Sports

Middleton’s boys swimming team downed Madison Memorial, 135-35, on Dec. 19.

“The meet went really well,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “It was a nice way to start our winter break training.”

Middleton won every race for both varsity and JV and was second in 10 of 11 varsity events.

“It was a great team effort overall,” Lagerhausen said. “It shows our depth as well as the talent we have on the team this season. I am looking forward to winter break training and the second half of the season.”

Middleton’s top two finishes included:

FIRST PLACE

• The quartet of Max Carter, Sam Wolf, Caden Van Buren and Ben Cutler won the 200-yard medley relay.

• Espen Morner won the 200-yard freestyle.

• Henry Zanton won the 200-yard IM.

• Wolf won the 50-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle.

• Van Buren won the 100-yard butterfly.

Tenacity, relentlessness, desire.

Middleton’s boys basketball team showed off all of those characteristics as it overwhelmed Sun Prairie East from start to finish and rolled to a 90-51 win in a Big Eight Conference game last Friday night.

Middleton also downed Janesville Craig, 83-62, on Dec. 9 and are off to a surprising 4-0 start. Sun Prairie East fell to 0-5.

“The nice thing about this group is we don’t kid about anything,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “We know their record, we know our record, we know what the expectations are, but this is your choice to decide … they really understand.

“We tell them over and over again, they don’t know how good they can be and it all starts with how hard are you going to run and how relentless can we be. I keep saying that the next step is to get to a point where they’re running so hard offensively that we’re going to run for more easy baskets and we got some tonight.”

Middleton’s girls basketball team continued its strong start last week.

The Cardinals rolled past Janesville Parker, 78-53, on Dec. 8. Middleton also downed Sun Prairie West, 68-57, on Dec. 10.

The Cardinals are now 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Eight Conference.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

• Middleton 78, Janesville Parker 53 — Rowan Borne had 20 points and led three Cardinals in double figures as Middleton rolled past the Vikings. Borne also had a team-high 11 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Junior Lucy Drye had 15 points, six steals and five assists. Drye made 4-of-5 field goals, 2-of-3 3-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws.

Freshman Anna Reinhard added 14 points and three rebounds, while sophomore Molly Schulz had six points and six rebounds.

Senior Hailey Stroede added seven rebounds and junior Teagan Kadow had four steals. Middleton finished with 24 steals as a team.

Middleton’s wrestling team won a triple dual against Janesville Craig and Madison East on Dec. 11.

The Cardinals defeated the Cougars, 45-27. Middleton also rolled past Madison East, 56-15.

Here’s a recap of those two meets.

• Middleton 45, Janesville Craig 27 — The Cardinals got pins from Matthew Francois at 113, Grady Hargrove (144), Sam Zanton (165), Pavil Jones (175) and Finn Grauwels (190). Mason Martin (215) and Reed Falk (285) both won by forfeit and Adler Palman notched a 14-4 win at 132.

• Middleton 56, Madison East 15 — The Cardinals rolled past the Purgolders, getting pins from Adler Palman at 132, Luke Antony (138), Grady Hargrove (144), Aiden Bell (150), Sebastian Leon (157), Sam Zanton (165), Finn Grauwels (175), Pavil Jones (190), Reed Falk (285) and Matthew Francois (113).

Middleton 45, Janesville Craig 27

Divide and conquer.

Middleton’s boys swimming team — which has a large number of athletes this season — split the team in half last weekend and still won a pair of events.

The Cardinals rolled past Janesville Parker, 125.5-42.5, on Dec. 12.

Middleton then won the 10-team Brookfield Central Invitational on Dec. 13. The Cardinals finished with 635.5 points, well ahead of runner-up Brookfield Central (388).

“It was a lot of fun to see everyone step up, contribute to the team score and show the depth our team has this season,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “We were able to come away with wins for both meets and everyone made smart improvements from their races the previous week. Doing this for the next eight weeks is exactly what we need to accomplish what our goals are for the season.”

