Sports

All season long, players and coaches talk about getting better every day, every week, every game.

Well, Middleton’s football team has been putting that talk into action after perhaps its best all-around performance of the season.

Middleton excelled in all phases of the game in an impressive 45-13 rout over rival Sun Prairie in a Big Eight Conference game last Friday. 

“It’s a great team effort,” Middleton coach Tim Simon said. “Offense, defense, and special teams all did great tonight and I think there were a couple times where things could have gone south for us. We gave them the ball back in good field position and our defense stepped up huge and held ground. The offense did a good job of moving the ball, moving the chains, and, obviously, getting some good scores in.”

Senior defensive back Griffin Gussel agreed.

“We had a lot of fire, a lot of aggressiveness, we were flying around,” Gussel said. “It was a great game.”

Middleton’s girls softball team was down to its last at-bat of the 2015 season.

As Cardinals’ head coach Cherie Hellenbrand watched the final out in a sectional semifinal loss to DeForest, she had one overriding thought.

“It was a pop-up, and as the ball was up in the air, I was thinking, ‘This will be my last time standing on third base,’ ” said Hellenbrand, who also teaches Business at MHS. “I love coaching, but I just didn’t think I could keep making it work.”

So last week, Hellenbrand informed Middleton athletic director Bob Joers she won’t be back for the 2016 season. Hellenbrand broke the news to her team earlier this week.

The ultra-successful, competitive and driven Hellenbrand spent the last four months trying to figure out a way to balance family and coaching. But when Hellenbrand realized that was an impossibility, she announced her resignation.

To say there was remorse throughout the program would be a substantial understatement.

Many of the state’s most gifted and talented golfers came to Pleasant View Golf Course Saturday for the star-studded Cardinal Invite.

And Middleton sent them all home somewhat disappointed.

The Cardinals shot a 322-team score and won the 23-team tournament. Brookfield Central and Verona tied for second at 323, while Milton was fourth (328) and Franklin was fifth (344).

“We had taken second place the last two years so we really wanted it,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “I was really proud of the girls and how focused and calm they were all day.”

Cardinals senior Loren Skibba, the WIAA’s defending state champion in Division 1, tied for second with a 1-over-par 73. Junior Alexis Thomas shot a 77 and tied for sixth place.

Payton Hodson shot a career best 85, highlighted by a chip-in birdie on the fifth hole of The Woods course. And Morgan Narowetz shot an 87.

Their start was slower than they’d hoped.

Boy, has Middleton’s boys soccer team exploded in the last week, though.

The Cardinals cruised past four opponents last week by a combined score of 25-1. Among the victories was a 6-0 statement win over Big Eight Conference rival Verona and two impressive wins at the Kettle Moraine Quadrangular.

Middleton improved to 5-2 on the young season.

“Very good week,” Middleton coach Ben Kollasch said. “Four wins and only one goal against is a huge improvement from the previous week.”

Standout junior forward Braden Allen had a huge week with three hat tricks and nine total goals.

“Bradan Allen has surged forward and has regained his form from last year after a few injuries,” Kollasch said. “He is looking to surpass his totals from last year around midseason this year.”

There’s been a buzz around Middleton’s girls swimming and diving program all fall.

There’s a gifted group of freshman. A terrific batch of sophomores. And a number of upperclassmen with decorated résumés.

The Cardinals proved last Saturday just why there’s been so much hype.

Middleton went to the star-studded Brookfield East Invite and won the 14-team event.

The Cardinals finished with 486 points and easily outdistanced runner-up Madison West (321). Verona-Mount Horeb was third at 315, while Madison Edgewood (293) and Brookfield East (225) rounded out the top five.

“I was very proud of the overall effort of the team,” Middleton coach Lauren Cabalka said. “We were able to win some close races, score a lot of events and prove that our depth of talent is the real deal. We certainly walked away with a new sense of accomplishment and pride, and I think the girls were able to see their hard work begin to pay off.”

One was second.

The other was third.

Eventually, both believe they can be No. 1.

