Sports

Thu
02
Nov
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Verona ousts football Cardinals

VERONA — The rematch was one for the ages.

Unfortunately for Middleton’s football team, their dreams of capping the season with a state championship were dashed on a brisk, fall evening by a bitter rival.

Senior quarterback Gabe Passini engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, but second-seeded Verona held on to escape with a thrilling 28-26 victory over third-seeded Middleton in a WIAA Division 1 second-round playoff game last Friday night before a capacity crowd at Verona High School.

Verona (10-1) advanced to play at top-seeded Sussex Hamilton (11-0) in a state quarterfinal game at Hamilton High School. Sussex Hamilton defeated Hartland Arrowhead 30-28. 

Tim Simon, Middleton's co-interim coach along with Joe Poehls, said the Cardinals simply ran out of time.

“It was a great game,” Simon said. “I think we played a pretty decent football game. It came right down to the wire as we thought it would.”

Thu
02
Nov
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Middleton’s boys XC team shines at state

The final race itself might not have been quite what they hoped.

The journey, though, was one they’ll never forget.

Middleton’s boys cross country team had to replace five of its top seven runners from last year’s team that finished sixth at state. Many believed the Cardinals’ streak of 10 straight WIAA Division 1 state tournament appearances was set to end.

Hardly.

Middleton battled its way back to state for an 11th straight year. And while the Cardinals hoped for more than the 13th-place finish they settled for at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids last Saturday, no one was shedding a tear.

Instead, Middleton once again was celebrating after a season few believed was possible.

“In the end, I don't know how much more I could have asked from them,” Middleton coach Brian Finnel. “We ran well and I am proud of their efforts.”

With good reason.

Thu
02
Nov
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Chellevold races to second at state

When the girls cross country season began two months ago, Middleton sophomore Olivia Chellevold gathered with her coaches and outlined her goals.

Among them was a top-five finish at state.

“It goes without saying that she blew that goal out of the water,” Middleton co-coach Kelly Julian said.

Boy, did she ever.

At the WIAA Division 1 state meet held at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids last Saturday, Chellevold led for most of the race. Down the stretch, though, Muskego sophomore Ella Anschutz surged to the lead and took control, and Chellevold settled for second.

Anschutz finished the 5,000-meter run in 18 minutes, 0.3 seconds, while Chellevold finished second in 18:15.2. Mackenzie Babcock of Monona Grove was third in 18:27.3.

Thu
02
Nov
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MHS swimmers win Big 8

Another year, another Big Eight Conference title.

This one was far tougher to achieve than the rest, though.

Middleton’s girls swimming and diving team won the league title last Saturday with 653 points and edged runner-up Verona (620). Madison West (404), Madison Memorial (265) and Sun Prairie West (132) rounded out the top five.

“We were very excited to win another conference championship this year,” Middleton coach R.J. Leiferman said. “It was one of the closest conference meets we have had in years, but our girls handled the pressure really well.”

A big reason for Middleton’s victory was it captured two of the three relays and all of its ‘B’ relays placed fourth, or higher.

The Cardinals’ 400-yard freestyle relay team of Audrey Alexander, Piper Garcia Hall, Brynn Sundell and Tait Haag was first, while the foursome of Isabell Frommelt, Clara Kiehl, Irene Lee and Lily Mair was fourth.

Wed
25
Oct
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Middleton excited for rematch with Verona

Seven weeks ago, Middleton’s football team was punched in the nose.

Visiting Verona came to town, spoiled a night in which the Borden Athletic Complex was unveiled to the entire community, and defeated the Cardinals, 28-21.

Afterwards, Middleton co-interim coach Tim Simon issued a challenge to his team.

“The thing for our kids to understand is now we find out if we’re a mentally tough team,” Simon said that night. “Anybody can be mentally tough when you’re winning by a couple touchdowns. So we’ve got to hang together.”

Middleton has done just that. And now the Cardinals get a chance at revenge.

Middleton, the No. 3 seed in its bracket, travels to second-seeded Verona for a WIAA Division 1 second round playoff game Friday at 7 p.m. It’s a battle of the Big Eight Conference’s two premier programs and a pair of teams that don’t care for each other.

