Sports

The boys state tennis tournament is two months away.

But the 32-team Dave Steinbach Classic hosted by Brookfield Central last weekend is every bit as stacked as state — if not more so.

That’s why Middleton was on cloud nine after winning the star-studded tournament last weekend.

The Cardinals went 5-0 overall and defeated Marquette, 4-3, to win the championship. Middleton also beat Waukesha West, DePere and Sussex Hamilton by 7-0 scores and toppled Brookfield East, 6-1, during the two-day event.

“It meant a lot to get the job done in a close 4-3 final against Marquette,” Middleton first-year coach Henry Johnson said. “We came out of the gates blazing yesterday and swept our first three opponents, en route to the semifinals. The guys then faced adversity in our final two matches, and we were fortunate to come out as the victors.”

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ impressive weekend:

The season is extremely young.

Tougher hurdles and greater challenges await.

Right now, though, Middleton’s girls softball team is proving that everything it hopes to accomplish this season is extremely realistic.

The Cardinals win their first four games of the season last week, including a pair of Big Eight Conference contests.

Middleton’s fast start left coach Brittany Carl smiling from ear to ear.

“Right out of the gate, I'm impressed with this particular group of student-athletes,” Carl said. “They have great chemistry. They challenge each other day in and day out in practice and aren't afraid to hold each other accountable in the best possible way.

Opportunities knocked.

The Middleton baseball team only answered once.  The Cardinals left seven runners on base, had another picked off first base, and had yet another thrown out after being caught in a pickle between third base and home.

Sun Prairie East didn't fare a whole lot better, but a station-to-station approach and a pair of two-out hits were enough to hand Middleton a 4-1, Big Eight Conference loss on Thursday afternoon at Summit Credit Union Field.

“I think they just had a little bit better situational hitting,” said Middleton senior pitcher Noah Schmitt, the hard-luck loser after getting charged with three earned runs on only four hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. “When they had guys in scoring position, they executed a little bit better than us. But other than that, I think we played a pretty good game overall."

They waited, waited and waited some more.

And Middleton girls soccer coach Mary Duffy admits she was worried that her team didn’t start its season until April 14 — two weeks later than many other teams.

“Most teams have already had a few games by the time (last) Friday rolled around,” Duffy said. “So I wondered how other teams would match up against us.”

Turns out Duffy and the Cardinals had nothing to worry about.

Middleton opened its season with a 5-1 win over Hudson last Friday. The Cardinals followed that with a 2-0 win over Oshkosh West last Saturday.

If it’s true that first impressions are most telling, it could be a memorable spring for these Cardinals.

Middleton raced to a 2-0 halftime lead over Hudson. After the Raiders closed within 2-1, the Cardinals ripped off three straight goals to pull away.

“The girls put on a show,” Duffy said.

Middleton’s boys track team finished in third place at the 18-team Franklin Invite last Friday. The Cardinals’ girls were eighth out of 18 teams.

Bay Port won the boys’ title with 102 points, while Sussex Hamilton (88.5), Middleton (78), Kettle Moraine (71.5) and Wauwatosa East (68) rounded out the top five.

Bay Port also won the girls’ title with 133.5 points. Middleton finished with 42 points.

Here were the Cardinals’ top-10 finishes:

BOYS

• William Whiteis won the 1,600-meter run (4:35.23) and teammate Harper Fahey was second (4:39.58).

• Finn Patenaude won the 300-meter hurdles (39.90) and was third in the 110-meter hurdles (15:08).

• KJ Peterson was second in the shot put (47 6 ½”).

• Dean Montour was third in the 3,200-meter run (10:05.57).

• Sirrye Retelle-Branch was third in the triple jump (40-6 ½).

Tom Cabalka might have one of the toughest jobs in the state right now.

But no one is crying for Middleton’s boys golf coach.

You see, Cabalka has eight, nine, even 10 players that are worthy of being on the Cardinals’ five-man varsity roster.

So picking a top-five for each event is a tough gig.

“It's a good problem to have,” Cabalka said.

Cabalka did an awfully good job last week as the Cardinals had a pair of stellar performances.

Middleton won its own triangular held at Pleasant View Golf Course on April 12. The Cardinals shot a 312 to easily outdistance runner-up Sun Prairie West (352) and Madison West (361).

Amazingly, Middleton’s JV team shot 320 on the same day and would have rolled to a win at the triangular.

Option one said no thanks.

Option two chose not to interview.

So after Middleton athletic director Jamie Sims had two external candidates turn down the Cardinals’ head football coaching job, he looked internally.

On Tuesday, Middleton named Joe Poehls and Tim Simon as interim co-head coaches for the 2023 season. Both men were assistant coaches in the program the last several years.

The duo will replace Jason Pertzborn, who resigned on Jan. 26 in the midst of a bullying scandal.

In the time since, McFarland defensive coordinator Brian Hellenbrand was offered the position, then declined it on March 28.

Middleton then re-opened the interview process and targeted Eau Claire Regis coach Bryant Brenner. Brenner opted not to interview, though, and Sims then turned to Poehls and Simon.

The third time proved to be a charm for Sam Pilof.

Pilof, a junior linebacker at Middleton High School, took an unofficial recruiting visit to the Rutgers University campus in Piscataway, N.J. this past weekend.

On Saturday, Pilof took a big weight off of his shoulders when he verbally committed to head coach Greg Schiano to play football for the Scarlet Knights as a member of the 2024 recruiting class.

“It feels great. It’s hard to explain,” Pilof, said during a phone call on Sunday before he returned home. “Now I can just focus on my senior season and try and improve myself.”

After trimming his list of suitors to three, including the University of Wisconsin and Penn State University, Pilof said that he was prepared to make a decision during his third trip to the Rutgers’ campus.

He didn’t hesitate when asked ‘Why Rutgers?’

Five all-conference players return.

A gifted senior class will lead them.

And there are newcomers ready to step into key roles.

So despite playing in one of the state’s toughest conferences and sectionals, hopes will be extremely high for Middleton’s girls soccer team this spring.

“To say going to state isn’t always on my mind, I would be lying,” said Middleton coach Mary Duffy, whose team begins its new season Friday against Hudson at Otto Breitenbach Stadium at 7 p.m. “It is there. However, as I have gotten older, I realize how important these 2 ½ months are in other aspects of life.

“I hope for a season that they are proud of, a season where they came together with a group of players, fought for each other, to know that their teammate has their back, left everything on the field for themselves and for their teammates.”

Middleton has been awfully good in those areas throughout Duffy’s tenure. And she expects this spring to be similar.

Following a successful season-opening, sun-splashed spring trip to Florida, Middleton’s baseball team came up empty in their home opener on a cool and cloudy Saturday afternoon.

Junior right-hander Cashton Jones and senior left-hander Avery White combined to toss seven shutout innings to help Madison Memorial blank host Middleton 3-0 in a Big Eight Conference season-opening matchup for both teams.

Jones threw 82 pitches, 51 for strikes, in six innings, allowing just two singles and a walk with four strikeouts.

Middleton, which scored 17 runs in a pair of victories on its spring trip, could only manage an infield single from senior catcher Wyatt Baird to open the second inning and a two-out single from senior designated hitter Hayden Hellenbrand in the third inning.