Sports

OCONOMOWOC — One play. One final play.

That’s what it came down to for Middleton’s defense Friday night.

The Cardinals had kept Oconomowoc’s high-powered offense — one that was averaging 43.3 points per game — in check throughout their WIAA Division 1 Level 1 playoff match-up. Now, with the Cardinals clinging to a 20-13 lead in the closing minutes, Middleton defensive coordinator Tom Cabalka implored his sensational unit to make one last play.

Raccoons all-state quarterback Ben Nienhuis took the 4^th-and-10 snap, and everyone knew the ball was going to all-state wideout Zach Clayton, who already had 13 catches on the night. Middleton bracketed Clayton with two of its top defenders — C.J. Fermanich and Joe Ludwig — but Nienhuis fired that way anyhow.

Nienhuis’ pass was on target, but the ball was tipped away.

Middleton 20, Oconomowoc 13.

Next stop? The second round of the postseason.

One team wants to ground and pound, run the clock and impose its will.

The other travels primarily by air, will fling the ball all night and try hurting you with quick strikes.

Polar opposites.

That’s what the football teams from Middleton and Oconomowoc are.

The fourth-seeded Raccoons and fifth-seeded Cardinals meet in a WIAA Division 1 Level 1 playoff game Friday at 7 p.m. that features a complete contrast in styles. And whichever group is able to best execute its brand of football will emerge victorious.

“It will be a very interesting game,” said Middleton coach Tim Simon, whose team takes a 7-2 record into the postseason. “They’re a quick strike team and they throw it as well, or better, than anyone we’ve seen.

“Our strength this year is our running game, and we want to hammer it at you. It’s probably going to come down to who does their thing the best.”

Middleton’s boys volleyball team has enjoyed another strong season.

But Cardinals’ head coach Ben White has been waiting for his team to produce a breakthrough moment.

That wait is over.

Middleton went to the star-studded Whitefish Bay Invite last Saturday and finished second. The Cardinals reached the championship match where it took top-ranked Marquette to the wire before the Hilltoppers prevailed, 9-25, 25-19, 15-7.

“So proud of the boys,” White said. “They worked harder than ever and proved they can play with the top team in state. We have to capture this momentum.”

Eagan Peters-Michaud 43 and Cole Spitler both had 43 kills in the tournament, while Andrew Lepage and Peters-Michaud both had five aces.

Jack Herder had eight blocks, Lepage had 133 assists and Thomas Robson added 77 digs.

When the postseason began, there were 103 WIAA Division 1 girls golf teams.

There were also just shy of 500 individual golfers competing in the playoffs.

When it all came to an end at the state tournament Tuesday afternoon, Middleton left picturesque University Ridge with a silver trophy for its second place finish. And Cardinals standout senior Alexis Thomas had a memorable two days and captured a second place individual finish.

Both Thomas — and her team — wanted better. Wanted more.

When they all paused for a second, though, considered the numbers and the competition, they realized the magnitude of their accomplishment.

“I think all of the girls are super disappointed,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “But they’ve also got to be proud. A lot of people would love to be second.”

Poof!

In the blink of an eye, so much vanished right before the eyes of Middleton’s football team.

Madison La Follette’s Julian Patton threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Alex Berg with just 11 seconds last Friday to give the Lancers an improbable 13-12 win over the Cardinals. In the process, Middleton lost far more than a game.

The Cardinals fell to 5-2 overall and in the Big Eight, two games behind league-leading Verona (7-0, 7-0) and one behind Sun Prairie (6-1, 6-1). Now, barring a bevy of surprises in the final two weeks, Middleton’s two-year run as conference champions will end.

In addition, Middleton’s second loss in three games means it’s far more likely the Cardinals will have to go on the road when the playoffs begin Oct. 21.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said Middleton coach Tim Simon, who then stood silently for several seconds. “We just didn’t finish.”

No they didn’t.

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

—  Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers head coach (1959-’67)

Vince Lombardi, arguably the greatest football coach in history, uttered these famous words more than a half century ago.

If Lombardi were alive today, he’d be thrilled to see how Middleton’s girls golf team has handled the adversity he was speaking of.

Few teams anywhere have dealt with the number of obstacles the Cardinals have in 2016. And it’s hard to imagine anyone handling the challenges any better.

Middleton, the defending WIAA Division 1 champions, rolled at its own sectional held at Blackhawk Country Club Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals shot a 322 and will head back to state as one of the co-favorites along with Hartland Arrowhead.

EVANSVILLE — As the snow fell last winter and temperatures hovered in the single digits, Payton Hodson trekked out to her garage most days. And Middleton’s rapidly rising golfer took swing after swing, firing ball after ball into a net.

Glamorous? Far from.

Effective? You bet.

Hodson, one of the state’s most improved golfers in 2016, has seen her stock skyrocket in the last 12 months. And the blue-chipper took it to another level last Thursday.

Hodson, a junior at MHS, won the Big Eight Conference tournament held at Evansville Golf Course. Hodson fired a 3-over-par 75 and helped Middleton — the state’s No. 1 ranked team — cruise to the team title.

The Cardinals shot a 326-team score to easily outdistance runner-up Janesville Parker (360) and Verona (366).

Week-by-week, match-by-match, Middleton’s girls volleyball team is showing dramatic improvement.

And the Cardinals took it up another notch last week.

Middleton defeated Verona, 3-0, last Tuesday and toppled Janesville Parker, 3-0, last Thursday. The Cardinals also finished second at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Tussle last Saturday.

Middleton kicked off the week with a 25-15, 27-25, 25-19 win over Verona on “Pink Out” night. Everyone in the stands wore pink to honor those battling breast cancer, and money was raised to donate to the UW Carbone Cancer Research Center. Cardinals’ assistant coach Kathleen Shaffer, a breast cancer survivor, was also Middleton’s honoree for the match.

Middleton’s football team entered last Friday’s game motivated, driven and inspired following a tough loss to Verona the previous week.

The Cardinals then played like a team on a mission.

Middleton rolled past visiting Janesville Parker, 28-0, in its Homecoming game. The Cardinals improved to 5-1 in the Big Eight Conference and overall and remained one game behind league-leading Verona (6-0).

Middleton had dominated the stat sheet against Verona the previous week, but wasn’t able to finish on multiple drives. Cardinals head coach Tim Simon knew his team needed to be better against Parker (2-4) if they wanted a win.

“Parker is a good team. They’re a big, physical team,” Simon said. “I think the difference this week (from last week vs Verona) was we made some crucial plays tonight that we didn’t make last week.”

One of those crucial plays was a kickoff to open the second half.

The scoreboard staring directly at Shane Bick read Verona 10, Middleton 7.

But as the Cardinals’ standout linebacker stood in the middle of Breitenbach Stadium last Friday, Bick didn’t think the score was a fair reflection of the previous 2 ½ hours.

“My personal opinion, no,” Bick said when asked if the better team had won Friday’s Big Eight Conference showdown. “Verona’s a great team. They just had a great day and we were just a little slow in the first half. But I don’t think the better team won the game.”

Middleton coach Tim Simon echoed Bick’s sentiments.

“I don’t think so,” Simon said when asked if the better team won. “And again, that’s no discredit to Verona. They're 5-0. They played very good football and their defense is obviously very good. But I think, especially the way the second half went, we felt we were the better team. But I always feel that way.”