February 2018

They are peaking at the perfect time.

And if the rest of the state hasn’t noticed, they’ll most likely see for themselves this weekend.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team gave a memorable performance and won the Madison Memorial Sectional last Saturday. The Cardinals posted a season-high score of 140.7250 and edged runner-up Sun Prairie (139.9250) for the title.

Middleton also earned seven of the 25 possible placements for individual state.

The top two teams and top five individuals in each event at sectionals advanced to the state meet, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Fieldhouse.

The state team competition begins Friday at 2 p.m., while the individual state competition starts Saturday at 11 a.m.

“This group has been so much fun to be around,” Middleton coach Kari Steck said. “They’re making it a special season.”

Middleton’s performance at sectionals was awfully special.

When a season typically ends, Middleton girls basketball coach Jeff Kind doesn’t look at the final game tape for weeks. Sometimes, Kind never watches the film all.

This year, Kind put the tape in just hours after Middleton’s 56-52 loss to Janesville Parker in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal last Friday.

He simply couldn’t wait.

“I felt like we were the better team,” Kind said. “And the tape kind of confirmed that. The only thing is we couldn’t make shots.”

Ah yes. Making shots.

Middleton, the No. 4 seed in the sectional, did the overwhelming majority of things right against the 13^th-seeded Vikings. But the Cardinals’ year came to an end for one overriding reason: they simply didn’t shoot well enough.

Middleton shot just 19-of-60 from the field (31.7%), and with the game on the line, missed its final 13 shots from the floor. That allowed Parker to rally in the second half and pull out a shocking win.

Hopes for a second-place finish were fading fast. With each passing lap, the gap grew larger and larger.

Then along came Michael Draves.

With his team needing a miracle finish, Middleton’s senior swimming standout came through in spectacular fashion. Facing a huge deficit, Draves overtook the one swimmer he had to pass on the anchor leg of the meet’s final event – the 400-yard rely – to lift the Cardinals’ boys’ swim team to a second place finish at the WIAA Division 1 state swimming and diving championship at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium Saturday.

“That last relay was insane,” Middleton sophomore Nate Lamers said. “We had to beat Waukesha to get that second place. That relay really took it out in the end and we ended up getting second place.”

Kevin Meicher knows the bright lights and the full houses that await him better than anyone.

For Dion Huff, the chaos and the commotion will all be new.

Both Middleton wrestlers can’t wait to get a taste of the craziness.

Meicher and Huff both won championships in their weight classes at last Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 Waunakee Sectional. Now, Huff and Meicher have earned trips to the state tournament, which begins Thursday at the UW Kohl Center.

“It’s going to be great,” Huff said after winning a regional title at 195 pounds. “The crowd’s going to be amazing. It’s just a great atmosphere. I’m really excited about that.

“I’ve been there to watch pretty much every year. I can’t wait to compete there. It will be fun having another teammate there and sharing the experience. It’s going to be great.”

This, of course, is familiar territory for Meicher.