MHS' boys XC team headed back to state
The “drought” was two years.
For those inside Middleton ‘s boys cross country program, though, it felt like two decades.
The Cardinals qualified for the WIAA Division 1 state meet 11 straight years between 2013-2023, before missing out in 2024 and 2025.
The “famine” has ended. The Cardinals are feasting again.
Middleton raced to second place at the Verona Sectional — otherwise known as the Sectional of Doom — on Oct. 24. The sectional featured five of the state’s top-10 teams, and only the top two advance to state.
Verona won the team title with 71 points, while the Cardinals were a close second with 74. DeForest (86), Madison La Follette (96) and Madison Memorial (112) rounded out the top-five at the 12-team sectional.
The state meet is Saturday at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids at 3:10 p.m.
“I am incredibly proud of these boys and all the hard work, dedication and energy they've poured into this sport,” Middleton coach Brian Finnel said. “That was some of the most excitement I've seen from a boys team in quite a while.
“We did it in what has become our annual ‘Sectional of Doom.’ These boys battled, believed in each other, and earned this moment. I couldn't be prouder of this team.”
The Cardinals agreed with their head coach.
“It means a lot to the team to make it back to state after two years,” said sophomore Andrew Bertram, who finished eighth individually. “It proves we can do what we know we have been able to do.”
Middleton finished third at the Big Eight Conference one week earlier, behind Verona and Madison La Follette. The Cardinals knew they’d have to be much faster as sectionals — and they were.
Junior Nethan Kaluarachchi had a sensational race, finishing second individually in 16 minutes, 26.4 seconds. Kaluarachchi was in 11th place after 800 meters and gradually worked his way up. Kaluarachchi was seventh after a mile, jumped to second place by the two-mile mark and held that position down the stretch.
“My race strategy coming into sectionals was to run similarly to how I raced at Conference and the (Wausau East) Invite — to get out strong, to stick to the front group regardless of pace and to sprint in the final straight-away,” Kaluarachchi said. “I was especially jubilant with my sectionals performance since I was able to exceed all three of my criteria, and place an unexpected second place.”
Bertram had a terrific race of his own, notching an eighth place finish in 16:42.0. Bertram was in 16th place after a mile, jumped to eighth by the two-mile mark and refused to give up ground down the stretch.
“As a team we really tried not to go out too fast, knowing that a lot of other guys would go out fast and start to explode by two miles in,” Bertram said. “We did really well with most everybody on the team moving forward significantly from one mile into the finish. We also just tried to stay calm and not get in our heads if we weren't exactly where we wanted to be right from the start of the race.”
Middleton also received a 15th place finish from senior Zachary Tang, a 19th place showing from senior Owen Strupp and a 30th place finish from senior Fin Brintlinger.
Tang was 18th after both one- and two miles, then closed strong and captured 15th place in 17:02.1. Strupp was 33rd after one mile and 26th after two miles before finding another gear and sprinting to 19th place in 17:10.0.
And Brintlinger was 34th after one mile, moved to 30th place by the two-mile mark and held that spot, finishing in 17:38.6.
While only the top five finishers count toward team scores, MHS also received solid performances from Xander Herold (32nd, 17:41.7) and Quinn Emerick (42nd, 18:01.4).
“That went pretty close to what we were hoping for,” Finnel said. “You can't control what other teams do, and every team has its own tactics to play to its runners' strengths. Our big goal was to be smart early, get ourselves in position, and be aware of the teams and runners we needed to compete with.
“Ultimately, we wanted to be patient and start moving up after about 2K. There's a lot of nerves and excitement on a day like this, and runners can get out too fast and fade. The Verona course is not forgiving, so having experience here from the invite and previous sectional meets was a big advantage. I also felt like this course played to our team's strengths.
“More than anything, I thought we had really good vibes going into this race. The guys were in a positive mindset. They seemed relaxed but focused, and above all, they really wanted this one.”
The day was packed with many nervous moments, though.
While the Cardinals were following their game plan to perfection, they sat in fifth place overall after one mile. And halfway through the race, MHS was still in fourth place.
“We were still behind (Verona), DeForest and Madison La Follette, but collectively, we looked good,” Finnel said. “I wasn't seeing anyone who looked like they were already in the pain cave, so I was feeling good about where we were.”
With about ½-mile remaining, Middleton had passed Madison La Follette and jumped to third. And with 500 meters left, the Cardinals had surged past DeForest and moved into second.
“The message at that point was simple,” Finnel said. “Move up if you can, but protect our position and don't let anyone pass you.”
They didn’t. And now they’re headed back to state for the first time since 2023.
“We've been knocking on the door the last two years, but came up a bit short,” Finnel said. “It wasn't for a lack of effort. The teams that beat us were simply better on those days. This year, we were determined to give ourselves another opportunity.”
Stevens Point, which has won four straight state championships, is the heavy favorite to win a fifth consecutive title. After that, things appear wide open.
And while the Cardinals are thrilled to be heading back to Wisconsin Rapids, they want to take full advantage of this opportunity.
“Wisconsin is definitely a competitive state for cross country, and some of the guys from Stevens Point and Verona are looking particularly strong,” Kaluarachchi said. “However the team is in high spirits, and we are hoping to maintain the successful precedent that Middleton's running program has established. Our goal is to place second as a team behind Stevens Point, and we are excited to see what we can accomplish next weekend.”
Bertram agreed with his teammate.
“To us the field at state is hyper-competitive with Stevens Point favored to win,” Bertram said. “It is most likely going to be a close fight for second through sixth. I strongly believe we can be way up there in second or third as a team and hopefully bring home a trophy.”
Finnel, who led Middleton to state championships in 2017 and 2019, and a runner-up finish in 2018, believes this group has what it takes to make a major splash at state, as well.
“I think we've raced well for most of the season, but honestly, I don't think we've put together our absolute best race as a team yet,” Finnel said. “I'm guessing we'll come in ranked somewhere around fourth or fifth, but I really believe anything is possible if we all run our best together.
“We're excited to be there, but we're also hungry to compete and see what we can accomplish. This group has worked incredibly hard to earn this opportunity, and they're really looking forward to the experience.”
Oct. 24
WIAA Division 1 boys cross country Verona Sectional
Team scores: 1, Verona 71; 2, Middleton 74; 3, DeForest 86; 4, Madison La Follette 96; 5, Madison Memorial 112; 6, Madison West 150; 7, Madison East 159; 8, Monona Grove 212; 9, Oregon 228; 10, Sun Prairie West 286; 11, Waunakee 309; 12, Sun Prairie East 329.
Top-10 individuals: 1, Nathan Schwoerer, Madison West, 16:05.9; 2, Nethan Kaluarachchi, Middleton, 16:26.4; 3, Will Lisowski-Semb, Madison Memorial, 16:31.5; 4, Jasper Darley, Madison West, 16:34.6; 5, Jacob Lafever, DeForest, 16:35.7; 6, Aiden Frey, Verona, 16:38.7; 7, Zach McAndrews, Verona, 16:39.5; 8, Andrew Bertram, Middleton, 16:42.0; 9, Kingston Miller, 16:43.8; 10, Lucas Castellanos, Madison La Follette, 16:47.0
Middleton results (top 5 scores count toward team score)
2, Nethan Kaluarachchi, Middleton, 16:26.4; 8, Andrew Bertram, Middleton, 16:42.0; 15, Zachary Tang, 17:02.1; 19, Owen Strupp, 17:10.0; 30, Fin Brintlinger, 17:38.6; 32, Xander Herold, 17:41.7; 42, Quinn Emerick, 18:01.4.
