Sports

SUN PRAIRIE — Too little, too late.

That’s been the recent tale for Middleton’s boys basketball team.

Junior guard Jackson Guerrero’s fastbreak layup capped a furious Middleton rally from a 12-point deficit late in the second half as the Cardinals grabbed a brief lead against the host Sun Prairie West Wolves.

But West senior guard Tyler Haney countered with two free throws to help the Wolves regain the lead and eventually secure a 72-65 victory over the Cardinals in a Big Eight Conference game last Friday night.

“To be down 12 points and take a lead when the game is almost over, that’s pretty unbelievable,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “Honestly, I think we just ran out of gas because of who we needed on the floor those last three, four minutes.”

Middleton lost its third straight game and is in a free fall as the postseason nears.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team finished in third place at the Big Eight Conference meet last Saturday.

Verona’s co-op won the meet with a 140.450 team score. Janesville Craig (138.20) and Middleton (133.5250) rounded out the top three.

Middleton’s Aspen Goth was second in the all-around with a 35.8250, while teammates Abby Arnold (32.850) and Ana Bollig (31.950) were 11^th and 12^th, respectively.

Goth was second on the vault with a 9.3750. Middleton also counted scores from Arnold (8.30), Aubrey Anderson (8.30) and Bollig (7.750).

Goth was fourth on the uneven bars with an 8.6250. The Cardinals also counted scores from Arnold (7.90), Anja Schmidt-Voils (7.8750) and Anderson (7.750).

Goth was fifth on the balance beam (8.80), while Middleton also counted scores from Bollig (7.8750), Schmidt-Voils (7.8750) and Arnold (7.6750).

WAUNAKEE — The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.

They are married to each other — the emotions of competition — so strongly that one intensifies the other.

Just ask Middleton’s Finn Grauwels, who experienced the latter a year ago and then spent the next 365 days chasing the former.

The junior 165-pounder caught it at Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 Waunakee Sectional wrestling meet, taking second place to advance to the state tournament.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Grauwels said after winning 11-4 over Monona Grove/McFarland’s Xavier Denman to advance. “It means so much to me.

“Last year, falling a point short, it was one of the toughest points of my life. It was a big bummer. So just making it means a lot.”

The top two finishers in each weight class advance to state, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the UW Kohl Center.

Two down.

Does Middleton’s hockey team have more in it?

The Cardinals are halfway to state following a pair of impressive wins last week.

Middleton defeated Baraboo/Portage, 6-1, in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Feb. 18. The Cardinals then toppled Sun Prairie, 6-2, in a regional final on Feb. 20.

“I am very encouraged with how we have played in both playoff games so far,” Middleton coach Jochen Hylbert said. “I think we are peaking at the right time.”

Middleton, the No. 4 seed in the sectional, advanced to a sectional semifinal where they faced top-seeded Madison Edgewood Tuesday night. That game ended too late for inclusion in this week’s paper.

The winner of that game would face either second-seeded Verona or third-seeded Waunakee in a sectional final Saturday at 6 p.m. at Madison Ice Arena.

“Our leadership has been solid and we are staying positive,” Hylbert said. “The boys believe in themselves and their teammates.”

STEVENS POINT — The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, which oversees most high school sports in Wisconsin, announced on Feb. 19 that it is changing its policy regarding the participation of transgender athletes in girls sports.

"Today the WIAA Board of Control voted to update the organization’s policy regarding student-athlete eligibility — affirming its compliance with federal directives that only students designated as females at birth will be allowed to participate in girls competitions," Stephanie Hauser, executive director of the WIAA, said in a release. "Working in consultation with legal counsel, our Board updated this policy to ensure clarity is provided to our membership as they work to comply with new federal guidance from the White House."

The ruling follows similar actions taken recently by the NCAA, which adjusted its transgender student-athlete participation policy on Feb. 6.

Wyatt Ehrhardt was born to play hockey.

