Sports

Middleton’s boys volleyball coach Dylan Griffith heads to the postseason meeting Thursday.

And barring anything crazy, the fourth-ranked Cardinals should receive a No. 1 seed and be poised to try defending their WIAA state championship.

Middleton rolled to three more wins last week, improved to 26-4 overall, and seems to be peaking as the postseason arrives.

Middleton opened the week with a 25-12, 25-20, 25-14 win over Fort Atkinson. Seniors Andrew Chen, Nathan Pinske and Callum Charnholm were honored in the Cardinals’ final home conference match of the year.

“This was another one of those team wins, where no matter who was on the floor we kept the level of play high,” Griffith said.

Caden Van Buren led the Cardinals with 11 kills, while Charnholm and Jonah Johnson both had five kills.

Middleton’s girls swimming team rolled past Sun Prairie West, 126-43, on Oct. 10.

The Cardinals won 10 of 11 events and had the top three finishers in five of the 11 events.

Middleton’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Brynn Sundell, Ellie Sundell, Abigail Frommelt and Isabell Frommelt was first. The Cardinals’ foursome of Jane Garlock, Addie Dorn, Lydia Keebler and Aoife Ryan-Kaiser were second, while the quartet of Sulia Miller, Dina Abdel-Megid, Clara Kiehl and Chloe Wedding was third.

In the 200-yard medley relay, Tabitha Kuhl, Rian Jost, Miller and Olivia Rashid finished first, while the foursome of Ellie Wolf, Abdel-Megid, Audrey Alexander and Tae Martin was third.

And in the 200-yard freestyle relay, the foursome of Anna Dart, Addison Haack, Garlock and Miller finished first, while the quartet of Izzy Ensenberger, Kayley Burt, Ryan-Kaiser and Keebler was second.

Let the title defense begin.

Middleton’s boys soccer team, the reigning WIAA Division 1 state champions, received the No. 1 seed in their sectional. The Cardinals open postseason play by hosting 16^th-seeded Janesville Parker in a regional semifinal Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The regional finals would be Oct. 26, where the Cardinals would host either No. 8 seed Sun Prairie West or ninth-seeded Mukwonago.

The sectional semifinals are Oct. 31 and the sectional finals are Nov. 2.

Madison West, which defeated Middleton, 2-0 during the regular season, is the No. 2 seed in the sectional. Madison East, Madison Memorial and Oregon round out the top five seeds.

“Our goal was the No. 1 seed and I thought our résumé was pretty strong which other coaches saw and voted us No. 1,” said Middleton coach Kevin Pauls, whose team is 15-3 this season. “The section, as always, is very strong.

Troy Teff led a contingent of his Middleton classmates — who were being honored on Senior Night — when the Cardinals hosted Madison La Follette in a Big Eight Conference prep football game on Oct. 10.

Oh, what a night it was for the Cardinals, who showed no mercy on the visiting Lancers.

Junior quarterback Joey Passaglia and Teff connected on three first-quarter touchdown passes as Middleton dominated La Follette, 49-0, to secure a berth in the upcoming WIAA Division 1 playoffs.

The Cardinals are Hartland Arrowhead share the state’s longest string of playoff appearances in Division 1, qualifying every season since 1996.

Middleton improved to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Eight Conference, while La Follette fell to 1-7, 1-5.

The beat goes on.

And boy, what a rhythm it’s been.

Middleton’s girls golf team finished second at the Oregon Sectional on Tuesday and clinched a spot at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament for the 13^th straight year.

DeForest won the sectional title held at Edelweiss Chalet Country Club in New Glarus with a 321 team score. Middleton was second with a 329, while Oregon (341), Verona (353) and Waunakee (353) rounded out the top five at the eight-team regional.

Only the top two teams qualified for state, which will be held Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge.

“We’re incredibly proud of the team for securing a spot at state,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson. “The girls have shown remarkable dedication and teamwork throughout the season, and this is a testament to all of their hard work.”

