Sports

Sixty four days.

That’s how long Middleton’s girls swimming team stewed, waiting for a second chance.

The Cardinals got it last Saturday and made the most of it.

Middleton had its five-year unbeaten streak in Big Eight Conference meets snapped by Verona-Mount Horeb back on Aug. 29. That loss eventually allowed the Wildcats to win the conference’s dual meet season.

But Middleton made amends and got some revenge at the Big Eight Conference meet.

The Cardinals finished with 486 points to edge runner-up Verona-Mount Horeb (480). Madison Memorial (471.5), Madison West (303) and Sun Prairie (272) rounded out the top five.

“This was by far our best meet to date,” Middleton coach Lauren Wencel said. “The girls had their minds set on this conference title since the loss to Verona in week one. 

After rallying from two sets down to win its previous match, Middleton’s girls volleyball team was hoping to do the same when it fell behind against DeForest last Thursday night.

Only this time, despite a spirited effort, the Cardinals were unable to pull off the comeback and lost to the top-seeded Norskies, 28-26, 25-15, 28-26 in a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal.

“I’m proud of each and every girl on that court,” said Audrey Hinshaw, a senior outside hitter. “They really gave it their all and it just wasn’t enough this time.”

The Cardinals looked well on their way to extending the match as they jumped out to a 14-8 lead in the third set.

Bobbi Patrick and Rachel Wians would have loved some company.

But Middleton’s girls cross country stars had a job to do. And the Cardinals’ dynamic duo did it with style and gusto last Saturday.

Middleton failed to qualify as a team for the WIAA Division 1 girls state cross country meet for the first time since 2010. But Patrick and Wians — who qualified as individuals — had terrific races.

Patrick, a senior, finished 46^th overall in 19 minutes, 37.28 seconds. Wians, another senior, was 56^th in 19:44.22.

“This state experience was a lot different for Rachel and I than past experiences,” Patrick said. “We didn’t have our team with us at the starting line, and we weren’t able to experience the anticipation for the team results to see what we finished. It was hard in that aspect, but I think we were able to go out and just enjoy the race this time.”

The goals were high.

The competition was fast and furious.

But Middleton’s boys cross country team never backed down, never flinched. And on the biggest stage of the season, the Cardinals came up huge.

At last Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 state meet held at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids, Middleton finished sixth among the 20 schools competing.

Madison West won the title with just 77 points, while Stevens Point (157), Arrowhead (178), Madison La Follette (179) and Kimberly (193) rounded out the top five.

Middleton finished with 213 points, and its sixth place finish was the school’s best since a sixth-place showing in 2001.

“As a team we did amazing,” Middleton senior Zach Shoemaker-Allen said. “Everyone gave everything they could, and that is all anyone can ask for.

“The year was incomparable to anything else. Our team was very close and we worked together to get better.”

Middleton sophomore Gus Newcomb agreed.

It was redemption week around Middleton’s football program. So it seemed almost too good to be true when Cardinals senior cornerback Alex Wood got a second chance in Middleton’s second chance game.

Early in the third quarter, with Middleton clinging to a 17-7 lead over Sun Prairie in a WIAA Division Level 1 game, Wood was burned on a 41-yard touchdown pass. Or so it seemed.

Moments after Sun Prairie’s J.P. Curran and Marquis Reuter connected on the apparent score, the touchdown was called back for an unsportsmanlike penalty on Sun Prairie during the play.

Two plays later, Middleton safety Joe Ludwig intercepted Curran. And two series later, Wood intercepted Curran himself.

Redemption? You bet, as Middleton finished the game on a 16-3 burst and rolled to an impressive 33-10 win.

That helped Middleton gain some revenge for its only loss of the season, a 20-17 setback on Sept. 19.

Kellan Schulz might be too young to remember Fran Tarkenton or Randall Cunningham.

Johnny Manziel? That’s more up his alley.

Last Friday night, Schulz looked like a combination of all three, producing the ‘Play of the Year’ for Middleton’s football team.

In a WIAA Division 1 Level 1 playoff game, Schulz — a senior quarterback — had a memorable 55-yard touchdown run that helped Middleton down Sun Prairie, 33-10.

Schulz broke four tackles and made another handful of defenders miss on the memorable touchdown. Schulz’s huge run gave Middleton a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter and helped put away a Sun Prairie team that was trying to claw back into the game.

“I haven’t had a run like that since sixth grade,” Schulz said. “That was sixth grade stuff.”

No, this was big boy football at its best.

Punting for the coffin corner is a lost art at most levels of football.

Not at Middleton High School, though, where Declan Whinnery and the Cardinals’ special teams units have brought it back with gusto.

Whinnery, Middleton’s senior punter, has become a master at aiming for the corner of the field just in front of the end zone. For this style of kick to be effective, a punter must have terrific hang time and be skilled at aiming the ball for the corner.

Whinnery is both — and last Friday’s WIAA Division 1 Level 1 playoff game against Sun Prairie was proof.

Whinnery pinned Sun Prairie inside the 6-yard line three times with majestic kicks. And Sun Prairie’s average starting field position on its 12 drives was the 20-yard line.

Middleton dominated the field position battle, and eventually the game, on its way to a 33-10 win.

Back in August, Middleton’s boys cross country co-coaches — Isaac Mezera and Cindy Bremser — talked about cracking the top-10 at the WIAA Division 1 state meet.

The Cardinal runners said those goals weren’t lofty enough. Amazingly, everything is still in front of Middleton and anything is still possible.

The Cardinals finished second at the DeForest Sectional last Saturday. And Middleton qualified for Saturday’s state meet at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids starting at 12:50 p.m.

“We get one more week to see if we can all have our best race on the same day,” Mezera said. “If we can do that, a top five finish is possible.”

The Cardinals proved at sectionals that anything is still possible.

Twenty-four hours after it was over, Cindy Bremser was still teary eyed.

And the sting could last for quite a while.

Middleton’s girls cross country team went to the WIAA Division 1 DeForest Sectional last Saturday and fell narrowly short of its dreams.

Sun Prairie won the sectional with 57 points, while Madison Memorial finished second with 60 points and claimed the final state berth. Middleton came as close as you can get to reaching state and not going, finishing in third place with 61 points.

“I have tears in my eyes,” said Bremser, who shares coaching duties with Isaac Mezera. “It is hard not to love these girls for how hard they work, trust in the coaches and themselves, and are the greatest teammates to one another.”

Franco Marcos calls it “bonus week.”

While the majority of the state’s girls volleyball teams are home by now, the few and the proud march on.

Middleton remained part of that elite club, rallying for a thrilling five-set victory over host Waunakee in a WIAA Division 1 regional final last Saturday.

After dropping the first two sets, the fifth-seeded Cardinals bounced back and posted a 19-25, 22-25, 25-9, 25-14, 15-9 win over the fourth-seeded Warriors.

Middleton will now host top-seeded DeForest in a sectional semifinal Thursday at 6 p.m. The winner of that match advances to the sectional finals, which will be held at Sun Prairie High School Saturday at 7 p.m.

“Coming back and beating Waunakee like that gives us a lot of confidence,” Marcos said. “We’ve still got little things to work on, but we’re playing pretty well right now.”