January 2023

There were times last summer that Will Comerford put the offense on his back for Middleton’s summer league team.

The Cardinals were operating without some of their key players — who were off with their AAU teams — and Comerford was asked to carry a greater load.

“There were nights he’d have 25, 26 points,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “There were nights he carried us.”

Middleton has the band back together today, but the Cardinals have discovered Comerford can be a go-to guy no matter who’s on the floor. The latest example came in Middleton’s 64-55 win over Madison La Follette on Jan. 10.

Comerford had 12 of his 15 points in the first half and helped Middleton build a 35-27 halftime lead. Gavyn Hurley had nine of his team-high 16 points after intermission and the Cardinals notched a big home win.

Two-week layoffs.

High level opponents.

None of it seems to slow down Middleton’s boys swimming team.

The Cardinals have tackled every challenge that’s come their way this season and last week was no different.

Middleton won the ultra-competitive, 22-team Marquette Invite on Saturday. The Cardinals also stayed atop the Big Eight Conference by winning the Verona triple dual last Friday.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ big week:

• Marquette Invitational: The Cardinals finished with 328 points and easily outdistanced runner-up Madison West (257.5) for the title. Mequon Homestead (234), Fenwick (Ill.) (232.5) and Brookfield’s co-op (190) rounded out the top-five.

“It was great to see so many of our swimmers post season-best times,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “That was our goal and we accomplished that and more. We had multiple first place finishes both in individual and relay events, as well.”

Middleton’s hockey team had a solid week, winning two of three games.

The Cardinals toppled Waukesha, 4-1, on Jan. 3 and defeated Beloit Memorial, 6-0, on Jan. 5. But Madison Memorial upended Middleton, 5-4, in overtime on Jan. 7.

The Cardinals are now 11-4 overall and tied for second in the Big Eight Conference with the Spartans at 5-2. Verona leads the league with a 7-1 conference record.

“We didn’t play much good hockey during any of the three games,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “We’re dealing with illnesses running through our locker room, which makes for a new lineup card every night, but we need to be more consistent.

“Our message to the team was that we need to use that Memorial loss as a wake-up call to get us back on track, and that’s what we plan to do this week.”

Here’s a recap of Middleton’s busy week:

STOUGHTON — Time and time again, Middleton tried to create some separation.

And Stoughton just kept nipping at the Cardinals' heels.

But in the end, the Cardinals — ranked third in the Division 1 boys basketball WisSports.net coaches poll — had just enough to escape and claim a 61-54, non-conference victory Saturday afternoon at Stoughton High School.

“They were shooting the lights out,” Gavin Hurley, Middleton's leading scorer coming into the contest (20.0 points per game), said of the Vikings weathering every blow his team landed in large part by connecting for 11 3-pointers. “They're good shooters, but they were making everything today.

“So we couldn't pull away, but we came away with the 'W' and that's all that matters.”