“I started skating when I was two and picked up hockey when I was three. I haven’t looked back since,” said Ehrhardt, a senior forward on the Middleton boys’ hockey team.

One of the top scorers in the state, Ehrhardt said there isn’t anything he doesn’t love about the sport.

“Honestly, just stepping on the ice and just shooting the puck around, passing it, stick handling, being out there with the team and playing games with each other,” he said. “I think that’s why I love the game, competing and having fun.”

It has been a successful season for Ehrhardt and his teammates, who earned a share of the Big Eight Conference title with Verona, finishing with an 11-1 record in league play.

Ehrhardt has done more than his share in leading the way for the Cardinals (14-10), who were seeded fourth and opened postseason play against 13^th-seeded Baraboo/Portage on Tuesday.

Middleton’s girls basketball team is suddenly red hot.

And out of the blue, it appears the Cardinals could be an extremely dangerous team this postseason, despite their 10-13 overall record.

Middleton, which has won five of its last six games, received the No. 12 seed in its sectional and will travel to fifth-seeded Madison Memorial for a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Feb. 28.

If the Cardinals win there, they’d face either fourth-seeded Verona or 13^th-seeded Watertown in a regional final on March 1.

The sectional semifinals are March 6 and the sectional finals are March 8.

Defending state champion Hartland Arrowhead is the No. 1 seed in the sectional, followed by Waunakee, Oregon, Verona, Madison Memorial, Kettle Moraine, Oconomowoc, Mukwonago, Madison La Follette, Beloit Memorial, Sun Prairie West, Middleton, Watertown, Sun Prairie East, Madison East, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker and Madison West.

Three first place finishers.

And 11 of 13 wrestlers advancing to sectionals.

It was a tremendous Saturday for Middleton’s boys wrestlers, as they finished in third place at the WIAA Division 1 Verona Regional. The Cardinals also advanced 85% of their team to the Waunakee Sectional which will be held Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.

The top four finishers in each weight class advanced through regionals, and Middleton will now be well-represented at sectionals.

The Cardinals crowned three champions at Verona — Aiden Bell at 138 pounds, San Zanton at 157 and Reed Falk at 190. Middleton got third place finishes from Grady Hargrove (126), Alborz Dehnavi (144), Pavil Jones (150), Finn Grauwels (165) and Reese Miller (175), as well as fourth place showings from Maximus Schultz (106), Kyle Mock (113) and Tavish Frank (120).

John C. Maxwell, an American best-selling author, once said: “Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person choose one of two paths: character or compromise.”

That’s the exact position Middleton’s boys basketball team finds itself in today.

The Cardinals, who had played mostly terrific basketball for two months, had their poorest game of the season last Saturday and fell to visiting Monona Grove, 65-63. Silver Eagles senior forward A.J. Nelson attacked Middleton 7-foot center Will Garlock and hit a 7-footer as time expired to lift MG to a stunning win.

Afterwards, Middleton coach Kevin Bavery questioned the effort and attitude of his team, and agreed the Cardinals were undoubtedly at a crossroads.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team finished its dual meet season in style, rolling past host Janesville Parker, 130.75-118.65, on Feb. 13.

“It's hard to believe this was our last dual of the season,” Middleton coach Alexis Cairo said. “I am so proud of my girls.”

Middleton’s Abby Arnold won the all-around competition with a 34.4750, while Anja Schmidt-Voils was second (32.9750).

Arnold and teammate Aubrey Anderson tied for first place on the vault with 8.60s. Middleton also counted scores from Schmidt-Voils (8.20) and Ashley Heuer (7.875).

Arnold was first on the uneven bars with an 8.250, while Schmidt-Voils was second (8.0), Aubrey Halverson was third (7.925) and Ana Bollig was fifth (7.150).

The Cardinals swept the top-four spots on the beam. Arnold was first (8.850), followed by Schmidt-Voils (8.30), Halverson (8.250) and Bollig (7.975).