Middleton High School offers a plethora of sports and activities for its students.

Beginning this fall, though, school district officials have found another way to reach out to a segment of its population that was unable to participate in traditional sporting activities.

Welcome to the Adaptive Sports League, a high school sports program designed for students with disabilities to experience the benefits of a quality competitive sports program.

Head boys basketball coach Kevin Bavery and assistant girls basketball coach Jessica McIntosh, who are also physical education teachers at the school, said they are excited to be part of the new program.

“The Sun Prairie schools actually started it last year,” McIntosh said of Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West. “Our special education department was super interested because it was something that fills their cup.

The Evan Kratochwill Memorial cross country invitational isn’t about where you finish. It’s about so much more than that.

Still, it is nice to perform well — something both of Middleton’s teams did last Saturday.

The event which honors Kratochwill — a former MHS runner who passed away from a double vehicle crash in the Town of Middleton on Oct. 2, 2021 — was a huge hit again. This was the largest event yet, with just shy of 1,000 runners and walkers between the memorial community run, and the middle school and high school invites.

And Middleton’s runners certainly excelled.

The boys finished fourth at the eight-team event held at Glacier Creek Middle School in Cross Plains. The girls were third among six teams.

“Saturday's meet was a showcase of competition, sportsmanship, and fun — the very qualities that define cross country and reflect who Evan was,” said MHS girls co-coach Kelly Julian.

‘The Streak’ — which dates back more than 13 years now — was in danger.

Middleton’s boys volleyball team, which hasn't lost a Big Eight Conference match since Sept. 29, 2011, trailed host Madison Memorial, 2-0, on Sept. 30.

But the Cardinals did what they so often do — they rallied back and posted an incredibly impressive win.

Middleton overcame a sluggish start and surged back to capture a 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-12 win over the Spartans.

In the process, the Cardinals kept alive one of the most impressive streaks in state history — regardless of sport.

"This was a good test for us,” Middleton coach Dylan Griffith said. “We played in a tough environment with a loud crowd and the other team gunning for us. Starting down 0-2 in a best of five match is tremendously tough to do for anyone.

They broke five meet records.

They won 10 of 11 events.

And Middleton’s girls swimming team put on a show in cruising to first place at the Cardinal Relays held last Saturday at MHS.

Middleton finished first with 268 points, while Verona was second with 202. Madison West (150), Madison Memorial (89) and Sun Prairie East (81) rounded out the top five at the 11-team invite.

“Our team swam very well at the Cardinal Relays,” Middleton coach R.J. Leiferman said.

Middleton’s foursome of Tae Martin, Helen Machleidt, Brynn Sundell and Clara Kiehl won the 200-yard medley relay, while the Cardinals’ foursome of Tabitha Kuhl, Gianna Gabert, Aoife Ryan-Kaiser and Anna Dart was fifth.

Middleton’s 800-yard freestyle relay team of Abigail Frommelt, Audrey Alexander, Poppy Sickler and Jane Garlock was first, while the team of Lydia Keebler, Ellie Wolf, Olivia Rashid and Hannah Machleidt was third.

Verona’s girls tennis team edged Middleton for the Big Eight Conference title on Sept. 30-Oct. 1.

The Wildcats finished with 48 points, while the Cardinals were a close second with 46. Madison West (34), Sun Prairie West (26) and Madison Memorial (17) rounded out the top five.

Here’s how the Cardinals fared at all seven flights.

SINGLES

No. 1 — Middleton’s Lydia Sabat reached the championship match before losing to Verona’s McKenna Thorson, 6-0, 6-1.

Sabat had a straight set victory over Sun Prairie East’s Brenna Stampf in the quarterfinals, then edged Janesville Craig’s Rya Arreazola in the semifinals, 1-6, 6-2, 10-8.

No. 2 — Middleton’s Sophia Pientka reached the championship match, but lost to Verona’s Naisha Nagpal, 6-2, 6-1.

Pientka reached the title match with straight set wins over players from Janesville Craig and Sun Prairie West.