Sports

Middleton boys volleyball coach Ben White has seen a lot of volleyball.

That’s what two decades of coaching — and more than 400 wins — will get you.

Last Saturday, though, White experienced a level of dominance he’s rarely seen from one of his own players.

Middleton senior outside hitter Parker Van Buren put on the show of all shows and led the Cardinals to the championship at the Wauwatosa East Invite. In Middleton’s 29-27, 25-23 win over Waukesha West in the title match, Van Buren had a whopping 25 kills, three blocks and one ace.

Van Buren’s heroics helped Middleton emerge from a star-studded field and win the tournament for a third straight year.

“Only once before have I seen a performance like that and that was with James Caldwell about five years ago,” White said. “The thing with this performance by Parker though was the efficiency.

The Arrowhead Invite traditionally features many of the state’s top cross country teams.

This year was no different, as six of the state’s top-13 teams were in attendance.

So it bodes extremely well for Middleton that it cruised to the championship of the star-studded event last Thursday.

The Cardinals finished with 50 points, well ahead of runner-up Arrowhead (85). Oconomowoc (129), Brookfield East (142) and Germantown (146) rounded out the top-five at the 16-team invite.

“I was pleased with the effort the boys gave,” Middleton coach Brian Finnel said. “We all were excited to win such a big invite, especially with so many ranked teams there.

“Out of the four years we have gone to this invite, I think this was our lowest score and perhaps against the best depth this meet has offered. I’m excited for their next race.”

Senior Roman Ystenes led Middleton with a sixth place finish, completing the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 10 seconds.

In the long and storied history of Middleton’s girls cross country program, no one had ever broken the 18-minute barrier in a 5,000-meter race.

That all changed, though, last Thursday.

Cardinals sophomore standout Lauren Pansegrau set a new school record with a time of 17:57 and won the Hartland Arrowhead Invite. Pansegrau’s big day helped Middleton finish second at the 20-team invite.

“Lauren simply took charge from the start and never looked back,” said Middleton coach Brian Finnel, who is filling in while Alexa Richardson is on maternity leave.

Samantha Valentine set the school record of 18:03 back in 2015. Pansegrau topped that and rolled over one of the top fields she’ll face all season.

Pansegrau won by 1 minute, 8 seconds over runner-up Bridget Flannery of Whitefish Bay.

“She won by well over a minute, a rarity given the size of this meet,” Finnel said.

Pansegrau wasn’t the only one to have a big day.

Middleton senior captain Sam Engler sensed the importance of the moment and put his leadership skills on full display Friday night.

With 6 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in his team’s Big Eight Conference football game against Madison Memorial, Engler and the Cardinals offense took the field, trailing 14-11, and eyeing a drive that could have completed a comeback that just earlier seemed as unlikely as the Friday the 13^th Full Harvest Moon looming over Mansfield Stadium.  

Engler, a 6-foot-3 tight end, entered the huddle, tapping his teammates on their helmets, offering encouragement and doing everything in his power to unite them.

“Just trying to keep those guys heads’ up,” Engler said. “They all knew what they could do — drive down the field. It was just frustrating when it all fell apart.”

The victory was impressive. And Middleton’s girls golf team certainly took a minute to bask in its exciting achievement.

But the Cardinals also understand the big picture. And that’s what Monday was all about.

Middleton won the 10th annual Crusade Fore a Cure tournament held at Maple Bluff Country Club. The event helps raise funds to support Women’s Health and the UW Carbone Cancer Center.

Middleton was playing for Rae Miles, the late mother of former MHS standout Morgan Miles. Rae died in June after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Madison Edgewood coach Peggy Gierhart, who organizes the event, said more than $100,000 had been raised in the last 10 years. Approximately $19,000 was raised this year, including $9,400 by Edgewood and $2,650 by Middleton.

