November 2021

There was plenty of good, like a hat trick from sophomore Vince Kalscheur and rallying from a 3-1 deficit.

There was choppy, disjointed play — which was to be expected after a lost 2020-21 campaign.

And there was disappointment for Middleton’s hockey team following a 4-3 overtime loss at Waunakee last Saturday night.

Still, the Cardinals walked away from their season-opener feeling awfully good about where their year could be headed.

“We definitely have some areas to clean up, but I was very proud of our guys for not giving up, coming back and sending it into overtime,” said Middleton coach Dan Truehl. “There’s a lot to like about this team and early tests like this will only make us better later in the season.”

That’s for sure.

The Cardinals trailed, 2-0, after the first period. Kalscheur then scored a shorthanded goal just 1:57 into the second period on assists from Ryan Carr and Ryan Inman to pull Middleton within 2-1.

They didn't have any individual winners.

Their highest finish in any event was fourth place.

Instead, what Middleton’s girls swimming and diving team showed the rest of the state was depth matters.

The Cardinals swam to a third place team finish at the WIAA Division 1 state meet held at Waukesha South High School last Saturday.

Brookfield East won its third straight state title with 304.5 points. Arrowhead was second with 264.0, while Middleton (193.0), Waukesha West/Catholic Memorial (163.0) and Germantown (149.0) rounded out the top five.

This marked the sixth time in seven years Middleton finished in the top-three at state. The Cardinals also have three state titles and two runner-up finishes in that time.

“Our girls did a fantastic job,” Middleton first-year R.J. Leiferman said. “Most of our girls moved up from where they were seeded going into the meet. It was a real team effort.”

Boy, was it ever.

Middleton’s boys soccer team had six players named to the all-Big Eight Conference team.

Junior midfielder Dom Campos and senior defender Noah Corrigan were named first-team all-conference.

Senior forward Chris Vanden Boom was named second-team all-conference, while senior forward Tim Browning, junior forward Finn Patenaude and senior keeper Mack Meyers were all named honorable-mention all-conference.

“I was very proud of this team with what they’ve had to put up with go and go through over the last 18 months,” Middleton coach Kevin Pauls said. “From hearing they don’t have a season in August 2020, to playing last season in the spring in masks and playing an almost normal season this year. And of course losing some of their best friends, they made it through a lot. This group of seniors has leaders and has a lot of talent on the field.”