Sports

You have to crawl before you can walk.

And the Wisconsin Heights football team spent last season crawling.

Now, the Vanguards are ready to take their first steps.

And Connor Herrling doesn’t think they’ll stop at that.

“I’m super stoked for the guys,” the Vanguards’ 23-year-old, fourth-year head coach said. “Right now we’re the laughing stock of the Ridge and Valley 8-man conference — we’re coming in bottom last, that’s what they’ve got us ranked as.

“But I don’t really believe in rankings. Right now we’re doing the exact same thing as every other team, if not harder. So I don’t see why we don’t have a shot to be number one in the conference this year.”

The Vanguards, an 8-man-format program as opposed to the traditional 11-on-11, went 1-7 in 2025 in large part because the roster was littered with inexperience.

Those players were either newcomers or spent 2024 buried on the depth chart.

Middleton’s girls golf team opened the season with a ninth place finish at the Washington County Invite held at Washington County Golf Course on Aug. 13.

Bay Port won the tournament with a 306 team score, while Divine Savior Holy Angels (330),

Brookfield East (332), Arrowhead (336) and Homestead (338) rounded out the top five.

Middleton finished with a 356 team score.

Junior Stela Flad led the Cardinals with a 75 that was good for fifth individually out of 137 golfers. Senior Addison Schnarr carded an 85 that was good for 24^th place.

Sophomore Josie Day added a 93 and junior Olivia Oblizajek shot a 103.

Flad’s impressive round included birdies at the par-4, 15^th hole and the par-5 17^th hole. She also made 11 pars.

Schnarr made birdies at No. 8 and No. 15 — two par-4s.

MADISON — The employees inside the Dejope residence hall probably should have called for reinforcements.

Middleton’s football team practiced on the University of Wisconsin campus for two days last week. The Cardinals stayed in Cole Hall and ate at the gorgeous Dejope cafeteria.

While Middleton attacked their meals like it was a Friday night against Verona, perhaps no group did more damage than the offensive line.

“Look at those guys over there,” MHS co-head coach Joe Poehls said, pointing to four of his linemen. “I think they just cleared about 20 plates.”

Now, that same group is ready to clear some holes.

Middleton figures to field its best offensive line in quite some time. And if the Cardinals eventually repeat as Big Eight Conference champs, it’s a good bet the offensive line will have played an enormous role in their success.

“I’ve got nasty guys,” Poehls said. “As a line coach, that’s the dream.”

MADISON — Seven starters from last year’s championship defense have graduated.

An eighth will miss the early part of the season due to injury.

The coaches might need a roster nearby to remember the names of all the newcomers.

While the personnel on Middleton’s defense has changed dramatically, though, expectations certainly haven’t.

“We expect our team to be great every year,” said Middleton co-coach Tim Simon, whose team hosts defending state runner-up Bay Port in its season opener on Aug. 20. “That’s just the standard we’ve tried to establish. There hasn't been a trophy here since the 80’s, but we’ve been very successful.”

The Cardinals certainly enjoyed tremendous success last season, going unbeaten in the Big Eight Conference and winning their first league title since 2015. Middleton finished 9-2 overall and reached Level 2 of the WIAA Division 1 playoffs before losing to Lake Geneva Badger, 31-7.

When it comes down to crunch time, winners want the ball.

So, it was no surprise that Cross Plains right-hander Devin Romine was determined to finish what he started at Sorenson-Bakken Field in Middleton on a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

Romine threw 126 pitches, allowed just seven hits and one earned run to spark seventh-seeded Cross Plains to a thrilling 2-1 victory over host and top-seeded Middleton in a Home Talent League Northern Section semifinal playoff game.

“That kid is unbelievable. He told me he could do 150 (pitches) today,” Cross Plains manager Randy Meinholz said of Romine. “His adrenaline was pumping. You might not be able to see it, but he’s a tough competitor. He stays calm. He just comes back at it all the time.”

Becky Halverson learned all about tradition from the late, great Dewey Stendahl — her high school golf coach.

