Sports

Henry Johnson understands he’s walking into what could be a historic situation.

Johnson is Middleton’s first year boys tennis coach. And the Cardinals have never won a WIAA Division 1 state championship.

But if things go according to plan, Johnson and the Cardinals could be hoisting a gold ball in June for the first time ever.

Middleton returns six players from last year’s team that reached the state semifinals. And many believe the Cardinals will be the team to beat this spring.

“This team can certainly make a run at the state trophy this season,” Johnson said. “We just can't let the hype around that overtake our discipline and identity.”

Johnson grew up in Fairfield, Ct., where he was a four-year standout at Fairfield Warde High School and an all-state performer as a senior. He played collegiately at Grinnell (Iowa) College and began coaching in the summers during that time.

Middleton High School is back to square one in its search for a new head football coach.

Brian Hellenbrand, the defensive coordinator at McFarland High School and a 2005 MHS graduate, was offered the position on March 24. After taking the weekend to think about the offer, Hellenbrand declined the position on March 28.

“It's disappointing,” Middleton athletic director Jamie Sims said Thursday. “We thought it was a done deal.”

Hellenbrand and Greg Spahn — the head coach at Grand Rapids (Minn.) High School — emerged as the top two candidates from a pool of 18 applicants.

The two finalists met with Sims, assistant A.D. Brad Crandall and principal Peg Shoemaker on March 22 and Hellenbrand was offered the job two days later.

Hellenbrand has never been a head coach, but has been an assistant coach in the Madison-area since 2012. Before that, he spent a year as a student coach at UW-La Crosse.

Editor's Note: The following is an opinion piece by News Publishing Co. Sports Editor Rob Reischel

Everywhere I went this winter, I noticed it.

Bob Suter Court at Janesville Craig.

Craig Haase Court over at Hartland Arrowhead.

Even Ab Nicholas Court at the UW Kohl Center.

In many gyms across the state, the court is named after a great coach — or someone integral in getting that facility built.

Middleton High School’s court isn’t named after anybody. But it should be.

Middleton senior point guard Gavyn Hurley was named first-team all-state by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association in Division 1.

Hurley was named the Big Eight Conference’s Player of the Year for a second straight season, as was also named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Hurley became the first player since Sun Prairie’s Nick Fuller (2012-2013) to win back-to-back Player of the Year honors.

“Not only was he first team, but he was the Player of the Year again,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said of Hurley. “And that’s not anything you take lightly.

“He’s better in all phases of the game than he was last year. He’s arguably the best player I’ve ever coached — right up there with three or four other people. The league saw Gavyn that way. He clearly earned it.”

Pitching.

Hitting.

Experience.

Incoming talent.

On paper, Middleton’s softball team has it all.

Of course, games are played on the diamond. But when that happens, Middleton coach Brittany Carl expects her Cardinals to have a terrific year.

“This team is hungry,” said Carl, whose team begins its new season Thursday against Madison Memorial. “We have a fantastic mix of talent and personalities that really gels well together.

“We return so many (players) from last season that have markedly improved — that have grown both as individuals and as a unit. I can’t wait to see what this particular group can accomplish together in 2023.”

Kevin Bavery’s datebook read: “March 18: State title game — UW Kohl Center.”

And for most of the winter, it looked like Bavery and his Middleton’s boys basketball team would keep that commitment.

The Cardinals enjoyed a brilliant season that saw them set school records for wins (25), winning percentage (.926) and climb as high as No. 2 in the state rankings.

Instead of chasing a gold ball, though, last Saturday night, Bavery was on his treadmill watching DePere and Hartland Arrowhead compete for a state championship. And Bavery admitted it wasn’t easy.

“The hardest part of any season is simply when it ends,” said Bavery, whose team fell in the sectional semifinals to Milwaukee Hamilton. “And for basketball there is only one team in each division that doesn't have that happen with a loss.

The best team in the Big Eight Conference didn’t have the most first-team all-league players.

And they didn't have the most overall all-conference players, as you might expect.

But Middleton boys basketball coach Kevin Bavery did his best not to bemoan those facts.

“Some other coaches saw things a different way,” Bavery said. “That’s their prerogative.”

Despite some perceived snubs, Middleton did land three players on the all-Big Eight team.

Senior guard Gavyn Hurley was named first-team all-conference and was voted the Big Eight’s Player of the Year for a second straight season.

Sophomore center Will Garlock was named second-team all-league and senior wing Kaden Fosdick was named honorable-mention all-Big Eight. In addition, Bavery was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

Middleton’s track teams opened their seasons Saturday at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.

Middleton’s boys finished in fifth place out of 21 teams and the Cardinals’ girls were seventh out of 20 teams.

Mukwonago won the boys title with 73 points, while Oconomowoc (69), Sussex Hamilton (46.5), Brookfield East (45) and Middleton (32) rounded out the top five.

Mukwonago’s girls were also first with 88 points. Middleton’s girls finished with 25 points.

On the boys’ side, Middleton’s top finishes included:

• Junior Will Whiteis won the 3,200-meter run in 9 minutes, 47.79 seconds.

• Senior Finn Patenaude was second in the 55-meter hurdles (7.88 seconds).

• Senior Harper Fahey was second in the 1,600-meter run (4:35.49) and senior Dean Montour was third in the same event (4:35.64).

• Senior Cam Swapsy was sixth in the 400-meter run (55.10 seconds).

• Junior K.J. Peterson was sixth in the shot put (47-7).

And then there were two.

Middleton High School has narrowed its search for a new football coach to two individuals.

Those men are scheduled to meet with athletic director Jamie Sims, assistant A.D. Brad Crandall and principal Peg Shoemaker on March 22.

Sims said he was hopeful the panel would have a decision shortly thereafter.

Former Middleton coach Jason Pertzborn resigned in late-January in the wake of a bullying scandal inside his program. Pertzborn, a business education teacher at MHS, also stepped down from that position.

The Middleton football position was posted last month and Sims said there were 17 applicants. Of those, six were selected to meet with a 14-person panel on March 13.

That panel included Sims, Crandall, a handful of current players and assistant coaches on Middleton’s football team, as well as two non-football coaches at MHS.

SUN PRAIRIE — Kevin Bavery, never short of words, couldn’t find the right ones this time around.

Stunned. Shocked. Shaken. Surprised.

They would have all been applicable last Thursday night.

Middleton’s boys basketball team, which enjoyed one of the finest years in school history,  saw their dream season die.

In a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal, sixth-seeded Milwaukee Hamilton outscored Middleton, 24-0, from 3-point land and had more key stops than the second-seeded Cardinals. The result was the underdog Wildcats edged Middleton, 64-61, in a game played at Sun Prairie East High School.

“It was going to end at some point,” said Bavery, Middleton’s veteran coach. “We just didn’t think it was going to be tonight. We felt good. We felt ready.”