On Nov. 9, 2024, the Middleton Boys Varsity Soccer team secured the state championship title for the third time in Middleton High School history. They successfully beat Green Bay Preble and defended their championship title for the second year running.

When the 2024 fall soccer season started in September, many had high expectations for Head Coach Kevin Pauls’ varsity team. Having won the state championship in the previous year, the boys were expected to have a great season–and they made sure to work hard and live up to expectations.

According to senior Quinn Davis, the squad trained five days a week every night, every week finding “what doesn’t work in a game and then fixing it.”

“With sixteen seniors, the team did a lot for themselves… a lot of organizing and then just redirecting some things,” Pauls said. “But a lot of times they were the leaders and they were the ones seeing things on the field that we needed to adjust with…It was a great time to coach.”

The training paid off–and the team entered sectional playoffs as the number one seed with a 15-3 record and the favorite to become sectional champions.

As playoffs began, Middleton made sure to get off to a fast start.

Middleton cruised through Janesville Parker and narrowly beat Sun Prairie West by 2-1. Then, with a victory against Oregon, Middleton would play against the No. 2 seed, Madison West, to then become the Sectional Champions.

Against Madison West, both teams scored once in both periods–ending regulation with a 2-2 tie. Overtime was not enough to separate the two sides, resulting in a penalty shootout–and after 100 hard-fought minutes, Middleton became Sectional Champs after winning 3-1 in penalties.

However, the Cardinals were not done. Three other sectional champions had emerged from playoffs–Marquette with the #1 seed, Brookfield East with the #2 seed, and Green Bay Preble with the #4 seed. With four teams left in the running, Middleton would have to win two more games in order to become the state champions. In WIAA tournaments the four sectional champs go against each other, with the #1 seed competing against the #4 seed and the #2 and #3 seeds competing against each other.

In a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s State Championship, Middleton took on Brookfield East in the state semifinals. Although they conceded a goal early, Middleton was able to rally back, scoring twice in two minutes via a close-range shot by Luke Weber (10) and a rebound by Jimmy Murphy (12). 

For the second time in a row, Middleton was in the finals with the chance to make school history by winning back-to-back state championships for the first time.

They were to take on Green Bay Preble, who beat number-one seed Marquette in the semifinals. 

Middleton struck early in the final when Riley Kann (12)  scored in the second minute with a header off of a free kick. In the second half, Sawyer FitzRandolph (12) hit a bar-down bomb from outside of the box, sealing the win for Middleton, and cementing their place in history as, without a doubt, the most successful team era to ever play for Middleton. 

For many on the team, it was a dream come true.

“It kinda hit me today, that we were like, state champs,” Davis said. “Yesterday was tiring, you kind of just feel relieved, you know, a little sad ‘cause [it’s] our last season as seniors, the last game, but…to be the best in the state, especially two years in a row… that’s something.”

Teague Belgiano (12) added, “The whole team (was) pretty ecstatic…the bus ride back was just music and a great time.”

When asked about factors that contributed to the team’s success, both Davis and Belgiano had similar answers. According to them, the team’s incredible success was a result of both hard work and team chemistry.

“It all came down to just, [that] we all got along super well. I mean, we all already knew that we could all ball out and play good, that was never a question. When the season got rolling, we all just grew together,” Belgiano said. 

He also mentioned that the team had a good relationship with their coaches, some of which joined specifically for playoffs.

“We had a couple of team dinners throughout the season and… just spending time every night with a bunch of buddies, you’re just bound to get closer,” Davis said.

Coach Pauls also mentioned the academic excellence of the team, with some having outstanding grade point averages and others even working at non-profit organizations such as Middleton Meals Matter outside of school, indicating how well-rounded the team was overall even outside of soccer. 

“I think all of our guys, in different ways, are leaders and represent our school,” Pauls said. “It was evident during championship night–they actually said ‘Hey, let’s make sure we’re just cheering positively” and asked us to ask the crowd to cheer positively for our team and not worry about the other team. 

“It was a special team,” Davis said. “By winning state, it shows it was destiny.”

Middleton Boys Varsity Soccer is a wildly successful program, and in the best of times, They’ve always represented Middleton by showing character, respect, and talent.