Sports

Middleton’s wrestlers split a pair of dual meets during a home triangular on Jan. 11.

The Cardinals defeated Madison West, 50-27, but fell to Verona, 42-35.

Here’s a look at each match.

Middleton 50, Madison West 27

106: Tavish Frank (Middleton) over forfeit (West)

113: Stone Cathcart-Helmer (West) over forfeit (Middleton)

120: Gracie Brooks (West) over forfeit (Middleton)
126: Grady Hargrove (Middleton) over forfeit (West)

132: Alborz Dehnavi (Middleton) over Maya Assad Thompson (West) Fall 1:14

138: Pavil Jones (Middleton) over Jayden Ross (West) Dec. 10-5

144: Reese Miller (Middleton) over Ashton Mazvimavi (West) Fall 0:57

150: Sam Zanton (Middleton) over Alan Ly (West) Fall 1:19

157: Finn Grauwels (Middleton) over Jose De Hilario Castro (West) TF 17-2

165: Damiano Cappellini (West) over Luke LaScala (Middleton) Fall 2:12

175: Bryce Falk (Middleton) over forfeit (West

When the hockey season started, Middleton coach Dan Truehl wondered how he was going to replace Cam Haynes, an all-conference goalie the last two seasons.

Senior Ian Eberle has eased all those concerns.

Eberle continued his terrific season last Saturday, when he shined in goal and helped Middleton down host Wausau West, 4-0.

Eberle finished with 22 saves and notched his third shutout of the season. Eberle is now 7-4 with a 1.93 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. The Cardinals also improved to 9-4 overall.

“Ebs is such a cool customer,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “Chaos can be ensuing around him and he’ll just look over at the bench with a big smile on his face.

“He’s settled into a rhythm here and is challenging every shot he’s seeing. We’ll need to keep him fresh here in the last eight games, but he’s been a rock for us as we’ve found our winning ways again after Christmas.”

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team fell to Janesville Craig, 133.450-126.30, on Jan. 11.

“Although tonight's competition didn't go as well as our last few duels, the girls still showed up and gave their best,” Middleton coach Alexis Cairo said. “We're at the point in the season where the girls are tired, are beginning to overthink some of their skills, and are feeling overwhelmed.

“So a few injuries and mental blocks set us back tonight. That's no excuse for the outcome of tonight's competition though. There's no doubt that Janesville Craig is a talented team.”

Middleton’s Sophie Pop-Vicas was fourth in the all-around with a 31.90, while teammate Abby Arnold was fifth with a 31.70.

Kenevan Lindner was second on the uneven bars (8.225), while Arnold was fourth (7.70), Aubrey Halverson was fifth (7.50) and Anja Schmidt-Voils was eighth (7.0).

Middleton’s boys soccer team had an unforgettable season, winning the WIAA Division 1 state title for the first time since 2004.

And Cardinals’ head coach Kevin Pauls was recently honored and named Wisconsin’s Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association.

“It's pretty cool being recognized by the other coaches around the state,” Pauls said.

Middleton went 18-4-3 last season and upset top-seeded Hartland Arrowhead in a sectional final. The Cardinals then edged Marquette in a penalty kick shootout in the state semifinals, and bested Brookfield East in the state title game on penalty kicks, as well.

While Pauls was the architect behind Middleton’s championship run, he was quick to thank the many others that helped make it possible.

SUN PRAIRIE — Opportunity after opportunity came and went. Try as the Middleton boys basketball team did, the Cardinals just couldn’t close the gap on Sun Prairie East in last Thursday night’s Big Eight Conference clash.

Two- or three-point deficits turned into five- or six-point holes. Then back again, so on and so forth.

It was like a hound dog chasing a rabbit. Except, finally, in the final minute, the dog did indeed catch the rabbit.

A memorable comeback was in the cards, it seemed.

But just like that, Middleton’s thrilling rally was dashed.

Sun Prairie’s leading scorer, Gavin Van Wie, was fouled with 4.1 seconds remaining and made both free throws. And Middleton’s leading scorer, Will Garlock, couldn’t quite finish a well-designed full-court inbounds play, resulting in a 66-65 win for East in a match-up of second-place teams in the league. 

Middleton’s wrestling team won the 20-team Sauk Prairie Invitational last Saturday.

The Cardinals finished with 214.5 points and edged runner-up Mauston (188.5). Seymour (184.0), West Bend East (160.5) and Ithaca/Weston (153.0) rounded out the top five.

Middleton’s Sam Zanton finished first at 150 pounds, while Finn Grauwels (157) and Reed Falk (190) were both second.

Pavil Jones (138), Reese Miller (144) and Bryce Falk (175) all finished third.

Here's a recap of the Cardinals’ big day:

106 — Tavish Frank (10-11) placed 7th and scored 12.0 team points.

Middleton’s hockey team has taken a few lumps playing one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the state.

Inside the Big Eight Conference, though, the Cardinals are humming along.

Middleton remained in the chase for a conference title when it skated to a comfortable, 6-0 win over Madison Memorial on Jan. 4.

The Cardinals improved to 5-1 in the Big Eight and are 8-6 overall. Verona (8-5, 6-2) technically leads the conference with 12 points, but Middleton (10 points) has played two fewer league contests than the Wildcats.

“One of the things we’ve been really focused on lately is playing a full 51-minute game,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said after the Cardinals defeated Madison Memorial. “We’ve looked great for 17 and 34 (minutes), but have yet to put it all together for three periods.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team finished in fourth place among large schools at the seven-team Mount Horeb Invite last Saturday.

Verona/Madison Edgewood scored 142.550 and ran away with the team title. Monona Grove (131.70), Sun Prairie East/West (131.050), Middleton (128.0) and Waunakee/DeForest (125.50) rounded out the top five.

Middleton senior Sophie Pop-Vicas was ninth in the all-around competition with a 32.975, while sophomore Abby Arnold was 10^th (31.625).

Pop-Vicas was fifth on the floor exercise (9.050), while Arnold was 10^th (8.650), junior Jaelynn Kemp was 18^th (7.950) and junior Buna Karanezi was 24^th (7.50).

Pop-Vicas was eighth on the balance beam with an 8.525, while Karanezi was ninth (8.50). Arnold added a 19^th place finish (7.825) and Kemp was 21^st (7.725).

The streak is over.

Now, Middleton’s girls basketball team hopes to streak in the other direction.

The Cardinals ended their four-game losing skid last Friday with a 64-35 win over visiting Janesville Parker. Middleton improved to 3-10 on the year and 3-6 in the Big Eight Conference.

Kenzie Zimmerman knocked down three 3-pointers and led the Cardinals with 15 points, while Haley Strode added 13 points.

Middleton jumped to a 39-22 halftime lead and was never threatened in the second half.

Parker fell to 3-9 overall and 1-8 in the Big Eight.

• On deck: Middleton hosted Madison Memorial Tuesday, then faces Madison La Follette at Janesville Parker Saturday at 7 p.m.

Jan. 5

Middleton 64, Janesville Parker 35

Parker ……………. 22  13 — 35

Middleton ………. 39 25 — 64

Middleton athletics have been a force for decades now. What happened in 2023, though, was unprecedented.

The Cardinals won four WIAA Division 1 state championships — in both boys and girls swimming, boys soccer and boys volleyball. That’s the most state titles the school has ever held at one time.

As the calendar turns, we rank the 12 most impressive achievements of the year (one for each month).

We looked at No. 7-12 last week. Here are the top six sports stories of 2023.

1. Boys spikers capture gold

Brody Stuttgen hammered home the biggest point of his life, and pandemonium quickly ensued.