Sports

VERONA — The first round of the WIAA Division 1 girls state golf tournament held Monday at picturesque University Ridge was the warmest in history at 85 degrees.

Day 2, which topped out at 74 degrees, was another chamber of commerce afternoon.

So as Middleton senior Addison Schnarr neared the end of her terrific high school career, she soaked in every moment.

“This sure beats school,” Schnarr deadpanned. “Don’t tell my teachers.”

We won’t.

The Cardinals, a team few would have picked to reach state last month, surprised many and qualified for state for a remarkable 15th straight year. Middleton then had a solid showing, finishing ninth at the 12-team state meet.

DSHA won its fourth straight state title with a 634, while Bay Port (645) and DeForest (647) gave the mighty Dashers a mini-scare. Middleton finished at 710, one shot back of eighth place Arrowhead (709).

He watched and waited.

Then he did it again, and again, and again — knowing that patience was indeed a virtue.

Now, after averaging less than four carries per game as a junior, Derion Hawkins has become the bellcow for Middleton’s football team. And the senior running back is making the most of his long-awaited opportunity.

In the Cardinals’ 49-14 rout of Madison West on Oct. 9, Hawkins ran for 160 yards on 18 carries, a whopping 8.89 yards per carry. Hawkins also scored four touchdowns, marking the first time he did that since his sophomore season with Middleton’s JV team.

“I feel like my last year of, you know, not playing as much helped me build for this year,” Hawkins said. “I feel like last year I got to learn how to become a better teammate, so it helped this year even more, just because I can help shoulder some players as far as picking up the guys that I've been working with for these past four years.

Middleton’s girls tennis team is headed back to the state team tournament after a one-year hiatus.

The Cardinals won the WIAA Division 1 Sun Prairie West Sectional on Oct. 7 and clinched a spot at the state team tournament. Middleton finished with 50 points at sectionals and edged Madison West (42) for the team title. Onalaska (30), Sauk Prairie (20) and Sun Prairie West (18) rounded out the top five.

The Cardinals clinched the 13^th trip to state in school history and their sixth berth in seven years. The state tournament will be held Oct. 23-24 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium, where Middleton is the No. 3 seed.

The Cardinals open team state against sixth-seeded Westosha Central Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. The winner of that match meets either second-seeded Neenah or seventh-seeded Elkhorn Saturday at 9 a.m. The state finals are Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.

You can take the girls out of Middleton.

But you can’t take the championship-level performances out of the girls.

Middleton’s girls swimming team — which has won three straight WIAA Division 1 state championships — took their show on the road and headed to the St. Charles (Ill.) Invite on Oct. 10.

Middleton, the lone Wisconsin team at the eight-team invite, won the meet with 372 points. Hinsdale Central (Ill.) was second with 298 points, while Lyons Township (Ill.) was third with 297.

“This was a great meet and win for the team,” Middleton coach Andrew Cotton said. “It was a change of pace and meant a lot to go into a new environment and see success. The team is excited and looking forward to the championship season.”

The road won't be easy.

Far from it.

But Middleton’s boys soccer team has shown the ability to play with — and beat almost anybody this season.

So despite getting the No. 4 seed in arguably the state’s toughest sectional, the Cardinals are optimistic about their playoff chances.

Middleton begins the postseason by hosting 13^th-seeded Mukwonago in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. If the Cardinals win there, they’d host either fifth-seeded Oregon or 12^th-seeded Kettle Moraine in a regional final on Oct. 24.

The sectional semifinals are Oct. 29, and if seeds hold Middleton would travel to top-seeded DeForest. The sectional finals are Oct. 31 at Verona High School, where either second-seeded Verona or third-seeded Madison West would likely await.

Middleton’s girls volleyball team split four matches at the Westosha Central Invite on Oct. 10.

The Cardinals also rolled to a 3-0 win at Janesville Parker on Oct. 7.

Middleton is now 10-15 overall and 4-5 in the Big Eight Conference.

