Sports

Alexis Cairo knew this was possible.

She believed this day was coming.

Cairo, Middleton’s girls gymnastics coach, felt her Cardinals had potential for big things this season. Last Saturday, Middleton proved its head coach right.

The Cardinals won the six-team Southwestern Invite, posting a 131.50 team score that was its best in several seasons. Southwestern was second at 127.0, while Prairie du Chien/Fennimore was third (124.525).

“My girls needed this,” Cairo said. “They needed to see the potential they have. I am so proud and lucky to be their coach.”

The Cardinals got terrific performances from up and down the lineup.

Sophie Pop-Vicas was second in the all-around at 33.625, while Abby Arnold was fourth (32.675).

Pop-Vicas was second on the floor exercise with a 9.050, while Jaelynn Kemp was fourth (8.40), Arnold was seventh (8.325) and Buna Karanezi scored a 7.70.

Middleton’s wrestling team finished fourth at the 10-team Markesan Invite last Saturday.

Host Markesan won the event with 212.5 points, while Tomahawk (209.0), Royall/Wonewoc Center (181.0), Middleton (170.5) and North Fond du Lac (150.5) rounded out the top five.

Sam Zanton finished first at 150 pounds for the Cardinals, Finn Grauwels was first at 157 and Reed Falk won the title at 190. Grady Hargrove was second at 120 pounds, while Reese Miller was third at 144.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ performances:

120 — Grady Hargrove (11-12) placed 2nd and scored 20.0 team points.

Middleton’s hockey team won two of three games last week.

The Cardinals defeated Beloit Memorial, 4-1, on Jan. 16. Middleton toppled Sun Prairie, 3-1, on Jan. 18, then fell to Stevens Point, 4-1, last Saturday.

The Cardinals are now 11-7 overall and lead the Big Eight Conference with a 7-1 mark.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week:

• Middleton 4, Beloit Memorial 1 — Wyatt Ehrhardt scored a pair of goals and had two assists to power the Cardinals past the host Purple Knights.

Cam Semrad and Cade Semrad both had a goal and assist, as well, while Eli Covey added an assist.

Heuer Stutz had 29 saves and earned the win in goal for Middleton.

“Truthfully, I don’t think we played a very good game down in Beloit,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “It’s a tough place to play in the middle of January as the rink doesn’t have four walls.

Middleton’s boys swimming team defeated Madison Memorial, 92-78, last Friday and stayed unbeaten in the Big Eight Conference.

“Many of the races came down to less than a second, especially for the second, third and fourth place finishes, which is where swim meets are really won,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “Our team fought hard, raced all the way to the wall and came away with wins for both JV (98-72) and varsity.”

Middleton’s 200-medley relay team of Max Carter, Caden VanBuren, Ben Cutler-Heiderscheit and Cowan Vitense broke the pool record with a time of 1:36.63. The Cardinals’ quartet of Ty Carbon, Colin Gabert, Anton Peters and Liam Mair also finished third.

Middleton’s 200-yard freestyle relay team of VanBuren, Cowan Vitense, Jackson Esteves and Sam Wolf was first, while the quartet of Mair, Carbon, Samuel Keith and Miles Wagener was fourth.

SUN PRAIRIE — In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is forced to spend eternity rolling an immense boulder up a hill. Each time Sisyphus neared the top, the boulder rolled back down, forcing him to begin the futile process once again.

“That’s one of my favorite stories,” Middleton boys basketball coach Kevin Bavery said.

Unless he’s the central character, which is just what Bavery and the Cardinals were during their game at Sun Prairie West on Jan. 11.

Middleton dug itself a double digit deficit early, battled back and forged three second half ties against the host Wolves. The Cardinals never could get take a lead, though, and eventually suffered a 77-73 loss.

Middleton, which got 23 points and nine rebounds from junior center Will Garlock, dropped its third straight game. The Cardinals also fell to 6-4 overall and slipped to fifth place in the Big Eight Conference at 4-3.

Middleton’s boys swimming team is the defending WIAA Division 1 state champs.