Wed
25
Oct
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Sterling silver for tennis Cards

MADISON — The long wait was over. All the hard work — the lessons, the practices, the workouts — were in the rearview mirror.

Middleton’s girls tennis team — the ones who were on the team a year ago, anyway — made it back to the finals of the WIAA Division 1 team state tournament last Saturday afternoon and got their chance at redemption against the team that prevented them from winning gold in 2022.

They got their chance at Hartland Arrowhead, the reigning champion. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, though, the result was the same.

Silver.

Top singles player Netra Somasundaram and No. 4 singles player Rishika Kommuri both won in straight sets, but the Cardinals were unable to take any of the other flights, suffering a 5-2 loss to the Warhawks at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

It wasn’t the outcome the Cardinals wanted, obviously. But they weren’t hanging their heads afterward.

Wed
25
Oct
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Boys XC team heads back to state

DEFOREST — It was a nerve-wracking, cooling down period as the Middleton boys’ cross country team awaited its fate at the Don Batty Cross Country Course last Saturday morning.

But as the adage goes, good things happen to those who wait.

There was a collective sigh of relief and a boisterous round of applause from the Cardinals faithful after Middleton learned it had qualified for the WIAA Division 1 state meet for an impressive 11th year in a row with a second-place finish.

“The biggest thing is one more week with the guys,” said junior Jack Johnson, was finished 12th overall for the Cardinals. “We were planning to go to state if we won or not. We’ve been really bonding for the last couple of weeks, really getting close. We had a great time at dinner last night. We’ve gotten really, really close as a team. That’s what I like.”

Wed
25
Oct
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Chellevold puts on a show at sectionals

DEFOREST — The plan for Middleton sophomore Olivia Chellevold was two-fold last Saturday: put herself in position to contend for an individual sectional title and lead the Cardinals to a return trip to the WIAA Division 1 state cross country championship meet.

Chellevold made it look easy in cruising to the DeForest sectional individual championship to earn her second straight trip to the state meet at the Ridge Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.

But unlike a year ago, when the Cardinals advanced to state as a team and placed sixth, Middleton came up short, placing fifth at the 12-team sectional meet with 118 points.

“It was a really fun race,” Chellevold said after she completed the 5,000-meter course in 18 minutes, 18.78 seconds. “I just tried to put it all out there for my team. We were hoping to make it to state as a team, but we didn’t quite make that goal. But we really did well today.”

Wed
25
Oct
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Soccer Cardinals win regional title

“Two down, four to go.”

That’s how Middleton boys soccer coach Kevin Pauls described the opening weekend of postseason play in which his Cardinals captured a regional title.

Middleton, the No. 2 seed in its sectional, defeated 15th-seeded Madison La Follette, 2-0, in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Oct. 17. The Cardinals then edged seventh-seeded Waunakee, 1-0, in a regional final last Saturday.

Middleton advanced to the sectional semifinals, where it will host surprising 14th-seeded Sussex Hamilton Thursday at 7 p.m. The Chargers upset third-seeded Sun Prairie West and sixth-seeded Oregon to win a regional title of their own.

If Middleton defeats Hamilton, it would face the winner of top-seeded Arrowhead and fourth-seeded Verona in a sectional final Saturday at 1 p.m. at Madison Memorial’s Mansfield Stadium.

The state tournament then takes place Nov. 3-4 at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.

Wed
25
Oct
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Middleton spikers KO Marquette

The Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association closed its doors on June 30, 2000. Later that fall, all member schools joined the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

In the 23 years since, Marquette’s boys volleyball team has been a dominant force, winning 10 state championships and finishing second three times.

So after fifth-ranked Middleton downed No. 3 Marquette, 25-23, 25-21, 25-20, on Oct. 18, it’s easy to see why the Cardinals were incredibly optimistic about what the next two weeks could bring.

Middleton opened the playoffs Tuesday with a home match against Madison Edgewood. And the Cardinals’ win over the mighty Hilltoppers left them believing big things were possible this postseason.

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