Middleton golfers poised for memorable year
Tom Cabalka knows the ranking means nothing.
His golfers understand, as well.
Middleton’s boys golfers were ranked No. 1 in the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin preseason poll. While that kind of news might send a buzz through many programs, the Cardinals took notice, smiled for a second, then kept grinding.
“By having a high ranking, I hope this means that our boys realize that they need to work and practice with a meaning and play intelligently if they want to live up to the hype,” said Cabalka, Middleton’s veteran coach. “I have not heard any talk about the ranking because they know I don't take much stock in the early season. It matters in June. I think they realize that as well.”
The Cardinals finished third at last year’s WIAA Division 1 state meet and bring back four of their top five players from that team. Of course, the one player Middleton did lose — Jacob Beckman — won the individual state title and is now golfing at the University of Wisconsin.
Still, the Cardinals have depth and experience that are definitely on Middleton’s side. The Cardinals have 14 of their top 16 golfers back from last season and have a remarkable 65 players in the program.
“I would not be telling the truth if I said that I do not have high expectations of this group,” Cabalka said. “We were right there with the best at state last year. If our players practice every day with meaning and purpose, I believe that we should be very competitive in June.”
Leading the way for the Cardinals will be senior Alec Sosnowski, who was named first-team all-Big Eight Conference and third-team all-state last season. Sosnowski, a UW-Eau Claire recruit, averaged 77.18 last season, then finished 21st individually at state.
“Alec had a great summer playing in many events,” Cabalka said. “It will certainly be tough to replace a player like Jacob Beckman, a great leader and a wonderful young man. I believe that Alec learned a great deal last year from Jacob about leadership and how to manage his game.”
Sophomore Dain Johnson, who was named first-team all-conference and honorable-mention all-state last year, will play No. 2 in the lineup. Johnson averaged 79.0 last year and seems poised to take a major jump this spring.
“Dain is a long hitter and has the total game,” Cabalka said. “I believe that he certainly will be a player to watch, and with another year of experience and learning how to score, he should have a great season.”
Junior Drew Sjowall and sophomore Charlie Jambor both averaged 83.0 last year and should take a step up this year.
“Drew has so much talent,” Cabalka said. “Drew hits a very long ball and with another year of maturing his average should go lower. If Drew learns how to limit his bad swings on the course, he should be a player to make an impact.
“Charlie really came on strong towards the end of last season. He was a big reason for our late success in the tournament series. Charlie worked on some grip and swing changes early last season and the changes he made definitely changed his game.”
Juniors James Baker and Robby Warda both got some varsity experience last year and will battle for the No. 5 position.
“Both have good ability and could be solid players,” Cabalka said.
In addition, juniors Daniel Shulla and Micheal Jagoe could battle for a varsity spot.
Middleton and Madison Memorial — which started the year ranked No. 7 — appear to be the teams to beat in the Big Eight. Beloit Memorial could also be a sleeper.
“We had some good matches with (Madison Memorial) last season with both teams trading places,” Cabalka said. “There are always players in our conference that can vastly improve their team’s success.”
Madison Memorial, Waunakee, Holmen and Onalaska could pose problems in the postseason. But Cabalka & Co. have a lot of golf to play before then.
“I really don't worry or think about the other teams' talent,” Cabalka said. “We just have to focus on our game and not worry what other teams are doing on any given day.”
So far, that approach has worked like charm for Cabalka and the Cardinals.
Since Cabalka took over in 2007, the Cardinals have been to state 10 times. Middleton has nine top-five finishes in that time, including a state championship in 2011 and three runner-up finishes.
In addition, Middleton has produced three individual state champions under Cabalka: Mike Schilling in 2010, Emmet Herb in 2016 and Beckman in 2021.
Through it all, Cabalka’s love of the game only seems to get stronger.
“It seems that I am enjoying coaching as much as I ever have,” he said. “It's the kids that come back year after year that have worked hard at their game to continue the success that our program has had over the years. I also know that I can't coach forever, so I go out there every day appreciating the opportunity. If I did not have that attitude, I would be cheating our players.”
• Off and running: Middleton finished in a tie for second place at The Den at Fox Creek Invite held in Bloomington, Ill., on April 7-8. The tournament was shortened to 27 holes when snow arrived on the second day and limited the golfers to nine holes.
Homestead won the tournament with a 468-team score, while Middleton and Germantown tied with 479s. Sheboygan North (491) and Notre Dame Academy (492) rounded out the top-five at the nine-team event.
Alec Sosnowski led Middleton with a 116 that was good for seventh place individually. Sosnowski finished eight shots behind co-medalists Michael Addie of Sussex Hamilton and Luke Ladd of Germantown.
Middleton’s Dain Johnson finished ninth (118), James Baker was 10th (120) and Charlie Jambor was 17th (125).
