Sports

Nine.

That was the number of offensive plays Middleton’s football team had in the entire first half of its WIAA Division 1 first round playoff contest against No. 6 seeded Milwaukee Hamilton/Audubon last Friday.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, four of those plays were touchdowns and MHS added two more scores on special teams as it raced to a 42-0 halftime lead en route to a 63-8 home victory.

“We just got the job done either running the ball or passing the ball,” Middleton senior quarterback Joey Passaglia said. “We had some great blocks on the perimeter and on our outside zone plays. I think it was just a great team effort and a great team win.”

The No. 3-seeded Cardinals, who improved to 9-1 overall, advanced to play No. 2- seeded Lake Geneva Badger in a second round playoff matchup on Friday. Badger (10-0) advanced with a 42-7 victory over Oak Creek.

Two down.

Two to go.

That’s how it stands for Middleton’s boys soccer team after the Cardinals captured a WIAA Division 1 regional championship last week and moved two steps from state.

Third-seeded Middleton defeated 14^th-seeded Kettle Moraine, 2-0, in a regional semifinal on Oct. 21. The Cardinals then downed sixth-seeded Madison Memorial, 3-1, in a regional final on Oct. 25.

Middleton, the two-time defending state champions, now hosts Oregon in a sectional semifinal Thursday at 7 p.m. at Firefighter’s Park. If the Cardinals win there — and the seeds hold — they’d face top-seeded and No. 1 Madison West in a sectional final Saturday at 1 p.m. at Madison La Follette’s Lussier Stadium.

“A good week for us,” said Middleton coach Kevin Pauls, whose team improved to 16-3-2.

It most certainly was.

While the seeds suggested Middleton was a heavy favorite against Kettle Moraine, Pauls knew better than to overlook the Lasers.

They spent two months trying to find a branch of consistency to grab hold of.

And every time Middleton’s girls volleyball team felt it was close, it lost its grip.

The Cardinals believed they were putting all the pieces together after downing Tomah, 3-1, in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Oct. 23 for their fifth straight win.

But Middleton’s season came to an end, when host Onalaska downed the Cardinals, 3-0, in a regional final on Oct. 25.

Middleton finished the season 22-13.

“I think this team was really coming together at the end of the season,” Middleton coach Ben White said. “Our weekend at Luxemburg-Casco — where we won the 12-team tournament — was pretty special, especially for our 10 seniors.

“We had a poor offensive night for our last match, but we played well in so many other facets of the game. Tough way to end.”

There will be no surprises.

No mysteries.

As Middleton’s No. 1 ranked boys volleyball team readies for its WIAA sectional, they’ll do so knowing they’re about to see several familiar faces.

Top-seeded Middleton hosted fourth-seeded Madison Memorial in a sectional semifinal Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Cardinals defeated the Spartans, 3-0, on Sept. 29.

If Middleton defeats Memorial again, it would host either second-seeded Madison West or third-seeded Madison Edgewood in a sectional final Saturday at 7 p.m. The Cardinals defeated Edgewood, 3-0, on Sept. 3 and downed Madison West, 3-0, on Sept. 18.

MADISON — Tyler Vogt, Middleton’s personable and remarkably gifted linebacker, was recently given a saying from his father, Kevin.

Vogt passed that on his coaches, who then shared it with the Cardinals.

The passage read: “Mediocre teams have rules. Great teams set standards.”

Middleton has certainly done that throughout a memorable 2025 campaign. And it’s paid off in spades.

The Cardinals routed host Madison West, 38-9, on Oct. 16 and clinched their first Big Eight Conference championship since 2015 — when Vogt and the current senior class were just second graders.

Middleton won its eighth straight game, finished the Big Eight season a perfect 7-0 and improved to 8-1 overall. The Cardinals then received a No. 3 seed in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs and will open the postseason by hosting sixth-seeded Milwaukee Hamilton/Audubon in a Level 1 game Friday at 7 p.m.

