Sports

So much for those dreams of sharing a Big Eight Conference title.

So much for a home playoff game.

Middleton’s football team picked the worst time of the year to play its poorest game of the season.

Visiting Sun Prairie came to Otto Breitenbach Field last Friday, dominated from start to finish and hammered Middleton, 35-7.

Sun Prairie remained in a first place tie in the league by improving to 7-1 both overall and in the Big Eight. Middleton fell to 5-3, 5-3 and dropped to fifth place in the conference.

“I think they were more physical than us, but we also have to get more energy out there,” said Middleton senior quarterback Bryce Carey, who was brilliant in defeat. “We just have to get back to what we’re good at. We’ve got to work hard and bounce back.”

Ben White deflected the credit to others.

That’s what great leaders do.

But when word spread that White notched his 400^th career win last week, several Middleton alumni quickly turned the acclaim back on the Cardinals’ ultra-successful boys’ volleyball coach.

“He was a joy to play for and be around and has impacted everyone that has come through the program in a positive way,” former Middleton standout Connor Zimmick said.

Thomas Robson, a first-team all-state libero in 2017, felt the same.

“He has a passion and a drive to make each and every kid that goes through that program better,” Robson said of White. “It is never a rebuilding year for him he always finds a way to light a fire under each grade to create this fight that allows the program to be one of the best in the state.”

White has certainly made the Cardinals one of the state’s elite programs.

Maddie Clark thought a top-five seed was possible.

No. 1?

That seemed like a dream.

Well, Clark’s aspirations — and those of partner Karsen Dettman — became a reality last week.

Clark and Dettman — Middleton’s No. 1 doubles team — received the No. 1 seed at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament, which will be held Thursday through Saturday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

“I was so excited to hear that we got the (No.) one seed,” Clark said Sunday. “This was definitely one of our goals this season. Karsen and I thought we had a pretty good chance of getting a top-5 seed, but we were so happy that we got the one seed.”

Clark and Dettman received a first round bye, then play their first match Friday at 9 a.m. The Cardinals’ dynamic duo will need to win three matches Friday to advance to Saturday’s semifinals, which would start at 9:45 a.m. The state championship match would be at approximately 2 p.m.

On two occasions this season, Middleton led a Big Eight Conference power at halftime.

Both times, the Cardinals squandered those leads.

On Sept. 28, Middleton took care of business.

The host Cardinals led Big Eight Conference co-leader Sun Prairie, 13-7, last Friday. Middleton then outscored Janesville Craig, 29-0, in the second half and cruised to an impressive 42-7 Big Eight Conference victory on Senior Night at Otto Breitenbach Stadium.

Becky Halverson knows expectations are sky high.

Halverson, Middleton’s girls’ golf coach, fully understands the hopes and dreams of her Cardinals are through the roof.

But Halverson wants to make sure her team fully appreciates each step of the journey.

Take last Wednesday, for example.

The Cardinals captured the WIAA Division 1 Middleton Regional, an event most expected them to win. Middleton fired a 351 at Pleasant View Golf Course to edge Stoughton (354) for the team title.

Oregon (358) and Sun Prairie (381) also advanced to the Reedsburg Sectional, which was scheduled for Oct. 1, but was moved to Oct. 3 due to heavy rains at the start of the week.

While winning regionals is a big deal in most places, Middleton has greater goals. So Halverson wanted to make sure her team stopped and smelled the roses before moving on to sectionals.

In 1991, a group of five freshman basketball players arrived at the University of Michigan.

The quintet — dubbed “The Fab Five” — was widely regarded as the greatest recruiting class in the history of college basketball. And it’s easy to see why, as those youngsters led Michigan to consecutive trips to the NCAA championship games.

Today, Middleton’s girls’ cross country team has a “Fab Five” of its own — and some talented upperclassmen, as well.

And on Sept. 29, Middleton’s gifted youngsters helped the Cardinals race to a second place finish at the Stoughton Invitational.

Madison West won the team title with 45 points, while Middleton was second at 96. Waunakee (98), Monona Grove (101) and Stoughton (134) rounded out the top five.

The most successful girls swimming and diving coach in the history of Middleton High School recently received one of the highest possible honors in her sport.

Lauren Cabalka, who has led Middleton to back-to-back WIAA Division 1 state championships, was selected by the Wisconsin Swimming and Diving Coaches Association as the recipient of the 2017-18 NFHS Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award for Wisconsin.

Annually, the NFHS identifies and recognizes a coach from each state for significant achievement in their sport. State level recipients are considered for NFHS Sectional recognition. National Coaches of the Year are then chosen from the sectional winners.

Award recipients are selected based upon a variety of criteria including their coaching record, background, coaching honors, and involvement in community and school organizations.

The Middleton and Mount Horeb boys soccer teams have each fared similarly in the 2018 season.

Both teams have less than stellar records, but the squads have played better than their records indicate and have played better soccer of late. 

The two teams squared off on Sept. 22 at Brietenbach Stadium in Middleton, and the Middleton held off Mount Horeb, 2-1, to capture a non-conference victory.

The Cardinals improved to 4-6-2 for the season, and sits in seventh place at 1-2-1 in the Big Eight. Mount Horeb fell to 2-9-0 and has a 2-1-0 record in the Badger North, good for third.

“Today was a good step forward for us,” said Middleton head coach Ben Kollasch. “We keep developing and taking steps forward each game. We’ve been trying to put together a full 90 minutes, and today was about there.”

The softest part of Middleton’s schedule is over.

Now, the Cardinals face a Murderer’s Row to finish the season. And how Middleton fares in the final three games will go a long ways in determining whether its year is a smashing success or a disappointment.

The Cardinals rolled past host Janesville Parker, 46-0, on Sept. 21. Middleton improved to 4-2 overall and in the Big Eight Conference and sits in a tie for fourth place.

Madison Memorial, Sun Prairie and Janesville Craig are tied for the league lead at 5-1. Middleton and Verona are tied for fourth at 4-2.

Middleton has won two straight games, defeating Beloit Memorial (1-5) and Parker (0-6). But things are about to get much tougher, as the Cardinals host Janesville Craig Friday at 7 p.m., host Sun Prairie on Oct. 5 and travel to Madison La Follette (3-3) on Oct. 12.

Those three teams are a combined 15-5 (.750).

MILWAUKEE — Eight seniors had graduated from the winningest boys’ volleyball team in Middleton history.

Sure, the newcomers were talented. But Cardinals senior outside hitter Eagan Peters-Michaud figured a dropoff this fall was only natural.

“When the eight seniors left, we were kind of wondering how this would go,” Peters-Michaud said. “I kind of had more negative thoughts.”

Not anymore.

Middleton has been one of the state’s greatest surprises. And the Cardinals notched one of their biggest wins of the Ben White-era on Sept. 18.

Middleton went into Milwaukee Marquette High School — home of the defending state champions and a school that has won nine state titles since 2002 — and took it to the host Hilltoppers. Middleton overcame a rough second set and toppled Marquette, 25-21, 16-25, 25-20, 25-21.

Middleton also posted wins at the JV and freshman levels in what was a memorable night for the program.