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MIDDLETON - Joe Dye is no historian, but the Janesville Parker football coach has been around the Big Eight Conference long enough to recognize one trend.
"Anybody that studies history in this league," he said, "I'll tell you right now: You don't score points on Middleton very often."
Certainly not the way the Vikings scored them Friday.
In a span of 2 minutes, 25 seconds early in the fourth quarter, Parker rattled off three touchdowns to break open a tie game and then held on for a 27-14 victory over the Cardinals to remain undefeated and atop the Big Eight.
That the Vikings did their damage without overwhelming input from the usual suspects - running backs Cas Prime and Matt Palan, who were held to a combined 92 yards rushing - made the spurt all that more amazing.
Junior Duane Wenzel, who took over as featured back in the third quarter after Prime injured his right ankle and aggravated a sore shoulder, opened the stretch with a 5-yard scoring sprint and capped it with a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown.
But the play that broke it open was a mental lapse by Middleton, which inexplicably failed to cover a squib kick after Wenzel's first score. Cole Pustina, the closest Cardinals player to the ball, watched as Parker's Eric Zimmerman dove to cover it.
The Vikings capitalized three plays later when senior quarterback Ryan Stanton connected with Jesse Meserole on a 16-yard touchdown pass.
"I was just saying, 'Holy moly, I hope that the guy's as slow as I am, 'cuz maybe he won't react and get there,'" Dye said of the special teams snafu. "It was phenomenal. We bust our butts every week working on special (teams), and they did it tonight."
Meanwhile, Middleton coach Kurt Gundlach was incensed about his team's penchant for mental errors and penalties. The Cardinals (3-2 overall, 3-2 conference) were flagged 10 times for 62 yards, including a penalty for too many players and two delay calls.
"Our play is very undisciplined, and that's disappointing," he said. "The head coach takes responsibility for it."
Parker (5-0, 4-0) won its second straight game in the series and amassed more points against Middleton than the Cardinals had allowed in their first four games combined (26).
The Vikings, ranked No. 6 in The Associated Press Division 1 poll, moved within a victory of clinching their second straight WIAA playoff berth.
"We stepped up," said Wenzel, who carried 15 times for 60 yards. "We came up here knowing we were going to win, and we dominated."
That's probably best classified as hyperbole. Though Parker moved the ball well all night - its first three drives stalled in Middleton territory at the 27-, 35- and 30-yard lines, respectively - the end zone proved elusive until Prime punched in from 1 yard out with 4:23 left in the half to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive.
The Cardinals, however, answered immediately. Junior Cole Cook, making his first varsity start at quarterback in place of Boone Block, marched Middleton 85 yards on its next possession.
He hooked up with Pustina on both a third- and fourth-down conversion in the sequence and with Kyle Brodd for a 15-yard score, inspired perhaps by fallen teammate Brian McNally.
Play was stopped for approximately 15 minutes after the first play of the drive while McNally was carried off in a stretcher and a neck immobilizer. Cardinals coach Kurt Gundlach said the junior right tackle sustained a severe stinger, with tingling in his lower legs, but was OK.
"He's one of my best friends. I'm going to have to talk to him tomorrow to see how he's doing," said Cook, who was 13 of 29 for 160 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. "That really got us pumped up to score for him, and win the game for him."
The latter wasn't to be. Cook directed a quick-strike drive after Wenzel's second TD, throwing to J.J. Bliss for a 33-yard score to draw Middleton within 27-14.
The Cards got a break when Palan fumbled on Parker's next play, but their drive stalled at the Vikings' 24 with 5:38 left.
"So far, it was our biggest game of the year," Zimmerman said. "Just keep building on it."
Janesville Parker 0 7 0 20 - 27
Middleton 0 7 0 7 - 14
Janesville Parker - Prime 1 run (Wenzel kick)
Middleton - Brodd 15 pass from Cook (Morris kick)
Janesville Parker - Wenzel 5 run (Wenzel kick)
Janesville Parker - Meserole 16 pass from Stanton (kick failed)
Janesville Parker - Wenzel 28 interception return (Wenzel kick)
Middleton - Bliss 33 pass from Cook (Morris kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs - JP 14, Mid 12. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) - JP 49-149, Mid 24-62. Passing yards - JP 109, Mid 160. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) - JP 8-11-0,
By Jason McMahon
Special to The Capital Times
September 15, 2001
Middleton football coach Kurt Gundlach walks the sidelines with a clipboard, not a crystal ball.
But one had to wonder Friday night if he hadn't traded that clipboard in.
Gundlach eschewed a go-ahead field goal on a fourth-down late in the final quarter of a tie game against Madison Memorial, only to see the Spartans stuff Middleton fullback Danny Mazur short and take over on downs.
But on the very next play, Gundlach looked like a psychic as Middleton safety Justin Reneau picked off a John Burmaster pass and zipped 22 yards into the end zone for the winning score in the Cardinals' 20-13 Big Eight Conference victory over the Spartans at Mansfield Stadium.
Gundlach said he never even considered a field goal on fourth-and-2 from the Memorial 11-yard line with 3 minutes, 28 seconds remaining. His defense -- including cornerback Casey Hogan, who tipped Burmaster's pass -- made a prophet out of him.
"I'll take our defense down there and play with it," Gundlach said. "That's just smart football, relying on your strengths -- and that's our defense right now."
And that defense had just enough in it to stave off Memorial's last-ditch drive. After a squib kickoff gave Memorial the ball at its own 46-yard line, the Spartans advanced to the Middleton 13 before running out of downs.
