Sports

Emmet Herb has joked he’s 130 pounds — “dripping wet.”

But one of the smallest golfers in the state was also the best in 2016.

On Tuesday, the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin named Herb the boys state Player of the Year. Herb, who won the WIAA Division 1 individual state title earlier this month, was also named first-team all-state.

In addition, Middleton senior Joey Levin was named second-team all-state, while senior Brady Thomas was named honorable-mention all-state.

“That was pretty neat to hear,” Middleton coach Tom Cabalka said. “I was hoping he would be first team and I was fairly confident in that. But this was a great surprise. He was our little big man.”

Herb shot a remarkable 6-under-par at the state tournament and won that event by seven strokes. Herb’s 138 total was the third lowest in any division since the state tournament moved to University Ridge Golf Course in 1994.

GRAND CHUTE — It took Middleton’s baseball team exactly six minutes to discover that Tuesday just might not their day.

On only the eighth pitch of the game from Cardinals starter Alec Morrison, Green Bay Preble third baseman Ryan Dougherty sent a shot back up the middle. The ball struck Morrison in the right forehead, sent him to the ground and immediately ended his day.

While Morrison was eventually OK, the Cardinals weren’t.

Middleton managed just four hits, couldn’t overcome the loss of their ace and dropped a WIAA Division 1 quarterfinal game to Green Bay Preble, 4-2, at Fox Cities Stadium.

Middleton finished the year 22-6, while Preble improved to 24-5.

“That was a tough one to handle,” Schmitt said of Morrison’s injury. “Morry is kind of our heart and soul in the middle of the lineup and our No. 1 (pitcher).

Madison — One of many things that makes Emmet Herb one of the state’s elite golfers is his temperament.

It doesn’t seem to matter if Herb goes low — or high — his facial expressions, body language and mood rarely change.

But Tuesday evening, the typically calm and collected Herb turned to mush. Then again, he is human.

Herb walked off the 18^th green at University Ridge Golf Course as the WIAA Division 1 state champion. He was soon doused with water by his teammates. And when Herb saw his fellow seniors, the finality of it all set in and the tears began to flow.

“I just kind of realized that this was the end,” Herb said. “There’s a lot of memories with these guys.”

None better that the ones Herb made Monday and Tuesday.

Herb shot 6-under-par, 138, in the two-day tournament. Not only did Herb win the state title by seven shots, he posted the third-lowest score in state history.

Five days before the biggest golfing day of the year, Brady Thomas sat outside Pleasant View and said something that eventually looked prophetic.

“Survive and advance,” Thomas said. “That’s all we want to do. Survive and advance.”

It wasn’t easy, but that’s exactly what Middleton’s boys golf team did at the WIAA Division 1 Onalaska Sectional last Wednesday.

The Cardinals sat in fifth place halfway through the round, a nightmarish landing spot considering only the top two teams reach the state tournament.

But Middleton, ranked No. 2 in the state, picked it up on the back nine, jumped up to second place and earned a trip back to state.

Madison Memorial shot a 312 and won the eight-team sectional. Middleton was second at 314, while Oregon (323), Reedsburg (326) and Waunakee (329) rounded out the top five.

Andy Bernard, the insecure, quirky salesman from “The Office” once said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

Emmet Herb, Joey Levin and Brady Thomas — three senior standouts for Middleton’s boys golf team — seem wise beyond their years and fully understand this premise.

Sitting at a table overlooking beautiful Pleasant View Golf Course last week, the trio fondly recalls golfing together as juniors, nearly a decade ago. They all agree that when one has a girl problem, it becomes a team effort to solve the puzzle.

And they good-naturedly needle Herb for having one of the state’s most passionate and proud mothers in Annie.

“Four years with these guys. I mean, for me, that’s been awesome,” Levin said. “I’m just trying to take in every moment because every moment could be our last.”

And perhaps their best.

They call it the ‘Old Man’ trophy.

It features an elderly gentleman, leaning on his golf club, and it’s perched atop a trophy that goes to the winner of the Morgan Stanley Shootout.

More often than not, that ‘Old Man’ trophy has been housed in Middleton, and this year was no different.

The Cardinals fired a two-day total of 600 and won the Shootout that was held last Wednesday and Thursday at University Ridge Golf Course. Madison Edgewood was an extremely distant second with 626 at the 12-team tournament.

‘This is probably one of the best tournaments to win,” Middleton senior Brady Thomas said. “It’s at the state venue and it’s against some of the top teams in the area, so we all want to beat each other.”

Middleton has now won this event 14 of 25 years, and the Cardinals’ score of 600 was the third-lowest in tournament history.

The WIAA Division 1 softball seeding meetings are on May 18.

So every game — and every win — from here on out is vital for Middleton.

The Cardinals took a big step in the right direction last week, winning four of five games. Middleton improved to 13-6 overall and 9-5 in the Big Eight Conference.

With 14 teams in its sectional, Middleton will be hoping for a top-four seed, which would give the Cardinals two home games.

“There are a lot of good teams in the sectional again this year, and if you aren’t playing well you certainly can get beat,” Middleton coach Perry Hibner said. “We want to make sure we are playing our best softball of the season over these next few weeks.”

Read the full story in this week's Middleton Times-Tribune, available on newstands now.

There’s a logjam at the top.

And Middleton’s baseball team hopes to emerge from the gridlock unscathed.

With two weeks remaining, Middleton, Sun Prairie and Janesville Craig are tied for the Big Eight Conference lead with 10-2 records. Middleton travels to Sun Prairie Thursday at 5 p.m. in a game certain to start separating the leaders.

Middleton held a one-game lead in the conference at the beginning of last week. But in between a pair of wins, the Cardinals dropped a game to Verona, which created the three-way tie atop the conference.

Read the full story in this week's Middleton Times-Tribune, available on newstands now.

HARTLAND — It doesn’t seem to matter what course you put Middleton’s boys golf team on these days.

It doesn’t matter what city you drop these Cardinals in.

The results have been the same — and they’ve been downright spectacular.

Middleton won three major invitationals in the past week and also won a Big Eight Conference triangular.

The Cardinals notched arguably their biggest win of the season Tuesday, when they finished first at The Legends Club Invitational held at The Legend at Bristlecone.

Middleton shot a 304 team score and edged defending state champion Hartland Arrowhead, which shot 307. Marquette was third at 313, while Madison Edgewood (319) and Green Bay Notre Dame (324) rounded out the top five at the 18-team event.

The big week helped Middleton jump to No. 1 in the latest Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin poll.

Twelve months ago, an effort like this would have never been good enough.

But this isn’t your 2015 Middleton baseball team.

Not even close.

The Cardinals toppled Madison West, 5-3, last Thursday in an effort they all agreed was far from their best. But that’s the difference between Middleton today and last spring.

A year ago, the young and inexperienced Cardinals had to be at their best each time out. That didn’t happen enough as Middleton went 10-16 overall.

Today, Middleton has been sharp almost every time out, as its 8-1 record will attest. But even on a day like last Thursday, when the Cardinals were just mediocre, they still knocked off the Regents.

“Last year we would have gotten creamed in a game like this,” said Middleton ace Alec Morrison. “Now, we’re pulling off wins.”

They sure are.