Sports

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.”

Ken Burghy is a Middleton legend.

He’s one of the top soccer coaches in state history.

He’s arguably the best coach — regardless of sport — in the history of MHS.

So it’s only fitting — and perhaps overdue — that Firefighter’s Park Soccer Stadium will soon be named Burghy Soccer Stadium.

The idea was formed by a handful of MHS soccer coaches and community members and presented to athletic director Jamie Sims earlier this year. Sims then took the idea to the Middleton-Cross Plains School Board, and they approved the move at a recent meeting.

“This is in honor of all coaches and student-athletes who have taught and played as members of the Middleton Cardinal Soccer Program,” said Burghy, who’s now retired and living in Florida.

Burghy, who coached Middleton’s boys and girls teams, compiled 715 career wins between the two programs. That’s believed to be a state record.

Middleton’s boys basketball team enjoyed a season they’ll likely still be talking about decades from now.

The Cardinals set a new school record with 25 wins. Middleton’s 25-2 record gave it a school record .926 winning percentage.

The Cardinals got off to the best start in school history, beginning the year 17-0. And Middleton won the Big Eight Conference with a 19-1 record. That .950 winning percentage in conference was the best by a Big Eight team since Madison Memorial was 18-0 11 years earlier.

Middleton’s year ended in heartbreak after the Cardinals dropped a 64-61 decision to Milwaukee Hamilton in a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal game on March 9. But the memorable moments will last for years.

Here’s a game by game recap from one of the best seasons in Middleton history.

GAME 1

Middleton 71, Madison Memorial 64

Dave Miller says he did nothing more than hug his granddaughter.

Middleton athletic director Jamie Sims says, “There’s more to it than that.”

What is certain is Middleton’s wrestling program no longer has one of the top assistant coaches in the state.

Sims recently fired Miller from that role, a move that sent shockwaves through the MHS program and across the state.

Shannon Valladolid, the Director of Information and Public Relations for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, declined comment on Miller’s firing saying it was a confidential personnel matter.

MCPASD superintendent Dana Monogue did not return a call seeking comment.

Miller was saddened and shocked by the firing.

The WIAA Division 1 Oconomowoc boys basketball sectional has arguably the best collection of remaining talent in the state.

Middleton was ranked No. 2 in the final Associated Press poll and Hartland Arrpwhead was ranked third. Milwaukee Hamilton has been in and out of the rankings all year, while Brookfield East began the year ranked No. 2, and after overcoming injuries, has gotten hot at the perfect time.

Middleton and Hamilton meet in one sectional semifinal Thursday at 7 p.m. at Sun Prairie East. Arrowhead and Brookfield East square off in the other sectional semifinal Thursday at 7 p.m. at West Allis Central.

The winners meet in the sectional finals Saturday at 1 p.m. at Oconomowoc High School.

Here's a look at the remaining teams that will battle it out.

ARROWHEAD

Seed: #1

Record: 24-2

Twelve months ago, Middleton’s boys basketball team walked into Oconomowoc High School needing just two wins to reach the state tournament.

The gym was packed. The tension was palpable. And the Cardinals’ opponent made sure it was a long night for Middleton.

Brookfield Central — which eventually finished second at state — outplayed the Cardinals from start to finish and rolled to a 57-39 win.

“The atmosphere was crazy ... and we didn’t play very well,” Middleton senior point guard Gavyn Hurley. “We’ve got to go and get the job done.”

If things go according to plan, Middleton will end up at Oconomowoc High School again Saturday night with a chance to reach the state tournament for the first time in 25 years.

Kevin Bavery heard the chatter.

Maybe his Middleton boys basketball team had piqued too early, some had claimed. Others said the Cardinals might be poised for a playoff letdown.

“Sometimes you get a little Chicken Little going on, like the sky is falling,” Bavery said.

Well, the sky fell on Saturday night. It just wasn't on Middleton.

The Cardinals gave a memorable defensive performance, put three players in double figures and toppled Madison Memorial, 53-38, in a WIAA Division 1 regional final.

Middleton, the No. 2 seed in the sectional, improved to 25-1 and will face sixth-seeded Milwaukee Hamilton (20-6) in a sectional semifinal at Sun Prairie East Thursday at 7 p.m. Tenth-seeded Memorial, which had won nine of 10 entering the game, finished the year 16-9.

Middleton boys basketball star Gavyn Hurley is one of six finalists for the prestigious Mr. Basketball Award.

Hurley, a 6-foot-6 point guard, becomes the first finalist for the award in school history.

Hurley was named the Player of the Year in the Big Eight Conference for the second straight season on Wednesday.

Hurley leads Middleton in scoring (19.6), rebounding (8.0) and is second in assists (3.0). Hurley’s terrific year helped the Cardinals go 23-1 in the regular season — the best record in school history — and win the Big Eight Conference with a 19-1 mark.

“He’s arguably the best player I’ve ever coached,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said of Hurley. “He’s right up there with three or four other people.

“He’s in some great company for this award. I know there’s some clear favorites, but it’s an incredible honor just to be nominated.”

When the basketball season begins, teams across the state gather and outline a lengthy list of goals.

In some cities, these objectives are far-fetched.

In others, those dreams eventually become reality.

In Middleton, it’s been the latter.

“This is a historic season,” senior wing Kaden Fosdick said. “And we’re just taking advantage of that and celebrating it every chance we can get.”

The latest chance to celebrate came Feb. 21, when the Cardinals edged Verona, 76-70, in overtime and claimed the outright Big Eight Conference championship.

Middleton went on to defeat Janesville Parker, 62-53, last Saturday and toppled Janesville Craig, 76-63 Monday. Those wins helped the Cardinals finish the regular season with a 23-1 record — which was the best in school history — and a 19-1 mark in the conference.