Sports

Middleton’s girls swimming team finished second at the Cardinal Relays Saturday.

Hartland Arrowhead won the team title with 420 points, while Middleton was second with 368. Verona (340), Madison West (336) and Waunakee (270) rounded out the top five at the 12-team event.

“It was a really fun meet,” Middleton coach R.J. Leiferman said. “We kept great energy through the meet, and had quite a few girls swim their season best times. We still have to work on being more consistent as a team going into the end of the season.”

Middleton’s quartet of freshman Sulia Miller, sophomore Izzy Ensenberger, junior Tait Haag and junior Piper Garcia-Hall won the 200-yard freestyle relay.

The Cardinals’ foursome of senior Emma Kleine, sophomore Hannah Machleidt, sophomore Isabell Frommelt and Garcia-Hall was second, while the 800-yard freestyle relay team of freshman Clara Kiehl, senior Sophie Benson, sophomore Audrey Alexander and Haag was also second.

When the bar is raised to incredible heights, it can be tough to fully appreciate your accomplishments during times you’re not at your best.

And that’s what Middleton girls golf coach Becky Halverson reminded her team of late Monday afternoon.

The Cardinals won the WIAA Division 1 Middleton Sectional on a day their score trended higher than usual.

Middleton shot a 338 at Pleasant View Golf Course and edged Waunakee (341) for the sectional title. Oregon was third with a 352, while Reedsburg (368) and Sun Prairie West (389) rounded out the top five.

Afterwards, though, Halverson and assistant coach Tom Schmitt were quick to find the good.

Middleton had survived — and advanced — meaning it will compete at the state tournament for the 11^th straight year.

That’s right — 11^th straight year.

Homecoming is a time for celebrating the past and present.

It is supposed to be filled with many activities culminating with a school dance.

However, one year ago, the communities of Middleton and Madison were mourning the loss of three young student-athletes, who were killed in the Town of Middleton on the evening of Oct. 2, 2021 when their car was hit by another vehicle and burst into flames.

While it has been a long grieving process since the lives of the three teens — Middleton seniors John ‘Jack’ Miller and Evan Kratochwill and Madison West senior Simon Bilessi, a former Middleton student — were lost, they have not been forgotten.

On Saturday morning, Middleton High School will host the inaugural ‘Evan Kratochwill Memorial Cross Country Invitational’ at Glacier Creek Middle School in Cross Plains.

MADISON – Middleton’s boys soccer team was looking for some respect when it arrived at Mansfield Stadium on Thursday night.

“We’ve been talking that we didn’t have that statement victory,” head coach Kevin Pauls said of the Cardinals, who took a 10-game unbeaten streak into their showcase game with host Madison Memorial. “We had some statement ties against (Hartland) Arrowhead and (Green Bay) Preble. But we didn’t have that statement win. Maybe this will open some eyes.”
It should, indeed.

Junior forward Cal Avery converted a crossing pass from sophomore midfielder Nestor Sharaf in the eighth minute for the game’s only goal as Middleton blanked third-ranked Madison Memorial, 1-0, in a battle for first place in the Big Eight Conference.

The Becky Halverson-era has been a remarkable story of dominance and supremacy.

Halverson took over as Middleton’s girls golf coach in 2013. In the decade since, the Cardinals are 81-0-1 in Big Eight Conference regular season meets and have won eight of nine conference tournaments.

Middleton has also finished in the top-three at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament in eight of the last nine years.

The Cardinals were back at it last week, winning the conference tournament once again.

Middleton fired a 332 to win the league championship held at Evansville Golf Club on Sept. 22. The Cardinals overcame a sluggish start where they shot 171 on the front nine and carded a 161 on the back nine.

Sun Prairie West was a distant second at 382, while Janesville Parker was third at 387.

Be the best.

Beat the best.

That was the goal for Middleton’s boys volleyball team last Saturday, when they hosted several of the state’s elite teams at the Cardinal Invite.

Middleton defeated three ranked teams during a tremendous day of volleyball. But the Cardinals eventually fell in the semifinals and settled for third place overall.