“As we come to the end of regular season and into playoffs we are settling in as a team,” Middleton coach McKenzie Johns said

Here’s how the Cardinals fared last week.

WESTOSHA CENTRAL INVITE

• Wisconsin Lutheran 2, Middleton 0 — The powerful Vikings (29-7) toppled the Cardinals, 25-18, 25-17.

Ruby Clooten led Middleton with eight kills and eight digs, while Madi Clooten had 15 assists

Sophie Poole had five kills, Maleah Faren had four kills, and Chase Gehrke added eight digs.

• Burlington 2, Middleton 0 — The Demons rolled to a 25-21, 25-9 win.

Middleton’s cross country teams brought a handful of new runners to the Wisconsin Lutheran Invite on Oct. 8.

And the Cardinals’ girls finished seventh out of 14 teams. Middleton’s boys were 10th out of 16 teams.

“We decided to sit our top five varsity runners to give some other guys an opportunity to run at the varsity level and help us determine our lineup heading into the conference meet,” said Middleton coach Brian Finnel. “I thought the group did a nice job stepping into those roles and gained some really valuable experience.”

Verona won the girls title with 55 points, while Wauwatosa East was a close second with 59. The Cardinals finished with 195 points.

Middleton junior Lilly Schueffner was 26th overall in 19:32.8, while sophomore Cameron Wambold was 36th in 20:03.8. Junior Riley Redepenning was 41st in 20:20.6, sophomore Hazel Gardner was 46th in 20:31.3 and sophomore Arianna Fitzpatrick was 54th in 20:50.5.

MADISON — Ben Lashuk knew he was in the middle of something special.

So as Middleton’s junior quarterback was helping lead the Cardiac Cards on a memorable comeback on Oct. 2, Lashuk pushed the pause button for a brief moment.

“That fourth quarter was probably one of the most fun quarters of football I've ever played,” Lashuk said. “I mean, I was hyped. I had so much adrenaline. I just wanted to stop for a minute and soak it all in.”

With good reason.

Middleton trailed host Madison La Follette, 35-21, heading to the fourth quarter. The Cardinals responded with 22 unanswered fourth quarter points and stunned the Lancers, 43-35.

Middleton improved to 4-3 overall, 4-1 in the Big Eight Conference and took a big step towards securing a playoff berth for the 30^th consecutive season. The Lancers fell to 3-4, 2-3.

Things haven’t been easy for Middleton’s girls golf team this fall.

The Cardinals have battled inexperience after losing three stalwarts from their 2025 team. Junior McKenna Utter was sidelined all season with a broken middle finger.

And the Cardinals’ scores were certainly higher than past years.

On Monday, though, Middleton did what it’s done every year since 2012. The Cardinals shined when the pressure was turned to high.

Middleton captured second place at the WIAA Division 1 DeForest Sectional held at Lake Windsor Country Club and clinched a berth at the state tournament for a 15th straight year. The top two teams at the eight-team sectional advanced to state, which will be held Oct. 12-13 at University Ridge Golf Course.

DeForest won the sectional with a 329 team score, while the Cardinals finished second with a 340. Oregon (350), Tomah (351) and Waunakee (351) rounded out the top five.

Things haven’t been easy for Middleton’s girls golf team this fall.

The Cardinals have battled inexperience after losing three stalwarts from their 2025 team. Junior McKenna Utter was sidelined all season with a broken middle finger.

And the Cardinals’ scores were certainly higher than past years.

On Monday, though, Middleton did what it’s done every year since 2012. The Cardinals shined when the pressure was turned to high.

Middleton captured second place at the WIAA Division 1 DeForest Sectional held at Lake Windsor Country Club and clinched a berth at the state tournament for a 15^th straight year. The top two teams at the eight-team sectional advanced to state, which will be held Oct. 12-13 at University Ridge Golf Course.

DeForest won the sectional with a 329 team score, while the Cardinals finished second with a 340. Oregon (350), Tomah (351) and Waunakee (351) rounded out the top five.