Sports

Sam Niesen is quick to admit he had some doubts.

Niesen, Middleton’s boys swimming coach, watched his team struggle in their season-opener two weeks ago.

Since then, though, the Cardinals have made immense strides. And Middleton continued its upward trend last week.

Middleton bested Sun Prairie, 111.50-58.50, and toppled Janesville Parker, 130-40 at its own triangular. The Cardinals also finished second to Madison West at the Janesville Parker Relays last Saturday.

“We had a rough start in our first meet,” Niesen said. “But it has been a solid uphill climb ever since.

“A lot of the boys that don’t swim year-round are starting to get into shape, and they're really starting to impress me with how quickly they’re dropping time. We've got a good group of talent to work with, and I can tell that they're getting excited about their capabilities in the pool.”

Three state qualifiers have graduated.

There is youth and inexperience across the roster.

But there’s also an immense amount of talent.

Middleton’s wrestlers proved just that last Thursday, posting an impressive 43-33 win over Verona.

“It was a good win,” Middleton coach Kent Weiler said. “They should have never beaten us last year. 

“This just means that we put a better team together last Thursday. We have a long way to go.”

But the Cardinals showed they're certainly on the right track.

The meet started at 152 pounds, and after losing there, Middleton’s Maxwell Mayhew pinned Ryan Weiss in 1:16.

Verona earned a pin at 170, then Middleton’s Caleb Cymbalak pinned Reagan Stauffer in 1:16.

Middleton’s Gavin Adler notched a pin in 1:08 at 195 pounds, then Verona won at both 220 and heavyweight.

Middleton got hot at the lower weights, though.

Nine months ago, Middleton’s boys basketball team came to Madison East and saw its season end in heartache.

Just two weeks into the 2015-’16 campaign, it’s clear these Cardinals are older, wiser, better.

In an early-season showdown of Big Eight Conference heavyweights, Middleton used a pair of huge runs to topple the host Purgolders, 93-75. The Cardinals took control of the game with a 17-0 run early in the first half, and when East pulled within five points midway through the second half, Middleton uncorked a 16-0 burst.

It was a far cry from the WIAA Division 1 regional final in March, when the Purgolders edged the Cardinals, 56-53.

“All year, all summer that motivated us,” said Middleton junior forward Tyree Eady. “We felt like we shouldn’t have lost that game. We really wanted to get them back.”

Eady was a big reason why the Cardinals got measure of revenge. Eady pumped in a career-high 29 points and added nine rebounds and five steals.

Middleton’s girls basketball team was maybe 25 minutes into its season opener. And that’s when Bria Lemirande realized the method to the madness could yield enormous dividends.

Lemirande is the point guard for the Cardinals’ undersized, but remarkably speedy girls basketball team. And midway through the second half of the Cardinals’ first game of the year, their fast, aggressive, grueling style began paying off.

The opposing players from Stoughton struggled getting back on defense. Heads began to hang. The Vikings’ had lost their aggression.

Middleton, which trailed by eight points at halftime, stormed back for a 77-70 win. The Cardinals haven’t stopped rolling since.

There’s an old saying that speed kills — and these Cardinals are proof of that. Middleton knows just one gear — fifth.

Start fast. Finish strong.

Middleton’s boys basketball team did both last week and won its first two games of the season.

The Cardinals opened the year with an 82-73 road win at Janesville Parker last Thursday. Middleton followed that with an impressive 79-65 win over visiting Verona last Saturday.

Junior forward Tyree Eady scored a game-high 25 points in Middleton’s win over Parker. Junior guard Storm Murphy added 24 points and six rebounds, while junior guard C.J. Fermanich added 12 points.

Junior forward Myron Ashford added seven points, while junior Daydrian Spears added six points.

“(Parker) had two games under their belts,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said of the Vikings. “They are big, physical and athletic with a prolific shooting guard. Any time you travel on a weeknight to Janesville or Beloit and come away with a Big Eight Conference victory you are pleased.”