Back in 2022, Middleton’s football team headed to Milwaukee Marshall for the first round of the WIAA Division 1 playoffs.

The Cardinals led, 41-0, by halftime, enjoyed a running clock the entire second half and rolled to a 55-0 win.

That’s been the norm for Milwaukee Public Schools, which have struggled immensely in the football playoffs this century. MPS teams are 16-149 in the postseason since 2000 — a 9.7 winning percentage.

So Middleton had to be excited Saturday morning when it learned it would be facing Milwaukee Hamilton/Audubon in the first round of the playoffs. That game will take place in Middleton Friday at 7 p.m.

The Cardinals, who are 8-1 and champions of the Big Eight Conference, received the No. 3 seed in their sectional. Hamilton/Audubon, which is 0-7 all-time in the playoffs, is 4-4 after finishing in third place in the Milwaukee City-Richardson Conference and received a No. 6 seed.

They’ve aced every test.

Shined on every exam.

Now, Middleton’s boys volleyball team is ready for its final.

The Cardinals — who are 32-0, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation — received the No. 1 seed in their postseason sectional. Middleton hosts eighth-seeded Madison East in a regional final Friday at 7 p.m., and if it wins there, will host either fourth-seeded Madison Memorial or fifth-seeded Madison La Follette in a sectional semifinal Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

The sectional final is at Middleton High School Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., where a date with second-seeded Madison West could take place.

The state tournament then runs Nov. 5-7 at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Poised.

Strategic.

And most importantly, fast.

Middleton’s cross country teams were all that — and more — as both squads posted third place finishes at the Big Eight Conference meet on Oct. 18 at Sheehan Park in Sun Prairie.

Madison West won the girls’ race with 56 points, while Verona (64) and Middleton (70) rounded out the top three at the nine-team meet. Middleton’s JV1 and JV 2 teams also finished second.

“With Madison West dominating the conference over the past few years, we were absolutely thrilled to take second on the JV side and only six points off of Verona on the varsity side,” Middleton co-coach Kelly Julian said. “While we’ll need near-perfect execution next week at sectionals to qualify for state, knowing we’re within striking distance of one of our biggest challenges was a huge confidence boost for the team.”

The quest for a three-peat has begun.

Middleton’s boys soccer team, which has won back-to-back WIAA Division 1 state championships, opened the postseason Tuesday. The third-seeded Cardinals (14-3-2) hosted 14^th-seeded Kettle Moraine in a regional semifinal.

If Middleton won its playoff opener, it would host either sixth-seeded Badger or 11^th-seeded Madison Memorial in a regional final Oct. 25.

The sectional semifinals are Oct. 30 and the sectional finals are Nov. 1.

Madison West, the No. 1 ranked team in Division 1, is the top-seed in the sectional. Beloit Memorial is the No. 2 seed, while Middleton, Madison East and Verona round out the top five seeds.

“As always, our sectional is brutal,” Middleton coach Kevin Pauls said.

Middleton finished the regular season with a 1-1 tie against Benet Academy (Ill.) on Oct. 14 and a 2-0 win over Lake Geneva Badger on Oct. 16.

Middleton’s girls volleyball team had an up and down regular season.

But the Cardinals closed the regular season in style by winning the Luxemburg-Casco Invite on Oct. 18.

“We cleaned up the passing, defense and serving,” Middleton coach Ben White said. “Our seed is already set for the postseason and this past week was about getting us momentum for the postseason.”

They certainly got it.

Middleton opened with a 25-13, 25-18 win over Shawano.

“Everyone contributed in some way in our win against Shawano,” White said.

Middleton then downed No. 12 Pewaukee, 25-23, 25-23.

The Cardinals trailed the second set, 23-20, but scored the final five points behind Lily Kulow’s serving.

“They run the fastest offense we have seen this season, which took a little bit of time for us to adjust to,” White said. “That match changed the complexion of the day as we found ourselves in the gold bracket for the first time this year.”