Here's a recap of the Cardinals’ two wins:

MIDDLETON 125.5, JANESVILLE PARKER 42.5

It was a magical year for Middleton’s football team.

The Cardinals won the Big Eight Conference for the first time since 2015 with a perfect 7-0 league mark. Middleton went 9-2 overall and reached the second round of the WIAA Division 1 playoffs.

So it was no surprise that Middleton dominated the all-Big Eight Conference team, with 25 players earning all-league honors.

The Cardinals had 11 players named first-team all-conference, led by Offensive Player of the Year Joey Passaglia and Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Vogt. Middleton had nine players named second-team all-league and five more named honorable-mention all-conference.

In addition, Middleton co-coaches Tim Simon and Joe Poehls were named co-coaches of the Year.

“Joe and I don't nominate people unless they put in the work in the classroom and they’re high character kids,” Simon said. “So we couldn't be prouder of this group.”

All gas, no brake.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur has used that phrase repeatedly during his seven seasons in Titletown. At times, LaFleur has displayed a lead foot. Others, he’s looked for the emergency brake.

If the season-opener was an indicator of what’s to come, look for Middleton’s boys basketball team to stay in fifth gear all season.

The Cardinals kept the pedal to the metal throughout, made big plays down the stretch and edged Sun Prairie West, 76-71, in overtime on Dec. 4.

Middleton also rolled past Janesville Parker, 72-31, two days later to begin the year 2-0 overall and in the Big Eight Conference.

“Oh, yeah, it's pretty fun,” said senior guard Jackson Guerrero, who led Middleton with 26 points. “Just running up and down. I mean, we make a lot of mistakes, but those will improve and get better.

Expectations are sky high once again.

And Middleton’s boys swimming team showed exactly why in its season-opening weekend.

The Cardinals went 2-0 at the Verona Triangular on Dec. 5, defeating the host Wildcats, 108-73 and rolling past Madison East, 131-38.

Middleton then finished first at the star-studded, 13-team Nicolet Invite on Dec. 6.

Middleton, which has won three straight WIAA Division 1 state championships, took a terrific first step as it guns for a four-peat.

“Recalling where we left off last year and how we looked at this first meet, I feel really good about our season and what is to come,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ two meets.

VERONA TRIANGULAR

Middleton defeated Verona, 108-73, and toppled Madison East, 131-38.

Here are the Cardinals’ top three finishes:

FIRST PLACE

Kevin Bavery has been coaching high school basketball since 1982.

He’s been a varsity coach since 1991.

Despite nearly 4 ½ decades in the sport, Bavery remains one of the more adaptable coaches you’ll find.

For better or worse, Bavery isn’t married to a certain system or style of play. Instead, he’ll adjust each season based on his personnel.

This winter, Bavery believes the Cardinals’ best path to victory will be playing fast and relying on their depth. So Middleton will push the pace and substitute with great frequency, trying to wear down opponent’s in the process.

“Without having played a game yet, what stands out is our ability to exert energy,” said Bavery, whose team hosts Sun Prairie West Thursday in their season-opener. “The overall skill set of handling, passing, attacking the basket and knocking down shots is higher. Rebounding has to be a big area of focus. We can't get out and run without the ball.”

What a difference a year makes.

Case in point, Middleton’s girls basketball team opened the 2025-‘26 season with back-to-back victories over Madison East and Oak Creek.

Rewind to the 2024-25 season when the Cardinals struggled to a disappointing 0-6 start.

But with 10 returning letterwinners, including three starters, Middleton fourth-year head coach Rashard Griffith has high expectations for this season.

“We talked about that at the exit meetings at the end of the season,” Griffith said after Middleton won six of its last seven regular season games a year ago. “We’re excited we had a winning record in conference and want to build on that. We need to pick up where we left off last year, but also need to be better, too.”

Middleton finished 11-14 last season, after dropping a 78-52 decision at Madison Memorial in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal. And the Cardinals are just 30-45 in Griffith’s first three seasons.