And all signs continue to point to the Cardinals having every chance to defend that title next month.

Middleton won its own, seven-team invitational last Saturday.

The Cardinals finished the meet with 226 points, while Madison Memorial (173), McFarland (169), Verona (151) and Sun Prairie West (106) rounded out the top five.

Madison West finished sixth with 105 points and Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights was seventh with 74 points.

Middleton had several highlights along the way, including:

• The 200-yard medley relay team of Ty Carbon, Sam Wolf, Ben Cutler-Heiderscheit and Liam Mair finished first. The Cardinals’ quartet of Nathaniel Straight, Brady Vondrak, Ben Vavilov and Ziggy Garcia Hall also teamed up to place sixth.

Middleton’s wrestlers split a pair of dual meets during a home triangular on Jan. 11.

The Cardinals defeated Madison West, 50-27, but fell to Verona, 42-35.

Here’s a look at each match.

Middleton 50, Madison West 27

106: Tavish Frank (Middleton) over forfeit (West)

113: Stone Cathcart-Helmer (West) over forfeit (Middleton)

120: Gracie Brooks (West) over forfeit (Middleton)
126: Grady Hargrove (Middleton) over forfeit (West)

132: Alborz Dehnavi (Middleton) over Maya Assad Thompson (West) Fall 1:14

138: Pavil Jones (Middleton) over Jayden Ross (West) Dec. 10-5

144: Reese Miller (Middleton) over Ashton Mazvimavi (West) Fall 0:57

150: Sam Zanton (Middleton) over Alan Ly (West) Fall 1:19

157: Finn Grauwels (Middleton) over Jose De Hilario Castro (West) TF 17-2

165: Damiano Cappellini (West) over Luke LaScala (Middleton) Fall 2:12

175: Bryce Falk (Middleton) over forfeit (West

When the hockey season started, Middleton coach Dan Truehl wondered how he was going to replace Cam Haynes, an all-conference goalie the last two seasons.

Senior Ian Eberle has eased all those concerns.

Eberle continued his terrific season last Saturday, when he shined in goal and helped Middleton down host Wausau West, 4-0.

Eberle finished with 22 saves and notched his third shutout of the season. Eberle is now 7-4 with a 1.93 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. The Cardinals also improved to 9-4 overall.

“Ebs is such a cool customer,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “Chaos can be ensuing around him and he’ll just look over at the bench with a big smile on his face.

“He’s settled into a rhythm here and is challenging every shot he’s seeing. We’ll need to keep him fresh here in the last eight games, but he’s been a rock for us as we’ve found our winning ways again after Christmas.”

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team fell to Janesville Craig, 133.450-126.30, on Jan. 11.

“Although tonight's competition didn't go as well as our last few duels, the girls still showed up and gave their best,” Middleton coach Alexis Cairo said. “We're at the point in the season where the girls are tired, are beginning to overthink some of their skills, and are feeling overwhelmed.

“So a few injuries and mental blocks set us back tonight. That's no excuse for the outcome of tonight's competition though. There's no doubt that Janesville Craig is a talented team.”

Middleton’s Sophie Pop-Vicas was fourth in the all-around with a 31.90, while teammate Abby Arnold was fifth with a 31.70.

Kenevan Lindner was second on the uneven bars (8.225), while Arnold was fourth (7.70), Aubrey Halverson was fifth (7.50) and Anja Schmidt-Voils was eighth (7.0).

Middleton’s boys soccer team had an unforgettable season, winning the WIAA Division 1 state title for the first time since 2004.

And Cardinals’ head coach Kevin Pauls was recently honored and named Wisconsin’s Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association.

“It's pretty cool being recognized by the other coaches around the state,” Pauls said.

Middleton went 18-4-3 last season and upset top-seeded Hartland Arrowhead in a sectional final. The Cardinals then edged Marquette in a penalty kick shootout in the state semifinals, and bested Brookfield East in the state title game on penalty kicks, as well.

While Pauls was the architect behind Middleton’s championship run, he was quick to thank the many others that helped make it possible.