November 2025

GREEN BAY — “Pressure: pushing down on me. Pressing down on you, no man ask for.”

Queen and David Bowie sang those memorable lyrics in the tune, “Under Pressure” back in 1981.

Today, that theme still holds true with Middleton’s boys volleyball team.

The Cardinals are extremely aggressive servers and constantly send their foes out of system. Middleton’s service pressure was an enormous key in its 25-19, 25-21, 25-14 win over Kenosha Indian Trail in a WIAA state quarterfinal on Nov. 5 at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Senior outside hitter Caden Van Buren had five of Middleton’s 11 aces and sophomore libero Jude Gehrke added four aces as the top-seeded Cardinals rolled past the eighth-seeded Hawks.

There were challenges from the jump.

Injuries, both early and often. Sicknesses.

And a sectional jam-packed with talent.

So while Middleton’s girls cross country team was hoping for more than a 17^th-place finish at last Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 state meet held in Wisconsin Rapids, the Cardinals also knew that simply reaching the state meet made this season a smashing success.

“The season overall has had its ups and downs,” Middleton co-coach Lauren Dilley said. “Overcoming challenges has been a huge part of the season for these girls.

“No one can say being in the moment of these challenges is fun, but to see everything come together at sectionals and to see everyone race at the state meet after overcoming those challenges is something special.”

Neenah won the state championship with 71 points, edging runner-up Slinger (84). Bloomer (179), Menomonie (197) and Whitefish Bay (212) rounded out the top five.

Seeding?

Past results?

At this time of the year, they’re all irrelevant.

All that matters is how you’re playing when it matters most. And right now, Middleton’s boys soccer team is playing at an extremely high level.

The Cardinals rolled past visiting Oregon, 3-0, in a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal on Oct. 30. Middleton, the No. 2 seed, advanced to a sectional final against No. 1 seed Madison West on Nov. 1.

“Oregon played us tough earlier in the season, so we knew their seed didn't matter,” Middleton coach Kevin Pauls said. “I thought we had good intensity and energy all week at practice and that transferred over to the game.”

Oregon started fast, putting pressure on the Cardinals out of the gate. But Middleton never flinched.

A packed crowd filled the Middleton Public Library on Thursday, October 23, for a community conversation on one of Dane County’s most pressing issues — housing. The forum, “What’s Happening with Housing? Causes, Impacts, and Solutions to Dane County’s Housing Crisis,” brought together city officials, nonprofit leaders, and housing experts to discuss the growing gap between population and housing supply, skyrocketing rent costs, and what local residents can do to help.