September 2015

All season long, Middleton boys volleyball coach Ben White has talked about climbing rungs of a ladder.

White knows it won’t be easy. And the Cardinals will most likely take small steps rather than gigantic leaps.

But Middleton certainly made a move up the ladder last Saturday, when it finished second at the Wauwatosa East Invite.

“We are nowhere near the top, but we are still remembering to climb one step at a time,” White said. “We aren’t even worried about how tall the ladder is, we just know that at some point we have to reach the top and when we get there we can look down and reflect on our accomplishments. But not yet.”

Middleton’s performance at Wauwatosa East was certainly a terrific accomplishment.

From his fourth generation family farm, American Provenance founder Kyle LaFond ambitiously formulates his unique line of all-natural men’s personal care products.

His inspiration is his grandfather, who was a hardworking traditional Wisconsin dairy farmer. His grandfather loved being on the farm and had a deep appreciation for nature. LaFond describes him as a person who always looked and smelled wonderful.

“He was one of those guys who I remember had a jar of pomade and I think it lasted his entire life,” LaFond, a Middleton High School graduate, said with a smile. “It was just always there.”

All season long, players and coaches talk about getting better every day, every week, every game.

Well, Middleton’s football team has been putting that talk into action after perhaps its best all-around performance of the season.

Middleton excelled in all phases of the game in an impressive 45-13 rout over rival Sun Prairie in a Big Eight Conference game last Friday. 

“It’s a great team effort,” Middleton coach Tim Simon said. “Offense, defense, and special teams all did great tonight and I think there were a couple times where things could have gone south for us. We gave them the ball back in good field position and our defense stepped up huge and held ground. The offense did a good job of moving the ball, moving the chains, and, obviously, getting some good scores in.”

Senior defensive back Griffin Gussel agreed.

“We had a lot of fire, a lot of aggressiveness, we were flying around,” Gussel said. “It was a great game.”

Many of the state’s most gifted and talented golfers came to Pleasant View Golf Course Saturday for the star-studded Cardinal Invite.

And Middleton sent them all home somewhat disappointed.

The Cardinals shot a 322-team score and won the 23-team tournament. Brookfield Central and Verona tied for second at 323, while Milton was fourth (328) and Franklin was fifth (344).

“We had taken second place the last two years so we really wanted it,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “I was really proud of the girls and how focused and calm they were all day.”

Cardinals senior Loren Skibba, the WIAA’s defending state champion in Division 1, tied for second with a 1-over-par 73. Junior Alexis Thomas shot a 77 and tied for sixth place.

Payton Hodson shot a career best 85, highlighted by a chip-in birdie on the fifth hole of The Woods course. And Morgan Narowetz shot an 87.