May 2015

It’s a blustery Sunday evening in rural Mount Vernon, but the howling of the wind is no match for the countrified thump shaking the white stone walls of the “Donkey Hole.”

It’s a quintessential Wisconsin man cave, rigged with tap beer, neon signs, and even a circular tin of popcorn to act as a boisterous fire alarm if things ever get too hot. A place where blown up amplifiers and a bit of healthy tinnitus are all in a good night’s work.

But the barn wasn’t always this way. The place where the Feralcats currently hone their popular brand of honky tonk was formerly used to house burros – hence its name – and it required a thorough mucking in order to begin its transformation.

As the rains poured down and the winds gusted throughout the morning Tuesday, Middleton girls track and field coach Tara Franklin had one overriding thought.

“I wasn't sure if we would even finish the meet before midnight,” Franklin said of the WIAA Division 1 Middleton regional.

But much to the Cardinals’ delight the weather cleared. Then Middleton proceeded to put on a show.

Middleton’s boys cruised to the regional title with 155 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Monona Grove (98.0). Sun Prairie (90.5), Madison West (90) and Madison Memorial (72) rounded out the top five.

“I think we're happy to be moving so many guys through to the next level,” Middleton coach Isaac Mezera said. “Now the focus is getting as many to the red track (state) as possible.”

Sun Prairie won the girls’ title with 160 points, while Middleton was second at 142. Madison Memorial (90.5), Waunakee (81) and Monona Grove (78.5) rounded out the top five.

Tryouts were over.

The team had been chosen and practice was underway.

That’s when Middleton’s girls softball team began to fully understand the talent that existed up and down its roster. And the Cardinals immediately set the bar sky high.

“All of us players sat down a couple weeks into the season and made it a goal to win a conference championship,” Middleton senior shortstop Katie Fermanich said.

That goal became a reality last week.

Middleton clinched a share of the Big Eight Conference title last Tuesday thanks to a 4-2 win over Madison West. The Cardinals could have clinched the league’s outright title last Thursday, but they suffered a 7-4 loss to Beloit Memorial.

Middleton finished the year 14-4 in the conference and tied for first place with Verona. The Cardinals, who won their first league title since 2009, ended the regular season 17-6 overall.

The roster was greatly overhauled.

There were 12 new players, positional changes, and tactical adjustments.

Despite all of that change, one thing remained the same for Middleton’s girls’ soccer team this spring: success.

The Cardinals notched a pair of wins last week and clinched a share of their second straight Big Eight Conference title.

Middleton and Madison Memorial both went 8-1 in the league and finished ½-game ahead of third place Madison West.

“Last year we had experience, this year we have fire,” said Middleton junior standout Grace Douglas, a University of Wisconsin recruit. “Winning the Big Eight title again this year really brought out the importance of the game itself.

“On any given night any team can win. And this year we’re especially glad to show everyone that there are a variety of different teams that can achieve this kind of greatness.”