Sports

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.

The great Dr. Seuss once coined that remarkable phrase. And that saying might best describe how Middleton’s girls soccer team was feeling last Thursday.

The Cardinals fell to Madison West, 1-0, in a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal. That marked the end of the road for the Cardinals and their 11 seniors, a group that left a lasting imprint on the program.

“After all the wins and the loses, what it boils down to is the 23 girls for 2014,” Middleton coach Mary Duffy said. “There will be no team like this one. Next year we will have new people and a new identity, but what will remain the same are the bonds that these 23 girls made this season. 

For Ben Luskin, this truly was the best — and the worst — of times.

Luskin, a senior tennis player at Middleton High School, played one of the best matches of his career last Friday. Unfortunately for the Luskin and the Cardinals, it wasn’t enough as Milwaukee Marquette toppled Middleton, 4-3, in a quarterfinal match at the WIAA Division 1 state team tennis tournament.

“The team competed amazingly and I'm so proud of how we played,” Luskin said. “We're obviously incredibly disappointed how it turned out, especially considering how close we came. But we have had an absolutely amazing season.

“It was very emotional for all of us to see our season come to an end, but I can’t imagine playing with a better group of guys. Not only are they great players, but they are great teammates and I’ll never forget this incredible season.”

One reason Luskin won’t forget the ending is how well he played in his own match.

Their pitching was sublime throughout the day.

They had timely hitting and the defense was immaculate.

And because Middleton’s baseball team was terrific in all three areas, it’s headed back to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament.

Middleton won its own sectional Tuesday and will now play in a state quarterfinal game June 17 at 1 p.m. at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton.

Middleton opened the day with a 2-1 over La Crosse Central in a sectional semifinal. The Cardinals then toppled Reedsburg, 7-3, in the sectional final.
Middleton will now make its seventh trip to state since 2002.

“We’re playing our best ball right now and that was our goal at the beginning of the season,” Middleton senior catcher Jackson Keeler said. “It’s nice to try to win the conference, but ultimately we want to be playing our best baseball when the playoffs roll around.”

They are.

Middleton escaped in the sectional semis against La Crosse Central.

VERONA — Every year, Middleton boys golf coach Tom Cabalka spends his winters in Arizona.

And when Cabalka races back every March to coach the Cardinals, many wonder why?

Here’s why.

For veterans like Josh Haunty and Charlie Stankiewicz. For up-and-coming stars like Brady Thomas, Joey Levin and Emmet Herb.

That quintet assembled another terrific season for Middleton’s dynamic golf program and finished fourth at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament held Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge. And even though the Cardinals fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a state title, they produced a year to remember — and one Cabalka will always hold dear.

“It’s guys like this that keep me coming back,” Cabalka said. “This was a really, really special group.”

When Ernest Winters crossed the finish line, he immediately entered a time warp.

Middleton’s senior track and field standout had just finished first in the coveted 100-meter dash at the WIAA Division 1 state meet at UW-La Crosse last Saturday. With it, Winters captured the tag of Wisconsin’s fastest high schooler.

But instead of focusing on the here and now, Winters flashed back to 2011.

“When I crossed that line I couldn’t believe it,” Winters said. “All I could think about was the first day of track freshman year because that's when it all started. Very humbling experience.”

And a pretty remarkable one, too.
In addition to winning the 100, Winters was also third in the 200. Winters also anchored Middleton’s 400-meter relay team that finished second.

Cardinals senior Andy Keeler also had a big weekend, finishing second in the high jump with a leap of 6-feet, 6 inches.

Their quartet was battered and bruised, wounded and wobbly.

But Middleton’s 3,200-meter relay team had the resolve and determination to never give up. And that mantra paid off in spades last weekend.

At the WIAA Division 1 girls state track and field meet held at UW-La Crosse, Middleton’s 3,200-relay team finished second overall. That performance helped spark the Cardinals to a ninth place finish as a team.

Middleton’s 3,200 was certainly one of its most talented outfits — and proved that in La Crosse. But the Cardinals overcame a series of injuries to make it happen, which made the final results even sweeter.

“I'm so incredibly proud,” said Middleton junior Rachel Wians, who ran the first leg of the 3,200. “We faced some injuries midway through the season, but we were lucky enough to have enough depth to put together a team and still qualify.”

With ace Kasey Miller laboring on the mound, Middleton’s baseball team needed to step it up offensively.

And, boy, did it ever.

The Cardinals banged out 16 hits and used an eight-run third inning to overwhelm Waunakee 14-4 in five innings in a WIAA Division 1 regional final in Middleton Thursday.

“One through nine we’re such a solid team,” Miller said. “We’ve been waiting for a game like this. Just for us to break out and everyone put it all together in one game was nice.”

Miller wasn’t feeling well from the get-go and he struggled on the mound, allowing four runs on four hits with a pair of walks in just three innings of work.

“Walking out for the second (inning) my stomach kind of turned and, even in the warmups, you could tell it wasn’t on,” Miller said.

Miller eventually gave way to lefty Garrett Knutson and Knutson held the Warriors (12-13) scoreless over the final two innings.

Time and time again, they were expected to wilt.

To succumb to the higher seed and go quietly into the night.

But Brian Bellissimo and Xavier Sanga didn’t like that blueprint. So Middleton’s tennis standouts tore it up and made themselves a new one.

Bellissimo and Sanga — who entered the WIAA Division 1 state tennis tournament unseeded — had a weekend to remember. Middleton’s duo defeated three teams seeded in the top-10 and stormed to a sixth place finish.

“We were really happy to be there and we just played really loose,” said Sanga, a freshman. “The whole time we played good solid tennis, and some great things happened.”

Bellissimo agreed.

“We were playing loose and just having a lot of fun,” said Bellissimo, a sophomore who played singles a year ago. “And as we kept winning, our confidence kept going up and up.”

It was a great weekend for two Middleton doubles teams.

If it’s going to be one-and-done for Jake Van Emburgh, this isn’t what he envisioned.

Middleton’s freshman tennis phenom had one thought on his mind heading into the WIAA Division 1 state tennis meet: winning a title.

Van Emburgh’s quest fell short, though, when he lost to Brookfield East sophomore David Horneffer, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the state semifinals last Saturday.

Van Emburgh bounced back and toppled Homestead’s Danny Coran, 6-2, 6-2 in the third place match. Meanwhile, defending state champion Felix Corwin defeated Horneffer — his teammate — for the state title, 6-3, 6-3.

“Having beaten (Horneffer) so many times in a row, I overlooked the player he was a little bit,” Van Emburgh admitted afterwards. “On top of that I was not 100 percent healthy during that match … things I would rather not discuss.”

BARABOO — Russell Wilson may have said it first. But imitation is certainly the sincerest form of flattery.

And Middleton’s boys golf team has no problem impersonating Seattle’s Super Bowl winning quarterback.

Shortly before the 48th Super Bowl in February, Wilson uttered the now famous phrase, “Why not us?”, then led his team to a memorable rout of Denver.

The Cardinals’ golfers have adopted that same phrase this spring, and a championship could soon be in their future, as well.

Middleton rolled to the title at Tuesday’s WIAA Division 1 Baraboo Sectional held at the Baraboo Country Club. The Cardinals shot a stellar 305 to finish first, while Holmen was second at 309 and also earned a trip to state.

Middleton, which has won four state titles since 1997 — will be making its first trip to state since the 2011 team captured gold.