Sports

There have been times Middleton’s boys cross country coach Brian Finnel felt ‘The Streak’ was in real danger.

Years where Finnel looked at how his guys were performing during the track and field season, then wondering how he’d get his cross country team to shine later that fall.

Year after year, though, Finnel’s cross country teams delivered. And today, the Cardinals’ magical string of WIAA Division 1 state tournament appearances has reached 11.
“The consecutive state appearances is quite impressive,” said Finnel, Middleton’s magnificent leader. “It is something I can’t place my finger on. It’s quite an honor and point of pride for sure. I have to tip my hat to those teams in the last 11 years.

“There have been a few years where I didn’t think we would get to state. I would get to May and look at track performances and just be like, whoa, we are in trouble if we don't get to work.

It was only May, three months before the cross country season was set to begin.

And Middleton co-coaches Kelly Julian and Lauren Dilley gathered their team to outline expectations.

The Cardinals had their streak of four straight trips to the state meet snapped last season. And Julian and Dilley wanted to be sure their group understood what it will take to make a return trip to state this fall.

“We laid out our expectations if they wanted to get to state this year,” Julian said. “We were really honest with them about the times they would need to achieve and the consistency they would need to commit to in order to achieve that goal.”

It appears they were listening. Closely.

Middleton’s girls had a terrific summer and now return a gifted group that’s added some talented newcomers. So when the Cardinals begin their new season Thursday at Arrowhead, they’re optimistic they can have a big year and make a run at returning to state.

The crowd showed up in full force — even though it was a Thursday night before school was back in session.

There was a buzz in the air at the magnificent Borden Athletic Complex. Like every August, optimism was everywhere.

And for three quarters, everything went perfectly for Middleton’s football team.

Then, visiting Bay Port spoiled the party, outscoring Middleton, 16-0, in the fourth quarter and racing past the Cardinals, 37-28, in the season opener for both teams on Aug. 22.

“I don’t think we played horrible,” Middleton co-coach Tim Simon said. “They’re supposed to be one of the top dogs in the state. We feel we will too.

“But I said to the kids, a lot of close, tough games come down to five or six plays. And they made those five or six plays that we didn’t make.”

MENOMONEE FALLS — Middleton’s girls golf team has been grinding, with four 18-hole events in five days.

And for the most part, the Cardinals have shined.

Middleton finished in second place at the two-day, 36-hole Brookfield Central/Menomonee Falls Invite on Aug. 19-20 — a tournament most consider much better than the state meet.

Defending WIAA Division 1 state champion Divine Savior Holy Angels won the 27-team invite with a 621, while the Cardinals were second with a 650. Brookfield East (663), Arrowhead (673) and Oregon (687) rounded out the top five.

Middleton senior Emily Utter and junior Annika Jafferis both tied for 12^th place individually with a two-day score of 162.

Utter shot an opening round 85 at the incredibly demanding Wisconsin Country Club, then followed that with an impressive 77 at Wanaki Golf Course.

Middleton’s girls tennis team enjoyed a big week, winning all four of its matches.

The Cardinals swept Madison Memorial, 7-0, on Aug. 22. Then Middleton won all three of its matches at the Madison Memorial Invite held last Friday and Saturday.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ matches.

• Middleton 7, Madison Memorial 0 — The Cardinals rolled to straight set wins at all seven flights in a Big Eight Conference meet against the Spartans.

Lydia Sabat, Sophia Pientka, Shreya Ramesh and Mira Russo all notched straight set wins on the singles side.

In doubles play, the teams of Sophie Shi and Sarah Li, Hannah Lister and Elina Koenst, and Haley Klatt and Sam Pomroy all earned straight set wins.

MADISON MEMORAL INVITE

• Middleton 7, Sun Prairie East 0 — Middleton swept the battle of Cardinals last Friday on the first day of the Madison Memorial Invite.

Look out world.

Middleton’s girls swimming and diving team — which won the WIAA Division 1 state title a year ago — could be even deeper and better this fall.

The Cardinals showed just that when they rolled past Madison Memorial, 132-38, in their season opener last Friday.

“We had a solid first meet vs. Memorial,” Middleton coach R.J. Leiferman said. “It was fun to start competing again. It was also great to see our freshmen race for the first time.”

Middleton won all 11 events and captured the top-two spots in nine of the 11 races.

The Cardinals’ 200-yard medley relay team of Tae Martin, Rian Jost, Brynn Sundell and Clara Kiehl was first. Middleton’s foursome of Isabell Frommelt, Helen Machleidt, Abigail Frommelt and Anna Dart was second and the quartet of Poppy Wedding, Hannah Machleidt, Addie Dorn and Addy Palmer was third.

There’s a gifted group of experienced swimmers back.

The freshman class has everyone excited.

And even though Middleton’s girls swimming and diving coach R.J. Leiferman won’t use the ‘R’ word, everyone inside the program knows repeating as WIAA Division 1 state champions is a strong possibility.

Middleton begins its new season Friday with a dual meet at Madison Memorial at 5 p.m.

“Winning state last year was a great accomplishment, and something our girls were very proud to have achieved,” Leiferman said. “That being said, we know this is a new year, and we are only focused on what we need to do to make this year a success.”

The Cardinals seem positioned to have the kind of success last year’s gifted group had. And it starts with Middleton’s tremendous returners.

The names have changed.

The expectations have not.

Middleton’s offense was one of the finest in the state last year, averaging 35.4 points per game. The Cardinals also averaged 23.9 points in the first half, then often put things on cruise control as they established a running clock in four of their  11 games.

Honorable-mention all-state quarterback Gabe Passini is now at Butler. First-team all-state offensive lineman K.J. Peterson — and three other starters from Middleton’s best line in at least a decade — have also graduated.

Inside the state’s top programs, though, when one group of standouts leaves, the next one emerges. And Middleton — which is tied with Arrowhead for the longest streak of playoff appearances among Division 1 schools with 27 — expects its offense to keep humming along in 2024.

The Cardinals’ offense will face a stiff test when they begin their season against Bay Port Thursday at 7 p.m.

Drew Cooney sees it every day.

The size. The speed. The strength.

As Cooney, Middleton’s standout senior tight end, tries finding openings in the Middleton defense, he has one prevailing thought.

“We’ve got some dogs,” Cooney said of Middleton’s defense.

Middleton definitely has its fair share of talent on the defensive side of the ball. And the Cardinals hope their defense becomes elite as they chase their first Big Eight Conference title since 2015.

Middleton opens its new season Thursday when it hosts traditional state power Bay Port at 7 p.m.

“I think we have a lot of young guys ready to step up and some older guys  who are definitely going to step up,” said senior safety Harrison Armstrong, one of Middleton’s five captains. “It should be a really fun season. Lots of challenges, but I think we’re going to be pretty good.”

Tim Simon doesn’t say much to move the needle.

And that’s certainly by design.

Middleton’s co-head football coach, now in his 34th year with the program, would rather be vanilla than rocky road.

Simon didn’t say anything shocking or outlandish last week when discussing goals for his 2024 Cardinals. But he was forthright.

“Verona’s been the top dog the last couple of years,” said Simon, whose program last won the Big Eight in 2015. “We want to be the top dog.”

Sun Prairie divided into two schools and left the Big Eight Conference after the 2021 season, and the Wildcats have capitalized on the Cardinals’ exit.

Verona has won the last two Big Eight titles and is 14-0 overall in the conference in that time. The Wildcats return as the conference favorites once again in 2024.

The Cardinals’ goal will be to knock off Verona this year and bring the conference title back to Middleton.