Sports

Middleton’s wrestlers finished in third place at the WIAA Division 1 Verona Sectional last Saturday and fell short of the state team meet, which will be held in La Crosse March 6-7.

The Cardinals opened with a 43-34 win over Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights.

Oregon then edged the Cardinals, 38-37, in the semifinals. Middleton defeated Verona, 44-33, in the third place match.

Waunakee defeated Oregon, 44-33, for the team championship and qualified for team state.

“Overall, I’m proud of how the team handled the environment and competed for each other,” MHS coach Kevin Meicher said. “It was a good step for a lot of our younger guys and something we can build on moving forward.”

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ matches.

• Middleton 43, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights 34 — Six Cardinals notched pins and MHS toppled the Eagles in the quarterfinals.

"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them.”

WAUKESHA — In the final episode of the hit TV show “The Office”, Andy Bernard delivered that memorable line.

Bernard’s point was that he wished he had cherished the present during his years at Dunder Mifflin instead of waiting until he was gone.

Middleton’s boys swimming team didn’t have that problem.

As the Cardinals and their sensational senior class took aim at their fourth straight WIAA Division 1 state championship this season, they soaked in every moment possible.

The daily practices. The meets. The camaraderie. And the success.

Shock.

Amazement.

Disbelief.

This was the reaction from Middleton’s boys basketball program after it received the No. 5 seed in its WIAA Division 1 sectional Sunday.

The Cardinals are 19-4 this season, with their only losses coming against teams currently ranked in the top-10. Middleton also remains in contention for a Big Eight Conference title.

Just two weeks ago, the WIAA did a mid-season seeding report and Middleton was a No. 2 seed in its sectional. In the time since, the sixth-ranked Cardinals lost at the buzzer to No. 10 Verona and fell to No. 8 DePere.

Somehow, though, Middleton plummeted to a No. 5 seed, leaving the Cardinals dazed and confused.

“Gotta be a misprint, right?” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery deadpanned. “We were surprised about the No. 5 seed, thinking No. 3 would be the lowest. But in the end it's not about the seed. If you're going to win your sectional you have to be better than everyone at any time.”

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team finished in third place at the Big Eight Conference meet last Saturday.

Verona/Madison Edgewood won the team title with 141.825 points, while Janesville Craig was a distant second at 134.875. Middleton (134.30), Madison Memorial (132.175) and Sun Prairie’s co-op (130.30) rounded out the top five at the nine-team meet.

“We had a few hiccups on our first event (floor), but were able to recover and still have a good performance in the other three events,” Middleton coach Desiree Peterson said. “Beam was our best event, which is really exciting as we have been working a lot on our connections and not falling. It's always great to see that hard work pay off.”

Middleton’s Aspen Goth was fourth in the all-around competition with a 34.775.

Goth won the uneven bars with an 8.70, while Lauren Devine was 19^th (7.50), and Abby Arnold and Katya Razenkova tied for 20^th (7.475).

The stars shined brightly with bragging rights and revenge on the line when Middleton hosted Verona in a key Big Eight Conference boys basketball matchup on Feb. 17.

Middleton’s potent backcourt of seniors John Grimes and Jackson Guerrero combined for 36 points, while Verona rising junior Will Stremlow powered his way to a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds.

The host Cardinals, tied for the Big Eight Conference lead, were looking for a series sweep.

Instead, Wildcats’ reserve guard Deonte Phillips dashed those hopes.

Phillips drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 5 seconds to play as Verona defeated Middleton, 60-57.

Middleton fell to 18-3 overall and 13-2 in the Big Eight Conference, while Verona improved to 15-4, 12-3.

VERONA — Better safe than sorry.

That’s how the Middleton boys swimming team approached last Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 Verona Sectional and it paid off in a big way.

Not only did the Cardinals easily win the meet, but they also avoided any mishaps along the way that might derail their hopes of claiming a fourth consecutive state title.

“I think for sectionals we’re just thinking about getting through,” Middleton senior Caden Van Buren said. “It was a tough meet. We just want to get through to the next meet, get a lane, and then we can put it all on the line there.”

MHS won eight of the meet’s 12 events and finished with 402.5 points, easily outdistancing second-place Madison West (323). Verona (303), Madison Memorial (261) and Oregon (177) rounded out the top five.

DEFOREST — A season of high expectations for junior Reed Falk and Middleton’s wrestlers took another positive step at the WIAA Division 1 DeForest Sectional last Saturday.

For the second year in a row, Middleton advanced the same three wrestlers — senior Sam Zanton at 157 pounds, senior Finn Grauwels at 165 and Falk at 190 — to the WIAA individual state tournament at the Kohl Center on Feb. 26-28.

After securing Big Eight Conference dual and tournament titles, the Cardinals inched closer to their ultimate goal — winning its first team state championship in school history.

Falk and Grauwels secured sectional championships, while Zanton placed second for the Cardinals, who placed second in the 16-team tournament with 183 points. Waunakee won the sectional team championship with 199 points, while Oregon was third with 162.

Trap games — which occur when one team seems vastly superior on paper, but plays down to the level of their opponent — always terrify coaches.

Middleton’s boys basketball, which is gunning for a Big Eight Conference title, traveled to eighth place Madison East in a classic trap game last Saturday.

One thing about these Cardinals, though, is no matter the foe, they’ve played to their own lofty standard most of the year.

And Middleton’s game against Madison East was more of the same.

The Cardinals raced to a 53-25 halftime lead, pushed that advantage to as many as 41 in the second half and rolled to a 100-77 win.

Middleton, ranked No. 6 in the latest Division 1 poll, won its eighth straight game and improved to 18-2 overall. The Cardinals also improved to 13-1 in the league and are ½-game behind first place Madison Memorial (14-1, 20-1).

Middleton’s girls basketball team has had its best season in the four-year Rashard Griffith-era.

But the Cardinals’ postseason path will be a brutal one.

Middleton received the No. 12 seed in a loaded sectional and will face fifth-seeded Verona in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.  The Wildcats (17-5) won both meetings against the Cardinals this season by an average of 22.0 points.

Verona has won 10 straight games against Middleton and Griffith is 0-8 against the Wildcats during his four seasons.

If the Cardinals pull off an upset, though, they’d face either fourth-seeded Mukwonago or 13^th-seeded Oregon in a regional final on Feb. 28.

The sectional semifinals are March 5 and the sectional finals are March 7.

Arrowhead is the No. 1 seed in the sectional, while Waunakee, Brookfield East, Mukwonago and Verona round out the top five.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team gave a spirited effort, but fell to host Sun Prairie, 132.175-129.70 on Feb. 12.

“The girls performed great routines and stepped up to the plate as most of the varsity athletes were out,” Middleton coach Desiree Peterson said of her injured team. “I am proud of each athlete and their performance. For some of the girls, this was their last meet and they left it all out there and did an amazing job.”

Middleton’s Abby Arnold finished in fourth place in the all-around competition with a 31.65, while Chloe Pfeifer was fifth with a 31.20.

Izzy Bradford finished first on the vault with an 8.50, while Arnold was second (8.40), Reagan Holzheimer was third (8.35) and Pfeifer was eighth (8.15).

Lauren Devine was first on the uneven bars with an 8.0, while Katya Razenkova was fifth (7.40), Pfeifer was sixth (7.35) and Holzheimer was seventh (7.30).