June 2025

Annual surveys of students, families and staff were reviewed and discussed at the June 9 meeting of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District board of education. Other topics at the meeting were the food and nutrition update, compensation review for 2025-2026, and enrollment update including additional 4K open enrollment seats.

They finished in second place in one of the toughest conferences in the state.

They won a regional championship.

And they went 13-3 in the second half of the season to finish the year 18-9.

So it was no surprise Middleton’s baseball team had six players earn all-Big Eight Conference honors.

Senior pitcher Bennett O’Connor and junior shortstop Jackson Guerrero were both named first-team all-conference. Junior pitcher Joey Passaglia and junior outfielder Tyler Vogt were named second-team all-league, while senior infielder Ray Feinberg and senior outfielder Ethan Harris were named honorable-mention all-conference.

O’Connor went 9-2 with a 1.33 ERA and earned first-team all-conference honors for a second straight season. O’Connor had 70 strikeouts and allowed just 50 hits in 63.1 innings pitched.

O’Connor will also play in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-Star game on June 27-28.

Jimmy Murphy had a year to remember for Middleton’s boys soccer team.

And Murphy added to that memorable season recently.

Murphy, who will play at Southern Indiana beginning this fall, was named Wisconsin’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

Murphy, who had previously been named the state’s Player of the Year by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association, helped lead the Cardinals to their second straight WIAA Division 1 state championship.

Murphy led Middleton in goals (21), assists (15) and points (57) in 2024. Murphy also had the game-winning goal and an assist in the state semifinals as Middleton rallied past Brookfield East, 2-1, with two goals in an 80-second window late in the contest. Murphy then added an assist in the Cardinals’ 2-0 win over Green Bay Preble in the state championship match.

“By his senior year, Jimmy was a force for us,” Middleton head coach Kevin Pauls said. “He lit up the scoreboard over and over.

Public, council reaction mixed