Sports

They have been a model of consistency for a quarter century now. And don’t expect anything to change this winter.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team has qualified for the WIAA Division 1 state meet 22 times since 1995. The Cardinals have been to state eight straight years and 12 of the last 13 seasons.

Middleton begins its new season Dec. 19 at Sun Prairie. And expectations are sky high for another banner year.

“This is the strongest team Middleton has seen since Aryn Skibba's days as a MHS gymnast,” Middleton coach Kari Steck said of Skibba, a 2014 MHS graduate. “I'm excited for this young group to grow as gymnasts.

“We've always had the goal of the girls having a healthy and happy season, and being a family, and that means success for us is more than a state visit. These girls all have a lot going on outside of the gym, so to give them a space where they can just be kids and have fun is something very special.”

On the positive side, it was a victory.

On the downside, there were struggles on both ends of the floor.

As is typical for a game early in the season, Middleton’s girls basketball team had its share of ups and downs before hanging on for a 46-42 victory over rival Verona in a Big Eight Conference contest last Thursday.

“It wasn’t a real good performance,” Middleton coach Jeff Kind said. “We struggled at the line, we struggled shooting threes, we didn’t get the ball inside where we had an advantage, and we turned the ball over too many times.”

Indeed, the numbers were not kind. The Cardinals connected on just 4-of-24 three-pointers (16.7%) and 14-of-51 field goals (27.5%) overall. Middleton also shot just 58.3% (14-of-24) from the free-throw line.

“We were trying to pack it in the post more to get the layup under the basket because our shots weren’t going in and that helped a lot,” senior guard Josie Lemirande said.

Jacob Beckman can breathe easy now.

It isn’t that Middleton’s standout junior golfer was sweating the college recruiting process. But when Beckman agreed to take his immense skill set to the University of Wisconsin last week, a large load was definitely lifted from his shoulders.

Beckman, the No. 1 rated golfer in the Class of 2021 by Wisconsin.golf, can now spend the next 18 months enjoying his time at Middleton before joining the Badger program.

“Yes, it is a giant relief to have my college plans figured out,” Beckman said. “Now this spring I am completely focused on the high school season and can go out there and just play golf.”

Playing golf has always come naturally for Beckman.

He began playing when he was 3 years old, took quickly to the game, then began making a name for himself in Wisconsin when his family moved to Middleton three years ago.

Kevin Bavery is set to begin his 29^th season as a boys’ varsity basketball head coach.

The overwhelming majority of that time, Bavery has had a good idea where his team might be headed.

But Bavery — who came to Middleton in 2006 — admits he’s never been more befuddled by a group as he is the 2019-’20 Cardinals.

“Never have I had so little clue as to where we might finish,” Bavery said.

There are plenty of reasons why Bavery is perplexed.

Middleton lost four starters from last year’s team that went 13-10 overall and finished in fifth place in the Big Eight Conference at 10-8. While the Cardinals will be inexperienced, they have a number of interesting pieces that could help them surprise this winter.

Middleton begins its new season by hosting Verona Dec. 12 at 7:15 p.m.

All of his ducks were in a row. And Franco Marcos thought this was the perfect time to exit stage left.

Marcos, who spent the last 23 years as Middleton’s girls volleyball coach, felt the Cardinals’ program was in terrific shape when the 2019 season ended. So Marcos — who wanted to free up some time to pursue other passions — resigned as Middleton’s boss on Oct. 29.

Little did Marcos know that his time away from the high school scene would be short-lived.

Late last week, Marcos accepted the head coaching job at Madison Country Day. The position won’t be quite as demanding, meaning Marcos can likely pursue his dream of playing in the men’s senior baseball national championships, which take place every November in Arizona.

“I wasn’t looking for another job or anything,” Marcos said. “But this just seemed like a really good fit.”

Since 1997, Marcos and Middleton were an awfully good fit.

Ben Kollasch has had ties to the Middleton soccer program for more than three decades now.

Kollasch watched his four older brothers — Bob, Mike, Tom and Tony — come through the program. Kollasch was later a standout player himself, helping the 1994 Cardinals go 24-1-3 and jump as high as No. 13 in the national rankings.

Kollasch began coaching at MHS in 1996, has been the Cardinals’ head coach since 2013 and has always considered Middleton soccer his second family.

But now, Kollasch has decided to pay more attention to his first family.

Kollasch announced recently that he’s stepping down as the Cardinals’ head coach to spend more time with his own family.

Middleton’s football team enjoyed a terrific season under first-year coach Jason Pertzborn.

The Cardinals went 8-3 overall, finished in a tie for second in the Big Eight Conference and defeated Madison La Follette in the first round of the playoffs.

So, it was no surprise that the talented Cardinals landed 16 spots on the all-Big Eight Conference team.

Senior running back Kallion Buckner and senior offensive lineman Clay Craker were both named first-team all-Big Eight and earned honorable mention all-state honors from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. Senior tight end Sam Engler, senior defensive linemen Billy Johnson and Jake Wuebben, and senior linebacker Jake Pavelski all received first-team all-conference honors, as well. Wuebben was also named first-team all-conference as a punter.

Josie Lemirande put an app on her phone last summer counting down the days until the girls’ basketball season began.

“I can’t wait,” Lemirande said.

Sitori Tanin has been crossing off the days since the painful ending last March.

“It was throughout the whole team,” Tanin said. “Since the first week of practice we could all feel it. We have so many returners and we all have so much drive and excitement.”

Excitement.  Anticipation. Eagerness.

Middleton’s girls basketball team — which hosts Waunakee in its season-opener Thursday at 7:15 p.m. — has been looking forward to this season for nearly eight months now.

Throughout the season, Middleton’s girls swimming and diving team has dealt with more than its share of adversity.

But the Cardinals never gave up.

They kept fighting and capped their season with another terrific performance at the WIAA Division 1 state swimming and diving championship at the UW Natatorium last Saturday.

Leaning on its seniors, Middleton earned a sixth-place finish with 143 points. Brookfield East finished with 243 points and ended the Cardinals’ three-year championship reign. Hartland Arrowhead placed second with 220 points followed by Sun Prairie (212.50), Muskego (192) and Waukesha South/Mukwonago (146).

Middleton’s girls golf team had an unforgettable season on the links, winning the WIAA Division 1 state tournament last month.

The Cardinals also had a historic year when it came to postseason honors.

Middleton’s top five golfers all earned some form of all-state honors, as well as all-Big Eight Conference recognition. It marked just the second time in school history that all five Cardinal golfers were named all-state in the same season.

Middleton senior Kate Meier was named first-team all-state and first-team all-Big Eight. Meier was also the conference’s Player of the Year.

Junior Glenna Sanderson was named honorable mention all-Big Eight and second-team all-state, while sophomore Ellie Frisch was named first-team all-Big Eight and third-team all-state. Sophomore Milanne Dahmen was named first-team all-conference and honorable-mention all-state, while senior Makenzie Hodson was named second-team all-conference and honorable-mention all-state.