Sports

The ending still bothers anyone and everyone associated with the program.

But perhaps Middleton’s boys soccer team can turn that unpleasant performance into a positive.

The Cardinals, seeded third, lost to 14^th-seeded West Allis Hale in the first round of the WIAA Division 1 playoffs last season. Now, as Middleton prepares to begin its season Thursday at Mount Horeb, it hopes to use that painful loss as motivation in 2015.

“That defeat does not sit well with me and the returners,” Cardinals coach Ben Kollasch said. “I think the large group of newcomers allows us to move on from that loss, while we still have a few returners that can remember it and use it to motivate the rest.

MONONA — Shane Adler delivered a timely run-scoring single in the first inning, but he didn’t stop there.

In fact, four proved to be Adler’s lucky number and he led Ashton to a 5-2 victory over host Monona in the first round of the Home Talent League round-robin championship amateur baseball series at Murphy Anthony Field on Sunday.

Adler, who started in center field and closed out on the victory on the mound, finished with four hits, four RBI and pitched four stellar innings to earn a save in relief of starter and winning pitcher Kevin Peternell.

“That’s what he’s supposed to do,” Ashton manager Dave Adler, said of his son. “He picked it up for a few other guys. Maybe next week it’s someone else’s turn.”

Ashton (14-6) will play at Fort Atkinson — which rallied past previously unbeaten Verona to earn a 4-3 victory in the other first-round game — in the second round at Jones Field next Sunday.

Middleton’s girls volleyball has high hopes and great expectations this season.

The Cardinals also discovered last weekend they have a lot of work to do if they hope to eventually achieve great things.

Middleton finished in third place at the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Invite. The Cardinals went 3-2 overall on the day.

“It was a great tournament format to see everyone in action,” Middleton coach Franco Marcos said. “At a given point we had two freshmen and a sophomore on the court. 

“Overall, our serving was good, our offense was inconsistent and our defense needs work. However, that is to be expected with new setters and a number of players playing next to each other for the first time. There was some lack of communication on defensive plays that hurt us and those will be corrected.”

Middleton opened with a 25-13, 25-11 win over Wisconsin Rapids.

Middleton’s girls swimming and diving team got off to a terrific start last Friday.

The Cardinals notched first place finishes in eight of 11 events and toppled defending Big Eight Conference champion Verona-Mount Horeb, 104-66.

V-MH was without standout Beata Nelson, who is swimming for Team USA in the FINA Junior World Championships in Singapore. Regardless, it was an extremely impressive win for the Cardinals.

“This certainly gives us some confidence moving forward and helps us to figure out what our best line-up will be,” Middleton coach Lauren Cabalka said. “We still have a lot of room for improvement, but are very happy with how this one went.

“This was a huge test for our very young team. Verona is one of the top teams in the state and has an incredibly talented and deep line-up. We knew we would have to put together our best line-up and be creative with where we placed our top swimmers. 

Middleton’s girls golf team finished in third place at the Madison Edgewood Invite held at Maple Bluff Monday.

Milton and Verona tied for first place with 331 scores, then Milton won the title in a playoff. Middleton shot a 336, five shots behind the leaders.

“We stuck around to watch the two-team playoff for first place and then we talked about what they saw,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “It was good to hear about what they learned and I think this will help drive them in their future matches and tournaments.”

Cardinals junior Alexis Thomas shot a 1-over-par, 75 and finished third individually. Senior Loren Skibba shot a 78 and was fifth. Middleton also counted a 91 from junior Morgan Miles and a 92 from junior Morgan Narowetz.

“It was great for Alexis to come back after her struggles at Sixmile (in Waunakee),” Halverson said. “Loren had one rough hole and was able to bounce back and finish in fifth place, which is great.” 

The word drought didn’t sit well with the head coach.

But whatever you choose to call it, Franco Marcos is ready for it to end.

Marcos, who coaches Middleton’s girls volleyball team, has built one of the state’s top programs. But the Cardinals have gone five straight seasons without a trip to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament.

The way Marcos sees it, there’s no time like the present.

“I think that this group could get us back to state this year,” said Marcos, whose team begins the season Saturday at the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Invite. “We have had a pattern of going to state for two consecutive and reloading for six. Following that trend would indicate that these next two years should be our time again. We are working to make it happen.”

Tanner Meinholz spent the early part of the season on the bench, biding his time and waiting to play for defending Home Talent League champion Ashton.

On Sunday, Meinholz delivered a clutch hit when Ashton needed him the most.

Meinholz lined a two-out, two-run single to center field in the top of the ninth inning to help rally Ashton to a 5-3 victory over host Middleton in an HTL Northern Sectional championship game at Sorrenson-Bakken Field.

The victory sent Ashton (13-6) into in the league’s Final Four round-robin championship series next Sunday at Monona.

“Tanner was a guy who didn’t play in the beginning of the year, but we had some guys getting hurt and some who couldn’t play anymore,” said Shane Adler, who started in center field but pitched the final four innings to pick up the victory for Ashton. “Tanner stepped up and has been doing a heck of a job in the middle of our lineup. It’s awesome to see him have success.”

Middleton’s girls tennis team went 3-2 at the two-day, 10-team Milwaukee Madison Challenge last weekend.

The Cardinals defeated Whitefish Bay and Kettle Moraine by 4-3 scores, and toppled Oak Creek, 6-1. Middleton also lost to Homestead, 5-2, and dropped a 6-1 decision to Hartland Arrowhead.

“We lost six seniors, but gained a couple of freshman and one sophomore from Utah,” Middleton senior Abbey Webber said. “We're still trying to figure out our lineup, working out a few kinks. But so far I'm impressed with what our team has to offer.”

 In Middleton’s win over Oak Creek, senior Kaisey Skibba notched a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles. Junior Ally Hujanen earned a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles and junior Shanna Wiegand posted a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles.

The wind was downright brutal, gusting up to 30 miles an hour at times.

The temperatures made it feel more like October than August.

But none of that stopped Middleton’s girls golf team on Monday.

The Cardinals bested a star-studded field and won the 17-team Waunakee Invite held at The Meadows of Sixmile Creek.

Middleton carded a 344-team score and edged Verona by three shots for the team title. Top-ranked Hartland Arrowhead was third at 351, while Monona Grove (385) and Oregon (388) rounded out the top five.

“Scores were definitely higher today because of the brutal conditions out there,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “I told the girls on the way there that it was going to be a mental game playing in that wind. The team that was the most mentally tough was going to come out on top and I was pleasantly surprised that it was us.”

JANESVILLE — Tim Simon watched his Middleton football team struggle for 2 ½ hours Friday night.

Simon barked at his Cardinals for 15 minutes after their work had ended, then spent another 10 minutes discussing the frustrating effort with the media.

But as Simon stood in the middle of Monterey Stadium, with the lights shining off the Rock River, he seemed to have a moment of clarity.

“It was an ugly win,” Simon said. “But it’s better than an ugly loss.”

That’s for sure.

The Cardinals certainly didn’t win any style points in their 21-19 victory over host Janesville Parker. But Middleton did win its season-opener, and really that’s all that mattered.

The Cardinals committed two turnovers, had 90 yards of penalties and had far too many mental breakdowns. In the end, though, Middleton escaped and defeated Parker for the ninth straight time.