May 2021

MIDDLETON/PLATTEVILLE–Larry G. White, 72, of Platteville; formerly of Branch Street and Parmenter Street in Middleton, passed away on April 6, 2021, at Edenbrook assisted living facility in Platteville. Larry was born July 10, 1948, in Savannah, Tenn., to James and Hazel White. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois in the mid-1950s, then Hazel and the kids moved to Linden, Wis. (in Iowa County) in 1966. 

Larry received an associate degree from Madison Area Technical College in the early 1970s and started work at the historic Stamm House restaurant, 6625 Century Ave., in Middleton, shortly after that. He worked there for 31 years before moving to Platteville to be closer to his brother, Ed, in 2004. In 2005, Larry started working as a Walmart greeter and continued in that position and maintenance until his cancer diagnosis in October of 2020.

A No. 3 doubles match doesn't usually draw a large crowd at a tennis match.

At the WIAA’s alternate season girls state team tennis tournament held last Saturday in Eau Claire, though, fans flocked for a decent seat.

Middleton and Neenah were tied, 3-3, with the state championship hanging in the balance.

That’s when Middleton senior Charlotte Sax and freshman Caroline Sax came up huge. The Sax sisters toppled Neenah’s Bradyn Gentile and Alise Van Dyke 6-2, 7-6 (7) in a match held at the Menard Tennis Center.

The win gave the Cardinals a 4-3 win over the Rockets and the second state championship in school history. Middleton, which has been to state eight times, also won the title in 2013.

Middleton’s girls softball team has extremely high hopes this season.

After one week, it’s easy to see why.

The Cardinals won all five of their games last week and raced to a 5-0 start.

“Each and every win has been a true team win,” Middleton first-year coach Brittany Carl said. “All student-athletes on this team understand and embrace their roles, making us that much stronger in terms of chemistry and specialized skill sets.

“We have challenged our student-athletes to approach the game more cerebrally early on and the buy-in has been incredible. As a coaching staff, we’ve made some fundamental, philosophical changes to the program culture and style and our athletes have taken it all in stride. They ask great questions at the few practices we have (had), hold each other accountable to work hard, and then are fearless to execute come game time.”

SUN PRAIRIE – With all due respect to Merriam-Webster, there are certain entries in the dictionary that are better defined by pictures. 

“Frustrating” is one of them.  

And no image would have been more appropriate for such an adjective than watching the Middleton prep football team’s offense trot from field to bench late in the third quarter at Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium at Ashley Field on Friday night. 

One by one, the Cardinals trudged forward, their heads hung and spirits crushed, doing their best to muster up the energy to overcome those “feelings of anger and annoyance.” 

For the second game in less than a month against rival Sun Prairie, Middleton couldn’t consistently sustain any momentum on offense. And unlike last time, its defense couldn’t hold up, either. 

Middleton totaled just 97 yards, giving up 38 unanswered points in a 38-14 defeat that put a cap on a frustrating, COVID-19 shortened spring season.