Sports

Joey Levin looked around and saw everyone on their cell phones. Constantly.

No one would tell Levin what was happening. So naturally, Middleton’s standout golfer assumed the worst.

“I had a bad feeling for the majority of the back nine,” Levin said. “I could tell things were tight, but I had no clue because no one would tell me what was going on.”

Here’s what.

Levin and the Cardinals were on the ropes at the WIAA Division 1 Reedsburg Sectional Tuesday afternoon. And with three holes to play, Middleton trailed Waunakee by two shots for the final berth to the state team tournament.

But the Cardinals closed with a bang, outscored the Warriors by four shots in the final three holes, and earned a trip back to the state tournament Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge Golf Course.

Madison Memorial shot a season-low 304 and won the sectional. Middleton was second at 308 and the Warriors were a close third at 310.

For the majority of his formative years, Perrin Hagge lived roughly four hours north of Middleton in the small town of Lakeland, Wis.

It was there — in the great north — that Hagge developed a love for running. It was also there where Hagge found his first true rival.

“I had a neighbor who I competed a lot with,” Hagge said. “He was one of the fastest people I knew.”

It would be interesting what that neighbor would say about Hagge. Because to the rest of the state, Hagge has quickly become a poster boy for speed.

Hagge, a junior at Middleton, had an unforgettable performance at last Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 Holmen Sectional.

Hagge won the 800-meter run in 1:53.63 and also captured the 1,600 in 4:12.60. Hagge is now the No. 1 seed in both races at this weekend’s state meet at UW-La Crosse.

The memories will be etched in stone for the rest of Bobbi Patrick’s life.

A pair of top-four finishes in relay events in 2013.

Runner-up finishes in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter relays in 2014.

And several sensational individual performances along the way.

Yes, Patrick — a Middleton High School senior — has left her mark at the WIAA Division 1 girls state track and field meet.

Now, Patrick hopes her swan song is the best yet.

Patrick and 13 of her Middleton teammates will head to the WIAA Division 1 state meet at UW-La Crosse this weekend with extremely high hopes.

Patrick is part of Middleton’s second-seeded 1,600-meter relay team and fourth-seeded 3,200-meter relay team. Patrick is also seeded eighth in the 800-meter run and hopes to go out with a bang.

Middleton’s girls soccer coach Mary Duffy left practice early one day last week and headed to the postseason seeding meeting.

As Duffy walked to her car, her Cardinals had a simple request.

“All weekend long before seeding, the girls were debating and figuring and wondering,” Duffy said referring to the seeding process. “Even as I had to leave practice early, they begged me to let them know a.s.a.p.”

Duffy — and the Cardinals — got some good news.

Middleton received the No. 1 seed in its sectional and won’t have to leave the cozy confines of Firefighter’s Stadium until the state tournament.

Top-seeded Middleton hosts No. 8 Janesville Parker in a regional semifinal Thursday at 7 p.m. If the Cardinals advance, they’ll host either No. 4 Verona or No. 5 Beloit Memorial in a regional final Saturday.

Middleton will be represented in three flights when the WIAA Division 1 individual state tournament begins Thursday.

But it’s the two Cardinals that won’t be competing at Nielsen Tennis Stadium that drew the most attention.

Middleton’s Xavier Sanga won his flight at No. 3 singles and Brian Bellissimo was the champion at No. 4 singles during the Oconomowoc Sectional last Wednesday. Champions from the top two flights receive automatic berths to state, but champions from lower flights — like Sanga and Bellissimo — can request special qualifying status.

Middleton head coach Andre Glass needed to send “special qualifier” requests for Sanga and Bellissimo to the WIAA by last Friday at 9 a.m. Glass sent his email at 6:49 a.m., but sent it to the wrong address.

Therefore, the WIAA never received the proper paperwork on Sanga and Bellissimo.

“Apparently I sent it to the wrong email address,” Glass said.

There’s a sign inside the dugout of Middleton’s girls softball team that says, “Win every inning.” Another reads, “Flip the switch,” and is attached to an actual light switch.

Friday evening, the Cardinals obeyed, and followed both slogans to the letter of the law.

In a WIAA Division 1 regional final, top-seeded Middleton jumped on ninth-seeded Madison Memorial and never let up. The Cardinals erupted for four first inning runs, kept the pressure on throughout, and routed the visiting Spartans, 11-1, in a game stopped after six innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

“I’m really proud how we came out of the gates and fielded the ball, hit the ball and pitched,” Middleton manager Cherie Hellenbrand said. “I’m really proud just how focused we were from the start.”

When they exited University Ridge Golf Course nearly 12 months ago now, Middleton’s boys golf team was extremely disappointed.

To most, a fourth place finish at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament would have been cause for celebration. To the Cardinals — who entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the state — it wasn’t enough.

“We definitely wanted more,” Middleton junior Joey Levin said.

Right now, the Cardinals are on their way to obtaining more.

Middleton began the postseason Wednesday hosting a regional at Pleasant View, and the Cardinals made an impressive statement.

Middleton fired a season-low 295 and rolled to a 29-shot victory over runner-up Waunakee (324). The Cardinals advanced to the Reedsburg Sectional, which will take place June 2 at the Reedsburg Country Club.

As the rains poured down and the winds gusted throughout the morning Tuesday, Middleton girls track and field coach Tara Franklin had one overriding thought.

“I wasn't sure if we would even finish the meet before midnight,” Franklin said of the WIAA Division 1 Middleton regional.

But much to the Cardinals’ delight the weather cleared. Then Middleton proceeded to put on a show.

Middleton’s boys cruised to the regional title with 155 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Monona Grove (98.0). Sun Prairie (90.5), Madison West (90) and Madison Memorial (72) rounded out the top five.

“I think we're happy to be moving so many guys through to the next level,” Middleton coach Isaac Mezera said. “Now the focus is getting as many to the red track (state) as possible.”

Sun Prairie won the girls’ title with 160 points, while Middleton was second at 142. Madison Memorial (90.5), Waunakee (81) and Monona Grove (78.5) rounded out the top five.

They’ve devoured the appetizers.

Now, it’s on to the main course.

And it will be a surprise to no one if Middleton’s boys golf team continues to feast on the competition.

The Cardinals polished off their romp through the Big Eight Conference last Thursday, rolling to a second straight league tournament title.

Middleton shot a terrific 307 at Evansville Golf Course, easily outdistancing runner-up Madison Memorial (331). Sun Prairie finished third at 336, while Janesville Parker (343) and Verona (345) rounded out the top five.

“(Thursday) was the first big check mark off our list of goals,” said Brady Thomas, one of four standout juniors in Middleton’s lineup. “I think our goal coming into the year was to win the conference regular season and win the tournament. I think because we did that, it gives us confidence to succeed in the postseason.”

Cardinals junior Emmet Herb agreed with Thomas.

Tryouts were over.

The team had been chosen and practice was underway.

That’s when Middleton’s girls softball team began to fully understand the talent that existed up and down its roster. And the Cardinals immediately set the bar sky high.

“All of us players sat down a couple weeks into the season and made it a goal to win a conference championship,” Middleton senior shortstop Katie Fermanich said.

That goal became a reality last week.

Middleton clinched a share of the Big Eight Conference title last Tuesday thanks to a 4-2 win over Madison West. The Cardinals could have clinched the league’s outright title last Thursday, but they suffered a 7-4 loss to Beloit Memorial.

Middleton finished the year 14-4 in the conference and tied for first place with Verona. The Cardinals, who won their first league title since 2009, ended the regular season 17-6 overall.