After home games at Otto Breitenbach Stadium, most of Middleton’s football team heads down University Avenue to Middleton Sport Bowl to relax, chill, gobble down pizza and scroll through their social media feeds.

After giving up a program-record 61 points in a setback to rival Verona two weeks ago, senior defensive lineman Jake Wuebben and his friends were a little shell-shocked — as if a 61-35 drubbing wasn’t bad enough — when a tweet rolled through that they had just surrendered 734 yards in a program record for futility.

“I was sick in the stomach until Monday when we got back onto the field,” Wuebben said. “After that we just needed to get better and we did. We worked hard in practice and got a lot better.”

The Cardinals did get better — and we’re assuming the pizza tasted better, too — after they defeated visiting Madison West 23-12 in a Big Eight Conference game last Friday.

Many of the state’s top teams — and runners — were at the Verona Invite last Saturday.

So as Alexa Richardson and her band of Middleton runners headed home after the meet, they felt extremely good about the season that awaits.

Middleton finished third overall at the 23-team invite. Madison West won the meet with 64 points, while Onalaska (65), Middleton (81), New Lenox (Ill.) Lincoln-Way Central (140) and Madison Memorial (144) rounded out the top five.

“We were pleased with third place,” Richardson said. “There was a lot of good competition at this invitational this year. In my opinion, at least four of the top seven teams in the state were there, so third place was a great start.”

Middleton sophomore Lauren Pansegrau finished third individually, completing the 5,000-meter race in 18 minutes, 39.8 seconds.

Middleton’s girls swimming and diving coach Lauren Cabalka tried to spin a negative into a positive.

She did her best to turn disappointment into opportunity.

But there’s no doubt, this one stung.

The Cardinals fell to Madison West, 89-81, in a dual meet last Friday night. That marked the first time in seven years that Middleton has lost a Big Eight Conference dual meet.

“Look, this was bound to happen at some point and it’s probably a good thing that it happened now,” Cabalka said. “The girls came back and crushed their practice on Saturday morning and I know they will have a new mindset moving forward. I have seen this team work through adversity many times — and they always, always come out stronger because of it.”

Middleton, which has won three straight WIAA Division 1 state championships, faced plenty of adversity from the upstart Regents.

West finished first in six of the 11 events and was also second in seven of the 11 races.

Middleton played its first football game in 1919 and went 0-2-1 that season.

In the 100 years since, the Cardinals have seen more good than bad, highlighted by a pair of state championships in the 1980s and a current run of 23 straight playoff appearances.

Last Friday, though, was one of the most humbling nights in program history.

Verona came to Otto Breitenbach Stadium and routed the host Cardinals, 61-35.

The 61 points is believed to be the most ever allowed by a Middleton team. In addition, Verona chalked up 734 yards of total offense, which is also believed to be the most the Cardinals have ever allowed.

The Wildcats improved to 2-0 overall and in the Big Eight Conference, while Middleton fell to 1-1, 1-1.

“Our defense my senior year gave up 35 points on the whole year,” said Middleton first-year coach Jason Pertzborn, who graduated from MHS in 1989. “This was ridiculous.”

The Meadow Valleys course at Blackwolf Run was listed at No. 57 in Golf Digest’s ranking of America’s Greatest Public Golf Courses in 2019.

Last Wednesday, Middleton’s girls golf team was able to play one of the country’s top courses — and excel on it.

On a wild, windy day, Middleton posted a 355-team score and won the 15-team Blackwolf Run Invite. Bay Port was second at 357, while Brookfield Central (359), Sheboygan (365) and DePere (373) rounded out the top five.

One result of the win is Middleton jumped to No. 1 in the latest Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin poll. The Cardinals moved from No. 2 to No. 1, followed by Brookfield Central, Kettle Moraine, Arrowhead, Bay Port, Waunakee, Cedarburg, Sheboygan North/South, Green Bay Notre Dame and Milton.

“We are so happy to come away with the win,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “The course provides so many challenges to young female golfers.”