Football Cardinals roll past Craig
Don’t let an underdog hang around.
That was the mentality of Middleton’s football team on Sept. 12, when the Cardinals hosted upstart Janesville Craig.
The Cougars had started the year 2-1, highlighted by a 47-0 shellacking of Madison La Follette in Week 3. And the last thing Middleton wanted to do was allow Craig to have any hope of pulling an upset.
Mission accomplished.
Middleton raced to a 21-0 first quarter lead, kept the Cougars at bay throughout and rolled to a 31-0 win.
The Cardinals improved to 3-1 overall and are tied with Verona atop the Big Eight Conference at 2-0. Those teams meet Sept. 27 in Middleton.
Craig fell to 2-2, 1-1.
“That was huge,” Middleton co-coach Joe Poehls said of the Cardinals’ fast start. “And a lot of the credit goes to (offensive coordinator) Zach Rast and his style.
“He has a certain expectation of what he wants the offense to be. And I always say, ‘That’s why we give you the big bucks.’ ”
Rast certainly earned them on this night. So did Middleton’s offense.
Senior quarterback Joey Passaglia, who’s having an all-state type of a season, threw three of his four touchdowns in the first quarter. Passaglia, who completed 22 of 35 passes for 253 yards, now has 12 touchdown passes and 980 passing yards through four weeks.
“The thing about Joey is he’s really, really smart,” Poehls said. “And people kind of underestimate his athleticism.”
That athleticism was on full display early.
On Middleton’s first score — a 16-yard touchdown pass from Passaglia to running back Elijah Jackson — the Cardinals lined up three receivers to the right and one to the left. Jackson came in motion left to right and Craig rushed five.
Jackson was paired with a linebacker, got behind him, and the safety help was late. Passaglia did a masterful job spinning away from pressure, then delivered a perfect pass to Jackson in the right corner of the endzone for a touchdown and a 7-0 MHS lead.
Middleton junior defensive end Reed Falk had a strip sack just two plays into Craig’s opening possession, and senior linebacker Tyson Shulfer recovered on the Cougars’ 13-yard line. Two plays later, Passaglia hit senior tight end Luke Sheehan for a 6-yard TD that gave MHS a 14-0 lead.
On that play, the Cardinals again lined up three wide receivers to the right and Sheehan started outside the left tackle. Passaglia danced away from trouble again, Sheehan worked himself free in the middle of the endzone and the two connected for another MHS touchdown with 7 minutes left in the opening quarter.
The 6-foot-3, 196-pound Sheehan began his high school career playing soccer and didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year. He’s been a quick study, though, and has become an extremely dangerous weapon for a Middleton offense that’s now averaging 33.0 points per game.
“He’s just a different kind of athlete,” Poehls said of Sheehan. “And when we put on the tape, he’s one of our best blockers, too.”
Late in the first quarter, the Cardinals extended their lead to 21-0 when Passaglia and senior wideout Chase Rogers connected on a 48-yard TD.
Passaglia — operating form the shotgun — had solid protection. Rogers, who was in the middle of a three receiver set on the left, got a clean release and ran a go route.
Rogers was largely uncovered and put his left arm up at the 35. By the time Craig’s field cornerback got to Rogers, it was too late as Passaglia delivered another strike at the 18 and Rogers did the rest.
Rogers finished the night with eight catches for 120 yards, but none bigger than that.
“Chase is very much an under the radar monster,” Poehls said. “And what you see is just scratching the surface of what he is. Joey trusts him that much.”
Middleton’s offense struggled to sustain that level.
The Cardinals did get another Passaglia to Sheehan touchdown in the fourth quarter and a field goal from Sheehan. But the Cardinals repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with 17 penalties for 158 yards.
“It was kind of a weird game,” Middleton co-coach Tim Simon said. “We led 21-0 so fast that it didn't even feel like we got started. And then we just couldn’t keep it going.”
The good news for MHS was its defense dominated throughout.
The Cardinals allowed just 121 total yards, including 42 on the ground and 79 through the air.
Senior defensive backs Espen Achenbach and John Grimes both had interceptions, and senior cornerback Patrick Passini was terrific with six passes defensed.
Falk had a huge night with three sacks, two forced fumbles and five tackles, while senior linebacker Tyler Vogt had three tackles for loss and eight total tackles. Senior defensive end Hayes Niesen also had two sacks and four tackles, while senior Oliver Wenning had four tackles and a tackle for loss and sophomore Vincent Jiru had eight tackles.
Senior defensive tackle August Allen also had four tackles and continues to play at a high level.
“He’s one of those guys where it just seems like the light has gone on,” Simon said of Allen. “We had some big losses from last year, but August has been a real pleasant surprise.”
The Cardinals have now allowed just 6.3 points per game since giving up 39 points in a Week 1 loss at Bay Port. Middleton switched from a 3-4 defense to a 4-2-5 this offseason, and the move is starting to pay dividends.
“We’re getting a lot better,” Simon said. “There were some growing pains, but I think that switch is really starting to pay off.”
As Middleton left Craig in the rearview mirror and turned the page to Janesville Parker, it felt awfully good about the direction its 2025 campaign is headed.
“We just need to keep growing and stay hungry,” Poehls said. “If we clean up our mistakes and keep getting better, I’m excited about what this team can be.”
