Sports

They were both dealt hands that were absolutely nightmarish.

Perhaps the only positive in the ordeal is they could lean on each other, and in the process, formed a special friendship.

Ben White, Middleton’s boys volleyball coach and student activities coordinator, was diagnosed with lymphoma in Sept., 2019. Bob Joers, Middleton’s athletic director, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer one month later.

Over the next six months, the two men developed an unforgettable bond under the most trying of circumstances.

“Besides my family, Bob was my immediate support person, and I was his,” White said.

Unfortunately for White — and the entire community — that changed on May 15 when Joers lost his battle with cancer.

Stories flooded in how Joers touched so many lives in and around the area. But the relationship Joers and White built while battling cancer together was both inspirational and motivating.

Bob Joers led Middleton’s athletic department into the 21^st century.

Joers helped the Cardinals become arguably the top athletic program in the state.

And through it all, he remained one of the most flexible, accessible and personable people in his industry.

Joers, Middleton’s athletic director from 1995-2004 and again from 2011-2020, died Friday evening after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.

“We are heartbroken,” Cindy Joers, Bob’s wife, wrote on his CaringBridge page. “But we are at peace because he is at peace.”

Joers was the face of Middleton athletics the majority of the past quarter century. Whether it was a Friday night football game or a Tuesday afternoon tennis match, Joers was typically running the event.

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So, we’re running a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

Mary Duffy is always packed with optimism.

And it’s easy to see why.

Duffy, Middleton’s girls soccer coach, has taken a great program and kept it among the state’s elite. And Duffy expected more of the same in 2020.

Middleton, which went 12-4-4 last year and reached the WIAA Division 1 sectional finals, returned a gifted side. And Duffy fully believed the Cardinals could go one step further this spring and reach the state tournament.

That dream was shattered, though, when the WIAA canceled spring sports in late-April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So, we’re running a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

Jay Schweitzer felt like he was the new guy at the poker table — and he was just dealt four of a kind.

Schweitzer took over Middleton’s girls track and field program this season. And Schweitzer inherited a team ready for big things.

We’ll never know if the Cardinals would have reached their lofty aspirations, as the WIAA canceled spring sports in late-April. But Schweitzer believes that Middleton was ready for a memorable year.

“We were positioned to finish strong at the conference meet,” Schweitzer said. “I really felt like we had a good chance to win the meet. We were a deep team with talent at every area.”

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So, we’re running a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

Middleton’s boys track and field team has ranked among the state’s elite programs for years now.

The Cardinals have won a remarkable seven straight Big Eight Conference championships. Middleton also finished second at state in 2016 and had three consecutive top-five finishes at state between 2014-’16.

The Cardinals expected much of the same in 2020.

Middleton brought back an experienced and gifted squad that had extremely high hopes. When the WIAA canceled spring sports in late-April, though, the Cardinals were left wondering what could have been?

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So over the next few weeks, we’ll run a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

June 16, 2020.

This was the date Middleton’s boys golf team had been thinking about since the 2019 season ended.

The Cardinals finished second at the WIAA Division 1 state meet last spring. And with all five of its golfers back, Middleton believed it was positioned to hoist a state championship trophy in mid-June.

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So over the next few weeks, we’ll run a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

One thing many coaches embrace is the unknown.

When teams are young, inexperienced and unproven, coaching matters more than ever.

That was going to be the case this spring with Middleton’s boys tennis team.

The Cardinals returned just five of their top-10 players from a team that reached the semifinals at the WIAA Division 1 team state tournament. But Middleton always has a deep and talented program, and Cardinals’ second-year coach Tony Mirasola believed his team could surprise.

Of course, we’ll never know.

The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District will rename its indoor pool after longtime athletic director Bob Joers, Director of Communications Perry Hibner announced Wednesday.

“There are so many people in the community that do so much and I’m humbled and honored by this recognition,’’ said Joers, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer.

Joers was the MCPA Indoor Pool’s first director when it opened in 1990. He has served as the Middleton High School athletic director since 2011. He also was the school’s athletic director from 1995-2004 before leaving to run his own business.

Joers was named the Big Eight Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2019 along with the Wisconsin Athletic Directors District 5 Athletic Director of the Year.

Dan Truehl pumped his fist — several times.

He tried acting composed, but butterflies filled his stomach and ideas began spinning in his head.

Truehl was named Middleton’s new boys hockey coach on April 30. And for a moment, he might have been the happiest man in Dane County.

“I was doing so many fist pumps I’m sure I looked like a little kid,” Truehl said the day after he was named the Cardinals’ coach. “The reality is, I’m incredibly excited.

“I’m obviously humbled. I know how great this program can be. And I think I can relate to the kids and create an upbeat, fun culture.”

Truehl takes over a program with tremendous potential. But it’s also one that was left in flames by previous coach Steffon Walby.

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So over the next few weeks, we’ll run a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

Brent Jorgensen wasn’t about to go “Broadway” Joe Namath.

But that type of proclamation might have been apropos.

In 1969, Namath — a brash, young quarterback for the New York Jets — “guaranteed” his team would defeat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The Jets, an 18-point underdog, went on to stun the Colts and the rest of the football world with a 16-7 win.

Jorgensen, Middleton’s baseball manager, saw that his team was picked to finish in the middle of the Big Eight Conference this season. Jorgensen channeled his inner-Namath, but stopped short of any guarantees.