“The boys had some really good play,” Middleton coach Rob Kleinschmidt said afterwards. “This tournament is one of the toughest in the state, and we definitely stepped up our game.”

Middleton opened with a 25-20, 25-16 win over Appleton West, then toppled No. 7 Kettle Moraine, 25-20, 25-17. The Cardinals then upended No. 6 Sussex Hamilton, 25-20, 25-20 and downed No. 11 Appleton North, 25-19, 25-21.

In a memorable semifinal, though, No. 4 Arrowhead edged No. 8 Middleton, 23-25, 25-23, 18-16.

Middleton’s girls volleyball team remained unbeaten in the Big Eight Conference with a pair of league wins last week.

The Cardinals rolled past Janesville Parker, 3-0, on Sept. 20. Middleton also defeated Madison Memorial, 3-1, on Sept. 22.

Middleton’s win over Parker was a quick and painless, as the Cardinals rolled, 25-8, 25-11, 25-17.

Sierra Pertzborn had 10 kills and three digs, while Amelia Frautschi had six kills. Jordan LaScala had five kills, three aces, 12 digs and two assists, while Evin Jordee had 16 assists, seven digs, three kills and six aces.

Laina Gustafson had four kills and one ace, while Bryn Larson had two kills. Haley Stoffregan had 10 assists and two digs, while Eliana Ross had nine digs and Amber Wahlgren had five digs and two aces.

Two nights later, the Cardinals toppled Madison Memorial, 23-25, 25-11, 25-14, 25-11.

Middleton’s girls tennis team went a perfect 3-0 at the Madison West Invite last weekend.

The Cardinals notched wins over Brookfield East, Brookfield Central and Kenosha Indian Trail.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ weekend:

• Middleton 6, Brookfield East 1 — The Cardinals won all three doubles matches and three out of four singles matches.

Middleton’s top doubles team of Ashley Andler and Amy Li rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 won over East’s Sabrina Phan and Yukiko Mitchell. The No. 2 pair of Keena Cheng and Sarah Li posted a 6-1, 6-1, win over East’s Andrea Rifelj and Lucy Irwin. And Caroline Sax and Hannah Lister bested Sam Mason and Brenna McManus, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 3 doubles.

In singles play, Sonya Agapov notched a thrilling 6-2, 2-6, 11-9 win over Jasmine Sun at No. 2. Lydia Sabat toppled Mackenzie Heinle, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 3. And at No. 4, Sophie Shi upended Shilpa Kumar, 6-3, 6-3.

The girls swimming season is a long and arduous affair.

So any time Middleton coach R.J. Leiferman gets a chance to rest his front-liners, he takes full advantage.

One of those opportunities came last Friday, when the Cardinals rolled past Janesville Parker, 134-33. Leiferman gave many of his varsity swimmers the night off, but their replacements were more than up to the challenge.

“We let most of our varsity girls rest for the meet, which gave our girls who have not had as much of a chance to compete this year an opportunity to race,” Leiferman said. “The girls who swam did a great job of taking advantage of their chances, and we had a lot of girls who went season best times.”

Middleton’s 200-yard medley relay team of Maddie Dorris, Elaina Phaneuf, Irene Lee and Izzy Ensenberger was first, while the Cardinals’ foursome of Maggie Kirker, Sarah Blust, Ellie Sundell and Emily Tutewohl was second.

JANESVILLE — Middleton football coach Jason Pertzborn was finishing up some business inside Janesville’s Monterey Stadium late Friday when the host school turned out the lights.

Perhaps that was apropos, considering the Cardinals had just finished turning out the lights on the Cougars.

Junior running back Bryce Falk had a brilliant night with four rushing touchdowns and 244 yards on 33 carries. Middleton’s offensive line was sensational and an ever-improving defense bent, but rarely broke.

The result was a dominant 35-7 Middleton win that kept the Cardinals in contention for a Big Eight Conference title and perhaps a home game when the postseason arrives next month.

“I think we’re starting to put the pieces together at the right time,” Falk said. “The last few weeks of practice have been going really smoothly and that’s what’s helped us — is that practices have been going a lot smoother. I really like what we’re doing.”