September 2014

Green and growing.

Young and improving.

That’s the story for Middleton’s girls swimming team this fall. And the talented Cardinals took a big step in the right direction last Tuesday.

Middleton overcame fatigue from a busy schedule and edged upstart Madison Memorial, 86-84.

“I'd say this was our best earned win of the season,” Middleton coach Lauren Cabalka said. “All factors considered, the girls fought hard for this win and I am extremely proud of the way they finished this five-day stretch. 

“I think this meet reaffirmed that we are not a team to be overlooked in the Big Eight Conference. This is proving to be one of the tightest races to the end and we are very excited to be a part of it.”

In a five day stretch, Middleton had a pair of conference dual meets and competed in the ultra-competitive Waukesha South Invite. But the Cardinals had just enough left in their collective tank to edge the Spartans.

MADISON — Friday couldn't arrive soon enough.

That’s how each and every member of Middleton’s football team felt this week.

The Cardinals were coming off their first loss of the season, a humbling setback in Sun Prairie on Sept. 19. And Middleton couldn’t wait to make amends.

“We had such enthusiasm from Monday on,” Cardinals quarterback Kellan Schulz said. “Everyone couldn’t wait to get back out there and get things turned around.”

Middleton did exactly that. And Madison Memorial paid the price.

The Cardinals rebounded in a big way, rolling past the host Spartans, 30-8, at Mansfield Stadium.

Middleton improved to 5-1 and now sits in a three-way tie atop the conference with Madison La Follette and Janesville Craig. Memorial fell to 2-4 and had its Homecoming game spoiled.

The song remains the same. And it’s one Middleton’s girls tennis team is thrilled to keep singing.

The Cardinals wrapped up another Big Eight Conference dual meet championship on Tuesday following a 7-0 win over Janesville Craig. Middleton finished the conference season 9-0 in dual meets and went a remarkable 61-2 in those matches.

“I'm glad we were able to win conference again,” Middleton senior Emily Oberwetter said. “At the beginning of the season there was some uncertainty on how we would match up with some of the other teams since we had so many players graduate last year.

“But after our first couple of matches it became fairly clear that we would still be able to come out on top of our conference. I think it was especially a great experience for the new members on the team to be a part of a team this strong.”

Kaisey Skibba, Middleton’s No. 1 singles player, agreed.

Adversity is something that strikes every team in every sport.

The great ones find a way to battle through various difficulties. The others fade to black.

Middleton’s boys volleyball team was struck with more misfortune last week than most teams encounter. The Cardinals learned standout senior outside hitter Nolan Schoonveld would be lost for the year with a knee injury.

But Middleton refused to feel sorry for itself. The Cardinals rolled past Madison La Follette last Tuesday, then had an extremely impressive second place finish at the Wauwatosa East Invite last Saturday.

“I can’t wait to see what these guys can do for the rest of the year,” Middleton coach Ben White said. “We had a couple of guys completely new to playing and they more than held their own.