June 2013

It happens every postseason.

A keeper gets white hot, their teammates come up big, and a surprise team emerges from nowhere.

In the 2013 WIAA Division 1 girls soccer playoffs, that keeper has been Middleton’s Meghan Ledin. And that team has been the upstart Cardinals.

Middleton, the No. 5 seed in its sectional, used a sensational performance from Ledin Thursday night to stun top-seeded Waunakee, 1-0, in a sectional semifinal.

Ledin notched 10 saves and came up huge every time Middleton’s defense slipped.

The Cardinals, meanwhile put just one shot on goal. But that was enough as Ellen Jesse scored in the 66^th minute to propel Middleton to a memorable win.

The Cardinals improved to 13-4-4, while the Warriors ended the year 17-2-1. Middleton now faces second-seeded Oregon in a sectional final Saturday at 3 p.m. in Verona.

The WIAA Division 1 girls state track and field meet was approaching. And Cardinals standout Darcy Dean was wrapping her head around the event’s unique history.

Each year when Middleton’s athletes go to state, they stay at a bed and breakfast at a farmhouse in Onalaska. And as Dean got ready to leave her fingerprints on this year’s meet, she first reflected on past Cardinal greats.

“Knowing that remarkable Middleton track athletes, such as Liz Reusser and Casey Cramer once stayed in the same bed and breakfast makes you realize you're part of something big,” Dean said. “It's all about tradition, and being a part of it is so special.”

Dean — and several of her teammates — added their chapter to that long and proud history last weekend.

Griff Pyle and Evan Stone wanted to taste victory.

They wanted to shine on the state’s biggest stage and be at their best when it mattered most.

Mission accomplished.

Pyle and Stone, Middleton’s top doubles team, reached the WIAA Division 1 state meet last week. And the Cardinals’ tandem won their opening match, before falling in the second round.

Ben Luskin, Middleton’s top singles player, also won his opening match before losing in the second round.

“Both played great,” Middleton coach Deke Bradley said. “The doubles fought their butts off, but just couldn't quite get over the hump. They put up a heck of a fight, though. It's nice to see them end the year playing well.”

Pyle and Stone — who entered the tournament with a 14-6 record — played extremely well.

With the City of Middleton hoping to claim a swath of land from the Town of Middleton for a new development, the town recently started investigating the possibility of incorporating in an effort to protect its borders.

In response, the city moved swiftly to approve a pre-annexation agreement that serves as an early but key step toward realizing the proposed 162-acre Pleasant View Ridge subdivision. The pre-annexation agreement with Erdman Real Estate Holdings, Llc., was approved at a special meeting of the city council on May 14.

Erdman Holdings recently unveiled Pleasant View Ridge, a project that would include 104 single-family lots.

One unique aspect of the Pleasant View Ridge proposal is that it calls for a combination of individual and community septic services, which are typically used by towns, rather than the urban services most developers annex into cities to obtain.