Kari Steck would make one heck of a poker player.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics coach never tips her hand. And Steck always keeps her cards close to the vest.

When discussing goals and possibilities each and every season, Steck is more Bill Belichick than Rex Ryan.

“As always, the end goal in mind is for the girls to have a memorable and healthy season,” Steck said. “If that includes a Big Eight championship and a trip to state, we’ll be happy. However, it’s more important to me that the girls grow as young women and as a team.”

Don't be surprised if all of the above happen.

That’s become the norm under Steck.

Middleton has qualified for state each of Steck’s first four seasons, highlighted by a fourth place finish in 2014 and a fifth place finish last year.

The Cardinals were also second in both the Big Eight Conference’s regular season and postseason tournament last year. Middleton then won its own sectional.

One quarter of their season is complete.

They have dominated every foe and passed every test.

If you’re a Middleton hockey fan, there’s a lot to like right now.

The Cardinals improved to 6-0 last week with a pair of impressive conference wins. Middleton rolled past Janesville, 7-1, last Tuesday, then drilled Beloit Memorial, 5-1, last Saturday.

Middleton has won its first six games by a combined score of 34-9.

“The coaching staff is very pleased with our quick start,” Middleton coach Steffon Walby said. “In all fairness, we have allowed the team to pick up where they left off last year. The seniors have had a great attitude and a hunger that has helped. The underclassmen have certainly followed the senior’s examples.
“Tony Wuesthofen has been solid in net, and we have played great team defense in front of him. Special teams have been better than last year, and we have found the scoring touch early on.”

It was a grueling, challenging first week of the season for Middleton’s boys swimming and diving team.

It was also a rewarding one.

After a rough start to the week, Middleton finished by winning the Nicolet Sprints last Saturday. The Cardinals finished with 340.5 points to easily outdistance runner-up Shorewood (277.5). Grafton (244), Cedarburg (242) and Marquette (228) rounded out the top five.

Middleton also had a fourth place finish at the Brookfield Invite last Tuesday and dropped a 126.5-43.5 decision to Madison Memorial last Friday.

“This is a good stepping stone for the rest of the season,” Middleton coach Sam Niesen said. “I've been working them extremely hard and seeing how they prepare themselves to swim while they're sore. I'm happy with a lot of the times I've been seeing and I'm once again very excited to see how well we can taper down towards the end of the year.”

Middleton’s relay teams shined at Nicolet.

Middleton wrestling coach Kent Weiler believes he has the makings of a stellar team this season.

And the first weekend of the season only enhanced that belief.

Middleton won the 10-team Nicolet Knight Scramble last Saturday in impressive fashion. The Cardinals finished with 223.5 points to edge runner-up Menomonee Falls (203.5). Valders (201.5), Nicolet (181.5) and Hartford (177) rounded out the top five.

“Team effort,” Weiler said. “It was a good day, everyone got better as the day went on.”

Middleton received first place finishes from Kevin Meicher at 132 pounds and Chris Rogers at 138. The Cardinals also got second place showings from Joseph Hoffman at 113, Max Mayhew (160), Dion Huff (170) and Caleb Cymbalak (182).

Middleton also received third place finishes from Colton Best (126) and Gavin Adler (195).

Meicher opened with a pin over Caleb Wentker of Valders in 2:13, then he pinned Dylan Spoerl of Brookfield East in 50 seconds.

It took Middleton nearly five minutes to break the ice with its first field goal of the game during its Big Eight Conference girls’ basketball season-opener last Tuesday night.

But after sophomore guard Claire Staples came off the bench to sink a three-pointer, the Cardinals surged ahead and never looked back.

Junior guard Bria Lemirande scored 19 points to pace four Cardinals in double figures as Middleton soared to a convincing 83-60 victory over Verona to get its conference season off to a stellar start.

“We weren’t really expecting that at all. We were expecting a tight game the whole time if not being down,” Bria Lemirande said. “But we had to keep pushing and keep our energy and intensity up.”