Sports

Middleton’s boys basketball team is just two weeks into this strange, shortened season.

But the Cardinals aren’t — and never have been — about moral victories.

That’s why Middleton’s 61-60 setback at Edgerton on Feb. 1 was a tough one to take. The Cardinals played from the lead much of the night, before the Tide rallied back in the final minutes.

Nick Meinholz led Middleton with 15 points, while Logan Raffel, Kaden Fosdick and Hayden Statz all added eight.

"I'm really proud of the effort and overall where we are at,” said Middleton coach Kevin Bavery, whose team fell to 1-2 on the year. “But this is a competitive group, and playing really well in difficult circumstances and restrictions isn't where they want to be at the end of the night.”

BARNEVELD — It wasn’t your typical ‘Senior Night’ celebration that Melanie Accola and the rest of her Middleton Cardinals’ teammates had witnessed during their prep careers.

For one, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Cardinals are unable to host any games in their own Fieldhouse this season.

Middleton was also the visiting team when it met host Mount Horeb — which was also celebrating its own Senior Night — in a non-conference game at Barneveld High School last Saturday night.

Putting a further damper on the Cardinals’ evening was a 50-33 loss to Mount Horeb, when the Vikings pulled away from a 24-24 tie early in the second half.

But Accola was still able to put a positive spin on the evening’s proceedings.

Game experience matters.

Middleton’s hockey team, which was thrilled to get back on the ice last month after COVID restrictions delayed the start of its season, found that out the hard way.

Reedsburg’s co-op team was playing its 18^th game of the year when it met the Cardinals in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Feb. 2. Middleton, on the other hand, was playing just its second game of the season.

In the end, the Beavers’ two extra months of ice time paid immense dividends and Reedsburg posted a 4-1 win.

“Obviously not the result that we wanted, but I thought that the boys played hard,” Middleton first-year coach Dan Truehl said. “We got close a few times early, but just couldn’t find that first goal to settle us down and play from in front.”

The Cardinals were competitive throughout, but converted just one of their 31 shots on goal.

WAUWATOSA — It had been 327 days since Middleton’s boys basketball team last took the court.

So when the Cardinals traveled to Wauwatosa Kingdom Prep last Wednesday, there was rust. There was inconsistency.

Amazingly, there was also a victory.

Middleton rallied from a deficit as big 10 points and posted a 49-46 win on its season-opener. Kayden Fosdick led a balanced Middleton scoring attack with nine points, while Matt Zimmerman added six.

Q’Andre Washington led the Wolfpack with 19 points and eight rebounds.

“This felt more like a scrimmage than a game,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “But it also just felt great to get back in the gym and have a chance to compete against somebody else.

“These are strange times when you have your first game of the year in January. But I thought we did some good things after kind of a sluggish start.”

DELAFIELD — St. John's NW Military Academy — located in Delafield — might be small in numbers.

The Lancers have just 140 students and will play in the WIAA Division 3 tournament this year.

Everything else about St. John’s is large, though.

The Lancers’ starting lineup averages 6-foot-6. Senior Bradin Podziemski is averaging 35 points per game and is being courted by several Division 1 high majors. And senior guard Brennan Timm averages 20.0 points per game and will likely play collegiately himself.

This is the challenge Middleton’s boys basketball team faced in just its second game of the season last Thursday.

The host Lancers got 26 points from Timm and another 23 from Podziemski and toppled the Cardinals, 71-56. Junior guard Logan Raffel led the Cardinals with 13 points, while junior guard Nick Meinholz added 10.

Their season was truncated.

They had far less pool time than a regular campaign.

But several members of Middleton’s boys swimming team are back where they always wanted to be — state.

The Cardinals finished third at the WIAA Division 1 Middleton Sectional that was moved to Waukesha South last Saturday.

Sun Prairie won the seven-team sectional with 407 points, followed by Verona/Mount Horeb (358) and Middleton (303).

“This year's sectional was so unusual in so many different ways,” Middleton coach Danny Lynam said. “The obvious difference was the significantly shortened season, but even at the meet there was a limited crowd, the guys weren't allowed on deck to cheer each other on, and it was the first time we actually swam against anyone else in person.

The road will be brutal.

But at least Middleton’s girls’ basketball team is part of the race.

The Cardinals received the No. 5 seed in its five-team postseason pod. The Cardinals will face fourth-seeded Oregon in a WIAA Division 1 regional quarterfinal on Feb. 9.

The winner of that game would face top-seeded Waunakee in a regional semifinal Feb. 12. The regional final would be Feb. 13 against either second-seeded Verona or third-seeded DeForest.

Sectional semifinals are Feb. 18 and sectional finals are Feb. 20.

Middleton fell to 0-2 in its truncated season last week, falling to DePere, 72-32, on Jan. 28. The Redbirds, ranked 10^th in Division 1, improved to 19-2.

Junior forward McKenna Monogue led the Cardinals with 11 points, while senior forward Mel Accola added eight.

And just like that, it was over.

Middleton’s wrestling team didn’t get a chance to compete in a dual meet or an invitational this season due to COVID-19 restrictions. So the Cardinals’ first competition of the year came last Saturday at the WIAA Division 1 Baraboo Regional.

Unfortunately for Middleton, the season proved to be short and not all that sweet.

The Cardinals finished in seventh place at the seven-team regional and failed to advance anyone to sectionals. So just like that, Middleton’s year ended.

Reedsburg won the regional with 233 points, followed by Waunakee (226), Baraboo (213.5), Sauk Prairie (160), Mount Horeb (124.5), Verona (82) and Middleton (51).

The top two wrestlers in each weight class advanced to sectionals. Middleton’s top finishes were fourth place finishes by Walker Hargrove at 132 pounds and heavyweight Adham Elshaboury.

It had been more than 11 months since Middleton’s hockey team last took the ice.

While no one wanted to wait that long, the Cardinals returned with a bang on Jan. 25, posting an impressive 3-0 win over Sun Prairie.

“More than anything I really enjoyed watching the boys compete,” Middleton first-year coach Dan Truehl said. “We have some things to clean up, but I loved the effort and speed that we played at.”

Brady Englekes had all three Middleton goals, while Cam Haynes stopped 22 shots and pitched a shutout.

“Honestly, I wasn’t surprised at all,” Truehl said. “There is a ton of talent and leadership in our locker room and we just needed the opportunity to let it loose and play a game.”

Engelkes got started just 2:34 into the game when he scored an even strength goal on an assist from Cade Semrad to give Middleton a 1-0 lead. Engelkes struck again at 11:38 of the second period on a feed from Spencer Kalscheur to give Middleton a 2-0 lead.

Jeff Kind wasn’t sure if this moment would ever arrive.

His Middleton girls basketball team certainly had their doubts, too.

After a season of uncertainty, Middleton superintendent Dana Monogue and athletic director Jamie Sims approved the return of winter sports on Jan. 11, with all games to be played outside of Dane County.

Now, Kind and the Cardinals will begin their extremely truncated season Friday with a game at Mosinee.

“The first time we play will be the first time we see live competition,” Kind said. “Gotta love a challenge.”

There’s no doubt, whatever games the Cardinals can get before the postseason arrives on Feb. 9 will be a challenge.

Due to pandemic restrictions imposed by Dane County health officials, in addition to not being able to play games in their home gym or anywhere in the county, the Cardinals must maintain six feet of social distancing during practices and can only have 10 players in the gym at the same time.