Halverson, a 1999 MHS graduate, led the Cardinals to three WIAA Division 1 state tournaments. And she watched as Stendahl built a culture that was the envy of most programs across the state.

“Tradition means creating an environment where every player understands they're part of something bigger than themselves,” said Halverson, who’s beginning her 14^th season as Middleton’s coach. “Coach Dewey Stendahl built a culture of hard work, accountability, teamwork, and pride in representing Middleton, and those values continue to be the foundation of our program today.”

Those tenets have also helped the Cardinals become arguably the state’s top program since Halverson took over in 2013.

In Halverson’s first 13 seasons, Middleton has:

• Reached the state tournament every year.

• Won three state championships.

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

So when Middleton’s Andrew Zimmerman narrowly missed a two-run, first inning home run — and the 29ers came away empty — it was part of a frustrating offensive start in their Home Talent League Northern Section playoff game against visiting Sauk Prairie.

“We would have liked to score some runs earlier in the game,” said Brady Schmitt, who had a two-out single just before Zimmerman’s double. “But it took us a while to get started.”

Once the 29ers got started, though, they rolled.

Charlie Tompach went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Jackson Guerrero had a two-run triple and Schmitt worked seven scoreless innings to lead top-seeded Middleton to a 10-0 victory over the eighth-seeded Twins at Sorenson-Bakken Field on Aug. 2.

The 29ers now face seventh-seeded Cross Plains Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Northern Section semifinals after the Businessmen upset second-seeded Wisconsin Dells, 5-3.

MAZOMANIE — Any time that local communities Black Earth and Mazomanie face off, bragging rights are on the line.

When fourth-seeded Mazomanie hosted fifth-seeded Black Earth in the first round of the Home Talent League’s Northern Section baseball playoffs on Aug. 2, though, it was also ‘win or go home’ time.

“A lot of us have grown up playing baseball together our whole lives,” Black Earth catcher Danny Watkins said. “Seeing them across the field, it’s a big game.

“We play good baseball. We beat Middleton this year. We can beat anyone.”

The visiting Bombers proved just that, jumping out to an early lead, then rallying to escape with a thrilling 7-5 victory over the host Mustangs at Lions Park to advance to Sunday’s semifinal round.

Black Earth (7-7) will play at third-seed Ashton (12-2) in search of its first appearance in the championship playoff round since 2014.

The Cross Plains Stingrays won the Tri-County Conference championship at Sauk Prairie High School on July 25-26.

The Stingrays rolled up 1,170 points to easily outdistance runner-up Sun Prairie (961). Baraboo (844.50), Mount Horeb (844) and Wisconsin Dells (836) rounded out the top five at the eight team meet.

Here are the Stingrays that posted top-three finishes:

Boys 8-and-under 100-yard medley relay

3. Will Nagy, Gunnar Cliff, Leo Diercks and Gordon Danzinger, 1:30.76.

Girls 11-12 200-yard medley relay

3. Nellie March, Emma Danzinger, Frankle Beuthin and Evelyn Cree, 2:07.46.

Girls 13-14 200-yard medley relay

1. Emma Nelson, Kenley Marx, Grace Mays and Addison Danzinger, 1:53.56.

Boys 13-14 200-yard medley relay

2. Wesley Dubis, Caius Bonti, Imran Razvi and Blake Roth, 2:00.13.

Cross Plains’ Home Talent League team surprised host Wisconsin Dells in the opening round of the playoffs on Aug 2.

Devine Romine threw seven strong innings and Bryce Duhr drove in a pair of runs to power the seventh-seeded Businessmen past second-seeded Wisconsin Dells.

Cross Plains will now travel to top-seeded Middleton for a Northern Section semifinal game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Romine allowed three runs in seven innings and earned the win. Dan Karnick hurled two scoreless innings to notch the save.

Cross Plains broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run seventh inning and surged to a 4-1 lead. Dells answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Businessmen added an insurance run in the top of ninth and held on.

Will Doherty went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Hunter Schram was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Porter Blaha went 2-for-4 and scored a run, and Kyle Pape scored a pair of runs.