September 2022

Homecoming is a time for celebrating the past and present.

It is supposed to be filled with many activities culminating with a school dance.

However, one year ago, the communities of Middleton and Madison were mourning the loss of three young student-athletes, who were killed in the Town of Middleton on the evening of Oct. 2, 2021 when their car was hit by another vehicle and burst into flames.

While it has been a long grieving process since the lives of the three teens — Middleton seniors John ‘Jack’ Miller and Evan Kratochwill and Madison West senior Simon Bilessi, a former Middleton student — were lost, they have not been forgotten.

On Saturday morning, Middleton High School will host the inaugural ‘Evan Kratochwill Memorial Cross Country Invitational’ at Glacier Creek Middle School in Cross Plains.

The Becky Halverson-era has been a remarkable story of dominance and supremacy.

Halverson took over as Middleton’s girls golf coach in 2013. In the decade since, the Cardinals are 81-0-1 in Big Eight Conference regular season meets and have won eight of nine conference tournaments.

Middleton has also finished in the top-three at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament in eight of the last nine years.

The Cardinals were back at it last week, winning the conference tournament once again.

Middleton fired a 332 to win the league championship held at Evansville Golf Club on Sept. 22. The Cardinals overcame a sluggish start where they shot 171 on the front nine and carded a 161 on the back nine.

Sun Prairie West was a distant second at 382, while Janesville Parker was third at 387.

Middleton’s girls volleyball team remained unbeaten in the Big Eight Conference with a pair of league wins last week.

The Cardinals rolled past Janesville Parker, 3-0, on Sept. 20. Middleton also defeated Madison Memorial, 3-1, on Sept. 22.

Middleton’s win over Parker was a quick and painless, as the Cardinals rolled, 25-8, 25-11, 25-17.

Sierra Pertzborn had 10 kills and three digs, while Amelia Frautschi had six kills. Jordan LaScala had five kills, three aces, 12 digs and two assists, while Evin Jordee had 16 assists, seven digs, three kills and six aces.

Laina Gustafson had four kills and one ace, while Bryn Larson had two kills. Haley Stoffregan had 10 assists and two digs, while Eliana Ross had nine digs and Amber Wahlgren had five digs and two aces.

Two nights later, the Cardinals toppled Madison Memorial, 23-25, 25-11, 25-14, 25-11.

The girls swimming season is a long and arduous affair.

So any time Middleton coach R.J. Leiferman gets a chance to rest his front-liners, he takes full advantage.

One of those opportunities came last Friday, when the Cardinals rolled past Janesville Parker, 134-33. Leiferman gave many of his varsity swimmers the night off, but their replacements were more than up to the challenge.

“We let most of our varsity girls rest for the meet, which gave our girls who have not had as much of a chance to compete this year an opportunity to race,” Leiferman said. “The girls who swam did a great job of taking advantage of their chances, and we had a lot of girls who went season best times.”

Middleton’s 200-yard medley relay team of Maddie Dorris, Elaina Phaneuf, Irene Lee and Izzy Ensenberger was first, while the Cardinals’ foursome of Maggie Kirker, Sarah Blust, Ellie Sundell and Emily Tutewohl was second.