Sports

Tom Cabalka knows he may never have another a defense like the one he enjoyed in 2014.

Cabalka, Middleton’s defensive coordinator and a member of the Cardinals’ staff for nearly four decades now, fielded one of the state’s top defenses a year ago. And after that unit allowed just 7.1 points per game in the regular season and 9.2 points overall, Cabalka called it the best defense he’d ever coached.

“They were pretty amazing,” Cabalka said.

They sure were. But gone are 10 players that earned some form of all-Big Eight Conference honors, including first-team all-state cornerback Alex Wood and first-team all-conference defensive linemen Nikko Miller and Alex Wills, linebacker Hayden Denson and linebacker Brian Chapman.

The lone returning starter is junior safety Joe Ludwig, one of the top players in Wisconsin in the Class of 2017. So Cabalka knows there’s a lot of work to be done for his group to play at a high level early in the season.

Their big hitters were at their best.

Their standout pitcher was brilliant when he had to be.

And now, Middleton’s Home Talent League team is one win away from the Final Four.

Middleton rolled past Richland Center, 8-1, Sunday, in a Northern Section second round playoff matchup. Middleton now hosts Ashton Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Northern Section title and a spot in the Final Four.

“It should be a great game between two really good teams,” said Middleton manager Brandon Hellenbrand, whose team split a pair of games with Ashton this season.

Middleton’s offense was terrific Sunday, with its top-five hitters going a combined 10-for-20.

Josh Hinson went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, while Kevin Dubler went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Ross Hellenbrand and Brandon Scheidler each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. 

In all, Middleton finished the day with three doubles, a triple and two home runs.

MENOMONEE FALLS — The overall numbers were impressive.

The top of the lineup was sublime. The others held their own.

But in the first week of the season, Middleton’s girls golf team also discovered that the rest of the state just might be better than anticipated. And that could make the Cardinals’ quest for a state title even tougher than first imagined.

Middleton finished second at the 19-team Madison Edgewood Invite held at Yahara Hills last Friday. The Cardinals then placed third at the two-day, 23-team Brookfield Central-Homestead Classic held Monday and Tuesday.

While most teams would have been thrilled with the start, these Cardinals have extremely high aspirations this fall and are gunning for the top of every event they enter.

“It’s a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “We have a lot of lofty goals, so we definitely have to keep improving.”

Their season hadn’t even begun. And already the highlights were coming.

Loren Skibba, Middleton’s brilliant girls golfer, popped up on ESPN’s top plays last week after she drained a bunker shot at the Junior PGA Championships.

“I just got lucky that the cameramen were there for that shot,” said Skibba, a senior. “It was super cool and the whole experience was awesome.”

Many believe there are countless highlights still to come.

Middleton finished third at the WIAA Division 1 state meet last season. Along the way, Skibba became just the second golfer in school history to win an individual state title.

Now, with five of their top six players back from a year ago, the Cardinals will be gunning for gold when the season begins Friday at the Madison Invite at Yahara Hills. Middleton began the season ranked No. 2 in the first Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin poll of the season.

It didn’t take Brandon Scheidler long to set the tone for the Middleton 29ers offense Sunday afternoon.

Scheidler singled in the bottom of the first inning for the first of his three hits and later scored on a single by Kevin Dubler — who also finished with three hits — to provide a stellar start for the 29ers’ offense.

Meanwhile, right-hander Drew Farrell scattered four hits and struck out five in a complete-game effort to help Middleton secure a 6-1 victory over Black Earth in a Home Talent League Northern Section first round playoff game at Sorenson- Bakken Field.

“When that happens you’re in control and can stay aggressive instead of being too picky and can just get after the hitters and get a lot of ground balls, which is what I did today,” Farrell said after Middleton’s offense staked him to a 2-0 first-inning lead.

Elizabeth Norregaard wasn’t expecting to continue her basketball career in Boone, N.C.

But when the former Middleton High School standout added everything up, the 850-mile journey east made the most sense.

Norregaard announced last week that she’ll play collegiately at Division 1 Appalachian State, where she’ll receive a full scholarship. The last player from Middleton to receive a Division 1 scholarship was Krissy Marco who went to Akron in 2002.

The Mountaineers, who play in the Southern Conference, went 14-16 a year ago.

“I picked Appalachian State because the coaches are super nice and just seemed really interested, which made me feel special,” Norregaard said. “Also, I think the role I would have on the team would be great and it seems like a really good fit for me with their style of play as well.”

Middleton’s girls soccer team shared the Big Eight Conference title in 2015. So it seemed appropriate that the Cardinals had the most players receive all-conference honors.

Middleton and co-league champion Madison West both had eight players named all-league.

Cardinals sophomore forward Kristen Reikersdorfer, senior midfielder Megan Sullivan and senior defender Ashley Stahnke were all named first-team all-conference. Senior forward Macey Kalscheur, junior midfielder Grace Douglas and senior defender Maddy Schachte were all named second-team all-league, while senior midfielder Emily Krueger and senior defender Lia Passini were named honorable-mention all-conference.

“I was very pleased that eight players got recognized in the all-conference picks,” Middleton coach Mary Duffy said. “We comprised 25% of each team and I think that each of those players earned their spot.

It was a magical year for Middleton’s boys golf program.

A Big Eight Conference title. Several outstanding performances at major invitationals. And a fifth place finish at state.

So it was no surprise that the Cardinals dominated the all-Big Eight Conference team.

Juniors Joey Levin, Emmet Herb and Brady Thomas were all named first-team all-conference. And junior Nils Arneson was named second-team all-league.

The all-conference teams are decided by the three lowest conference matches vs. the course rating, the Big Eight Conference tournament and three at large invitationals.

Levin finished second in the league for Player of the Year honors, a dramatic jump after he was a second-team all-conference player in 2014.

Levin’s low round of the season was a 71 at the Middleton Regional. Levin shot in the 70s in 15 of his 20 rounds, and he finished the year with an average of 77.2.