Sports

Middleton’s hockey team had a rough week, losing all three of its games.

The Cardinals fell to Madison Edgewood, 2-1, last Thursday, in overtime.

Middleton lost to Milwaukee Marquette, 4-3, last Saturday and dropped a 4-2 decision to Fond du Lac on Sunday.

Middleton, which went through a coaching change on Jan. 17, fell to 7-9-2 on the season. Interim head coach Steffon Walby, whose record fell to 1-3-1, didn't return messages for this story.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ three games:

• Madison Edgewood 2, Middleton 1 (OT) — The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third period when senior forward Jordan Carey scored on an assist from sophomore defender Davis Bunz.

But the Crusaders got the equalizer with just 1:04 left in regulation, then won it in the extra period.

Middleton goalie Zach Kasdorf had 28 saves. The Cardinals finished with just 17 shots on goal.

This was not the way anyone figured it would end.

Not the conclusion that anybody saw coming. 

Tony Libert and his brother Steve, co-head coaches of Middleton’s hockey team for nearly 21 years, were forced to resign last week.

Tony Libert was at the center of a locker room incident during a game against Madison Memorial on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Steve Libert didn’t enter the locker room until the majority of Tony’s exploits had ended, but he also paid the price.

Both men were given the option to resign or be fired on Friday — and each chose to resign.

The Liberts leave behind a program they built from ground zero starting in 1993-’94. In the time since, Middleton has reached the WIAA state tournament three times, and become a model of consistency in both their play and professionalism.

Steffon Walby, a former player and coach in five different minor professional leagues, was named the interim coach.

One of the last places Steffon Walby expected to be this winter was behind the bench of Middleton’s varsity hockey program.

But Walby hopes to calm down a chaotic situation and make the best of a rough time.

Walby was named the interim head coach of Middleton’s hockey team last week. Steve and Tony Libert, Middleton’s former co-coaches, were forced to resign following a locker room incident on Jan. 14.

“I think chaotic is a very good word for what’s been going on,” Walby said. “There’s a lot of emotions for the kids, for the parents, for the community up and down.

“We’re there to enforce the Middleton hockey community, which has always supported the high school team. Just help them continue to be the best they can be.”

Walby, 41, spent much of his youth playing hockey leagues in Middleton. He later attended Madison Edgewood, where he graduated in 1990.

Word spread like wildfire.

That’s what happens inside programs that are as tightly knit as Middleton hockey is.

And as former players heard that Cardinals’ co-coaches Steve and Tony Libert were forced to resign last week, the overriding feeling was sadness.

“I honestly thought of them as coaches that always had the best intentions, not only in caring about us as hockey players, but as people, too,” said Skyler Rusch, a former Cardinals standout and 2008 MHS graduate. “Steve and Tony would take time off from work to coach the team and do things like host optional video sessions on Sunday’s, instead of spending time with family. 

“I would consider their dedication to the program to be extremely high, above and beyond what any other coaches had ever done for my teams.”

Eric Smith, a former standout goalie who helped Middleton reach the state championship game in 2011, agreed with Rusch.

Their starts certainly weren’t ideal.

Their finishes, though, more than made up for it.

Middleton’s girls basketball team struggled out of the gates twice last week. But the Cardinals rallied both times to stay undefeated in Big Eight Conference play.

Middleton surged past Madison Memorial, 55-51, last Thursday and defeated Beloit Memorial, 73-57, last Saturday.

“I was not pleased with our focus and intensity to start either game,” Middleton head coach Jeff Kind said. “Memorial and Beloit both played inspired and aggressively and gained confidence as they stayed with us.  

“We didn't shoot particularly well in either game and we have to be careful about just falling in love with the threes. We settle for a three too quickly sometimes and don't give the offense a chance to work. We are happy to have won the games and hopefully are learning from them, but we still have lots to work on.” 

For a split second it looked like the Middleton boys’ basketball team had just the chance it was looking for.

Then, just like that, it was ripped away.

The Cardinals trailed by three points with under a minute remaining in their game against rival Madison Memorial when Demond Hill drove into the lane, scored and drew contact for a potential three-point play.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Hill was called for a charge and the basket was waived off. The Spartans went 4-for-4 from the free throw line the rest of the way and held on for a 55-50 Big Eight Conference victory over Middleton in front of a packed house last Friday at Madison Memorial.

“That was just excitement,” Hill said of the play. “My body just went crazy … count it and one. Could have tied the game and it was a different situation. Last second … that hurt. We played hard.”

One of these days, Middleton’s girls gymnastics team might get fully healthy.

And when they do, Cardinals head coach Kari Steck can’t wait to see what her team can do.

Middleton had another adventurous week, welcoming back standout Aryn Skibba from injury for the first time this year. The Cardinals then lost senior captain Gabby Aranda to a knee injury, while junior Lauren Ace sprained her thumb and was limited.

Despite the injuries, the Cardinals hung tough.

Middleton edged Janesville Craig, 130.650-130.375 in a Big Eight Conference dual meet last Thursday. The Cardinals then finished fourth at the four-team Madison East Invite last Saturday.

Many of the top swimming programs in the area gathered Saturday for the Middleton Relays.

And the Cardinals more than held their own, finishing in third place at the 12-team event.

Madison Memorial won the meet with 197 points, while Madison West (167), Middleton (155), McFarland (135) and Verona/Mount Horeb (133) rounded out the top five.

“The Cardinal invite went well and is a great meet for the boys to have fun while racing hard,” Middleton coach Luke Lengfeld said. “Individually we had several big swims on relays which is great to see.”

Middleton had six third place finishes among the 10 events.

The Cardinals’ top finish came in the 300 yard fly, where Harrison Bielski, Derek Pettit, Luke Delany and Lex Peterson finished second (2:44.35).

Middleton boys basketball coach Kevin Bavery challenged Max Oelerich.

And the Cardinals’ senior forward delivered.

Oelerich scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds on Tuesday night to power Middleton past Madison La Follette, 57-55.

“We challenged him to get back to his strength, which is the mid-range game and offensive rebounding,” Bavery said of Oelerich. “It was great to see and much needed.” 

The Cardinals won for the fourth time in five games, improved to 7-5 overall and 5-5 in the Big Eight Conference. It marked the first time Middleton has reached .500 in the conference since Dec. 3.

La Follette slipped to 4-6, 6-7.

Middleton senior guard Derek Rongstad added 10 points, while freshman guard C.J. Fermanich and senior forward Demond Hill both scored eight points. Senior guard Luke Schafer and senior forward Derek Rogeberg added to the Cardinals’ balanced scoring with seven points each.

Darby Raffel joined Middleton’s varsity basketball team late in the year two seasons ago.

Raffel, now a senior, remembers being blown away by those Cardinals — a group that eventually reached the state semifinals.

Today, Raffel is starting to get similar feelings about this Middleton team.

“I definitely see a lot of the same characteristics in our team,” Raffel said. “And that gets me really excited.”

Right now, there’s a lot to be excited about.

Middleton cruised past Madison La Follette last Friday, 62-44. One year ago, the Lancers defeated the Cardinals in three straight meetings, and toppled Middleton in the WIAA regional finals.

The Cardinals exacted some revenge Friday night, and maintained their hold on first place in the Big Eight Conference. Middleton improved to 8-0 in the conference and 10-2 overall, and stayed one game ahead of second place Verona (7-1, 11-1).