craig

Derek Rongstad is one of the top basketball players in the Big Eight Conference.

The Middleton senior and UW-Milwaukee recruit is extremely well rounded and can beat foes in a plethora of ways. And last Saturday night, Rongstad’s entire skill set was on full display.

Rongstad scored a season-high 24 points and powered Middleton to a much-needed 70-69 over visiting Janesville Craig. Rongstad added a team-best eight rebounds and six assists, as well.

“Probably his best overall game,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said of Rongstad. “I was listening to ESPN radio … and they were talking about Tom Brady being at a point in his career where the numbers don't matter. He's willing to do whatever it takes to win.  

Tue
14
Jan
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MHS wrestlers win Baraboo Classic

 

Six championships.

Countless terrific performances.

It all added up to a championship for Middleton’s wrestlers at last Saturday’s Baraboo Classic.

The Cardinals finished with 175 points to outdistance runner-up Baraboo (162) at the eight-team event. Sussex Hamilton was third (156), while Tomah (129) and Johnson Creek (118) rounded out the top five.

“We were a little shorthanded and only had 12 wrestlers,” Middleton coach Kent Weiler said. “So six champions coming out of there is great. It was a really good day.”

Middleton’s championships came from Chris Rogers at 126 pounds, Brandon Best (145), Shay Haase (152), Nathan Dresen (160), Taggart Haase (170) and Sean Benedict (heavyweight).

Rogers opened the tournament with a bye, then pinned Johnson Creek’s Alex David in 3:18. Rogers won by injury default over Hamilton’s Owen Gorges, then he pinned Edgerton’s Daniel McCue in 48 seconds and Tomah’s Hunter Pierce in 3:25.

Tue
14
Jan
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Middleton gymnasts hanging tough

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team is trying to get healthy.

The Cardinals are hoping to field their preferred lineup soon.

In the interim, Middleton is doing a nice job of hanging tough everywhere it goes.

Middleton finished third among Division 1 schools at last Saturday’s Mount Horeb Invite. The Cardinals also dropped a Big Eight Conference dual meet to Madison Memorial, 135.125-133.475 last Thursday.

Middleton competed without standouts Aryn Skibba and Lucy Bergenthal.

Madison West and Madison Memorial shared the team title in Mount Horeb with 132.950 points. Middleton was a close third (132.250), followed by Watertown (131.675), Verona/Madison Edgewood (124.025) and Madison East-La Follette (112.375).

“Very close meet, but the girls did an awesome job,” Middleton coach Kari Steck said. “There were a few falls counted in our team score, but consistently lower scores all around than we've seen this year.”

Tue
14
Jan
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Swimmers win triple dual

 

Luke Lengfeld looks at the calendar and knows time is of the essence.

Middleton’s boys swimming and diving coach understands the postseason is just three weeks away. But Lengfeld is confident in the direction his team is trending.

Middleton gave another strong performance last Friday, defeating both host Verona and Beloit Memorial in a triple dual. The Cardinals toppled the Wildcats, 105-65, and bested the Purple Knights, 137-33.

“The guys swam well,” Lengfeld said. “The outcome was some fast times.”

Indeed.

Middleton’s 200-yard medley relay team of Hans Kunsch, Rory Slattery, Lex Peterson and Lars Haskins was first in 1:54.03. The Cardinals’ quartet of Andrew Collier, Will Zocher, Derek Pettit and Harrison Bielski was also second (2:00.85).

Jacob Aegerter won the 200 IM (2:23.24), while Slattery was second (2:27.93) and James Mai was third (2:29.12). Peterson won the 100-meter fly (1:01.34) and Pettit was third (1:03.12).

Fri
10
Jan
Fri
10
Jan
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Spring ballots to include races for city council, town board, school board

The filing deadline for the spring election came and went Tuesday, and there will a few contested local races on the April 1 ballot.

State offices to be elected include Court of Appeals Districts 1, 2 and 4 and Circuit Court. Various local government seats are up for re-election, including those on city, town, village and school boards.

 

CITY COUNCIL

Incumbent Second District alderman Gurdip Brar will face challenger Robert Conhaim in the only contested Middleton Common Council race.  Conhaim and Brar are no strangers, as the former was ousted from the seat in 2008 by the latter.

Incumbents Susan West (Dist. 6) and Mark Sullivan (Dist. 8) both filed to run for re-election and will not face any challengers on the ballot. District 4 alderman Jim Wexler will not seek another term, so newcomer Chad Gehin will be the only name on the ballot there.

Fri
10
Jan
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Sun Prairie topples Middleton

SUN PRAIRIE — Kevin Bavery was part befuddled and part agitated.

Middleton’s boys basketball coach thought his team had turned a corner. Bavery believed his team had discovered the answers to their early-season troubles.

Then, Thursday night, Middleton had its most uninspired effort of the year.

Host Sun Prairie built a double-digit lead, held off a late Middleton rally and notched a 59-52 win.

Middleton, one of the preseason favorites in the Big Eight Conference, fell to 5-5 overall and 3-5 in the league. Sun Prairie improved to 6-5, 4-4.

“I don't get it,” Bavery said afterwards. “We had two days off and that should have been the freshest our legs were all year. Instead, we played with absolutely no energy.”

Middleton senior forward Demond Hill made 5-of-6 field goals and scored 10 points. Senior guard Luke Schafer added 10 points and senior guard Derek Rongstad scored nine.

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