Sports

They might have established themselves as the team to beat in the Big Eight Conference.

And they proved to the Milwaukee-area schools that they’re certainly for real.

Middleton’s soccer team enjoyed another strong week, beginning with a 2-1 win over conference foe Verona last Tuesday. The Cardinals then tied Menomonee Falls, 2-2, and rolled past Germantown, 7-3 at the Kettle Moraine Quadrangular.

Middleton, ranked fifth in the latest Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association poll, showed it deserves its lofty ranking.

The Cardinals had their hands full during a tight win in Verona. But Middleton got goals from Ivan Khamenka and Braden Allen and prevailed.

Junior defender Colin Ledin also had a terrific game.

“We squeaked through,” Middleton coach Ben Kollasch said. “A tough win due to some beautiful play, lots of us scrappy work and a goal line clearance from Colin Ledin.

Last week was a long one for Middleton’s girls swimming team.

The Cardinals had seven days to stew over a loss to Verona-Mount Horeb. And Middleton’s next meet couldn’t come fast enough.

When it finally arrived last Friday, the Cardinals were ready and cruised past visiting Madison East, 132-38. Middleton improved to 2-1 in the Big Eight Conference.

“This was a much better meet for us,” Middleton coach Lauren Cabalka said. “The girls had a long weekend to recover after a tough loss.  

“The girls came back in a much better place and ready to move forward. After a solid week of practice, the girls were back in their comfort zone and ready to swim the way they are capable of swimming.”

And that’s what the Cardinals did, capturing 10 first place finishes in the 11 events and sweeping the top three spots in seven events.

Middleton’s boys cross country team began its season with a third place finish at the Verona Invite last Saturday.

Madison La Follette won the 21-team meet with 46 points. Madison West (51), Middleton (134), Baraboo (139) and Madison Memorial (160) rounded out the top five.

“The Big Eight (Conference) has some very good runners with West and La Follette stacked up front,” Middleton co-coach Cindy Bremser said. “All the boys ran aggressively.”

Cardinals sophomore Gus Newcomb led Middleton with an 11^th place overall finish, completing the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 47 seconds. Junior Christian Lindblom was 20^th (17:03), freshman Jack Radar was 28^th (17:18), junior David Marrone was 36^th (17:28) and senior Andrew Plumb was 39^th (17:40).

The message was simple. The execution was sublime.

Middleton’s girls cross country team went to the star-studded Verona Invite last Saturday with the following mantra: ‘The Pack Attack is back.’

And back they were.

Middleton, which has finished fourth at state the last two years, showed it could be in store for another banner year. The Cardinals won the 22-team event with 67 points, edging Madison West (68) by one point for the title.

Madison Memorial (89), La Crosse Logan (118) and Madison Edgewood (132) rounded out the top five.

For Middleton, this was pack running at its finest. The Cardinals’ top seven runners all finished within 34 seconds of each other.

In the grand scheme of things, the play had no real impact on the end result.

In other ways, though, it was a microcosm of the passion, drive and smarts Middleton’s football team is playing with.

Early in the fourth quarter of Middleton’s 40-6 win over Madison East Friday, a snap went over the head of Cardinals punter Declan Whinnery. The Middleton senior chased down the rolling ball, but immediately had three Purgolders breathing down his neck.

Whinnery raced to the left, and even though he’s a right-footed kicker, he unleashed a 40-yard punt with his left foot.

The punt was a highlight-reel moment. Making it even better from Middleton’s perspective is East was flagged for roughing the punter, and the ensuing first down eventually led to the Cardinals’ final touchdown.

“That was an amazing play by Declan,” Middleton coach Tim Simon said. “Really amazing.”

It was a night of amazing for the Cardinals.

Isaac Mezera and Cindy Bremser set the bar.

Then Middleton’s boys cross country team told their co-head coaches to move it up.

The Cardinals coaches told their team a top-10 finish at state should be a goal this year. Middleton’s runners have even loftier aspirations, though.

“The guys think Cindy and I are setting the bar too low when we say we'll be a top 10 team in Wisconsin this season,” Mezera said.

It’s easy to see why.

Middleton surprised the cross country world a year ago when it’s extremely young team qualified for state and finished 15^th there.

The Cardinals return their top five runners from that team and welcome a handful of gifted runners. So for many, a top-10 finish just doesn’t seem like enough.

“Having our top-five back means a great deal to the program, the individuals, and the coaches,” Mezera said. “I can honestly say that this squad is the best boys team in my 13 years with the program.”  

They were already one of the most talented and experienced teams in the state.

Then, Middleton’s girls cross country team added more gifted runners to the mix.

The Cardinals brought back six of seven runners from last year’s team that finished fourth at the WIAA Division 1 state meet.

Then at last week’s time trials, Middleton had three newcomers break through. The result is a team that should challenge for a state title this fall.

Middleton’s first test comes Saturday, when it begins the season at the Verona Invite.

“Running your fastest time at the end of the season is everyone’s goal,” said Middleton co-coach Cindy Bremser, who shares head coaching duties with Isaac Mezera. “It is natural to want to place higher than the previous year, and hopefully we can prepare each athlete to be their strongest at that time. A lot will depend on who returns from other teams and who will move up on our team.”

Ben White swears there isn’t a “reload” button at his office, his home, or under his dashboard.

White’s contemporaries in the Big Eight Conference — and the rest of the state — probably think he’s fibbing, though.

White, the most successful coach in the history of Middleton boys volleyball program, has led the Cardinals to seven conference titles in the last eight years. Middleton has also reached the WIAA state tournament five times since 2006.

In theory, this should be a rebuilding year inside the program after Middleton lost 11 players from last season’s state tournament team. But White and his Cardinals believe otherwise.

“Honestly the expectations don’t change,” White said last week. “The league is winnable and it will be our goal to win conference for the eighth conference title in the last nine years.”

White has done more than build a consistent winner at MHS. He’s built a family.

VERONA — ‘The Streak’ was almost five years old.

It was impressive, imposing and downright extraordinary.

But all good things must end, and for Middleton’s girls swimming team, the expiration date came last Friday.

The Cardinals, who hadn’t lost a Big Eight Conference dual meet since the 2009 season, were dunked by host Verona-Mount Horeb. The Wildcats nipped Middleton, 89-81, in a thrilling — and extremely loud — season-opener for both teams.

“We knew this was going to be one of our toughest tests of the season,” Middleton coach Lauren Wencel said. “To have it as the first meet of the season made it that much more difficult. We just were not mentally ready for this meet. That's all there is to it.  

“We match up to Verona very well in the pool and have the ability to beat a team like that. If you do not go in with confidence and poise, you will not beat them. We have a very young team and we’re just not quite there yet.”

Middleton’s girls volleyball team opened its season with a bang last week.

The Cardinals went to the Cobleigh Invitational in Wisconsin Rapids and won the tournament.

Middleton went 7-0 on the day, marking an extremely impressive start for a young and revamped team.

“This is a good start for the confidence level of this young team,” Middleton coach Franco Marcos said.

Middleton opened with a 28-26, 19-25, 16-14 win over defending tournament champion Fox Valley Lutheran. Logan Welti led the way with 15 kills and six digs, Rachel Severson had 11 assists and Audrey Hinshaw had nine kills and two blocks. Amber Karn and Morgan Schmitt both added two aces and six digs, while Cole Jordee had nine assists.