Middleton’s cross country teams gave impressive performances at last Saturday’s River Valley Invite. The girls finished second among 19 teams in the Large Schools division, while the boys were third out of 20 teams.

It was an imposing performance by two teams that are undoubtedly trending upward.

“Our girls have a lot to celebrate and should take pride in their performances,” Middleton co-coach Cindy Bremser said.

Isaac Mezera, Middleton’s second co-coach, agreed.

“We just need to keep everyone focused and working hard, and those times will drop,” Mezera said.

Mighty Sun Prairie won the girls race with just 48 points, while the Cardinals were second at 65. Freedom (114), Holmen (156) and McFarland (159) rounded out the top five.

Middleton senior Sam Valentine was third overall, finishing in 18 minutes, 50 seconds.

Middleton’s girls tennis team improved to 7-0 and remained atop the Big Eight Conference after a pair of wins last week.

The Cardinals defeated Madison West, 5-2, last Thursday. Middleton also upended Madison Memorial, 5-2, last Tuesday.

In Middleton’s win over West, all three of its doubles teams won their matches.

“Our doubles teams all played well,” Cardinals senior Kaisey Skibba said.

Skibba teamed with fellow senior Abbey Webber for a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles. Middleton senior Lauren Coons and freshman Maddie Clark notched a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles. And at No. 3 doubles, junior Jessica Wang and senior Amanda Huff posted a 6-3, 6-1 win.

Middleton’s Kai Heineman earned a hard fought 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles. And Ally Hujanen rallied for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles.

Middleton also notched wins at all three doubles flights against Madison Memorial.

Middleton’s girls volleyball team split a pair of matches last week.

The Cardinals fell to visiting Verona, 3-1, last Tuesday. Middleton then rebounded with a 3-0 win over Madison East last Thursday.

Verona, one of the favorites in the Big Eight Conference, notched an impressive 25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18 win over the host Cardinals.

“The atmosphere in the gym was like a playoff match,” Middleton coach Franco Marcos said. “Both crowds were energetic and both teams put on a show.”

Logan Welti finished with 21 kills and 17 digs for Middleton and had a .348 hitting percentage. Lily Welti had 11 kills and  digs, while Mimi McMurray had 25 assists. 

“Verona has an awesome setter in Victoria Brisack, who is able to confuse the defense and put the ball where she wants it,” Marcos said. “Our blocking definitely needs to improve in order to beat the great teams.  

A normal coach might have worried.

An ordinary coach would have lost hour after hour of sleep.

But there isn’t a whole lot that’s commonplace about Middleton defensive coordinator Tom Cabalka. And there’s very little that’s routine about the defenses he fields.

In a Big Eight Conference showdown Friday night, Cabalka and Middleton’s defense came up huge again. The Cardinals sacked Madison La Follette quarterbacks Julian Patton and Frankie Arriola 10 times, held the Lancers to 193 total yards and rolled to a 24-13 win.

Middleton improved to 4-0 and now has sole possession of first place in the Big Eight Conference, while the Lancers fell to 3-1.

“We’ve played three really good games in a row defensively,” Cabalka said. “The kids were very prepared. They were very focused all week long.

“They’re still young and they’re still green. But I’m very happy. Very happy. Very excited about the fact they’re coming together.”

Efficient. Systematic. Methodical.

And in the end, remarkably successful.

This was the story of Middleton’s offense during an extremely impressive 42-21 victory over host Madison East Friday night. The Cardinals’ No. 1 offense scored touchdowns on all six of their drives in a workmanlike manner.

Middleton had just three plays of more than 20 yards all night. Instead, the Cardinals were meticulous in both the details and in their execution and slowly dismantled an overmatched East squad.

Middleton improved to 3-0 overall and in the Big Eight Conference, while East fell to 2-1. The Cardinals now travel to Madison La Follette (3-0) Friday at 7 p.m. in a matchup of the last two undefeated teams in the Big Eight.

“We’ll take that,” Middleton coach Tim Simon said when told his No. 1 offense was 6-for-6 finding the endzone. “It was out best effort of the year.”

Indeed.