Spartans tailback Martin Howard carried the ball 6 times for 37 yards to give Memorial a first down on the Cardinal 14 with less than a minute to go. But with Howard running at will, the Spartans went with two straight unsuccessful pass plays.
Howard then gained a yard on third-and-10 before Memorial's fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
"Hindsight's always 20-20, and you can second-guess yourself to death," Memorial coach Gary Kolpin said of the final series. "We were starting to be concerned about the clock. We took a couple shots and it didn't work out."
Memorial (1-3 overall, 1-3 Big Eight) was besieged by penalties. The Spartans were flagged nine times for 68 yards.
The most painful Memorial miscue came early in the second half with the Spartans at the Cardinal 26-yard line. Memorial, which had just recovered a muffed punt, was nailed for holding, leading to a second-and-19. Burmaster was promptly picked off by linebacker Charlie Lozano.
"We had a few mistakes tonight that cost us," Kolpin said. "You look at the penalties in crucial situations. I mean, that happens; penalties are a part of the game. They just seemed to come at the wrong time."
Memorial took two leads in the second quarter, but each time Middleton (3-1, 3-1) answered with scores from tailback Kyle Brodd. The shifty senior finished with 108 yards on 21 carries, well below his season average.
"Kyle got some tough yards," Gundlach said. "He did a real good job of getting what he could. He likes to look for the big play because he can make the big play. ... I thought he did a great job tonight doing what he could to help us control the ball, keep the chains moving a little bit, and keep it away from Howard."
The Cardinals' game plan all night long centered around keeping the ball out of the hands of Howard, who Gundlach calls the best high school tailback he's seen in 20 years of coaching. Howard came into the game with 500 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns, and clearly had Middleton scared.
The Cardinals squibbed each one of their kickoffs to avoid giving one of the state's most electrifying kick returners a chance to go all the way.
Howard ended the night with 133 yards on 27 carries. He opened with a 29-year-old scamper, but then was quiet until the final drive.
Middleton 0-6-7-7 -- 20
Madison Memorial 0-13-0-0 -- 13
Madison Memorial -- Gunnelson 8 pass from Burmaster (Lynch kick)
Middleton -- Brodd 3 run (kick failed)
Madison Memorial -- Burmaster 6 run (kick failed)
Middleton -- Brodd 18 run (Morris kick)
Middleton -- Reneau 20 interception return (Morris kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs -- Mid 14, MM 12. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) -- Mid 41-161, MM 38-146. Passing yards -- Mid 69, MM 68. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) -- Mid 3-8-0, MM 7-22-2. Fumbles-lost -- Mid 2-1, MM 0-0. Penalties-yards -- Mid 4-30, MM 9-68.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: Mid -- Brodd 21-108; MM -- Howard 27-133. Passing: Mid -- Block 3-8-0, 69; MM -- Burmaster 7-20-2, 68. Receiving: Mid -- Pustina 1-27; MM -- Gunnelson 2-55.
By Jason McMahon
Special to The Capital Times
September 1, 2001
MIDDLETON - Kurt Gundlach walked off the field alone Friday night, picking up pieces of sod torn away from his football field and patting them back into place.
The Middleton football coach will have to do a similar job repairing the collective psyche of his team. The Cardinals must pick up the pieces of their season after a stunning 7-3 loss on their home field to Big Eight Conference rival Janesville Craig.
The mood was eerily somber as Gundlach addressed his team in the end zone after the game. None of the players spoke and the coach was barely audible as the Cougars rejoiced at the other end of the field.
"We just haven't grown up yet to the point where we can handle a tough football game like this," Gundlach said. "Either we're going to grow up, or we're going to dwell on the loss and find ways to make excuses for ourselves."
Meanwhile, on the other sideline, Craig grew up in a hurry. The Cougars (2-0), who put only seven returning letterwinners on the field from a team that went 3-6 last year, couldn't contain their excitement over knocking off one of the league's perennial powers.
"I'm trying to make football a big deal at Janesville Craig, and beating Middleton like this is a big deal," said second-year Cougars coach Bill O'Leary. "This is something historical. We don't beat Middleton very often, and we certainly as the dickens don't beat them up here very often."
Craig marched down the field on its first drive, scoring on a 3-yard Brandon Barry run. The junior tailback hit paydirt right after a 26-yard hookup from quarterback Joshua King to split end John Richards.
The Cougars kept pounding on Middleton (1-1). On their next trip down the field, they rattled off 80 yards on the ground before being stopped on downs.
Barry combined with backfield mates Greg Olson and Daniel Ryan to rush for 173 yards,. They racked up 109 before the end of the first quarter on just two drives.
"We thought we would be able to control the ball on offense pretty much from the start after that first series," Barry said. "But Middleton really stepped up."
That they did. Middleton stiffened, allowing Craig inside the Cardinals' 40 only once more, and Middleton forced a fumble to end that drive.
The Cardinals sacked King four times, intercepted a halfback option pass, and tamed Craig's three-headed monster after the first quarter.
But Middleton could get nothing going offensively. The Cardinals earned a first-and-goal in the closing minute of the first half, but could only muster a Dan Morris field goal.
Middleton visited the red zone just once more, but the threat was quashed when Richards -- whom O'Leary calls "Golden" -- lived up to his nickname by picking off a Boone Block pass in the end zone in the third quarter.
The Cardinals moved the ball into Craig territory three more times. But each drive ended on downs.
Middleton had one last gasp, After starting at its own 11 with 1:54 left, a controversial 50-yard reception by tight end J.J. Bliss put the ball on the Craig 35.
But the drive ended after Block was sacked and then threw three straight incompletions.
"I was at the helm of this ship last year when we stood around and let people beat us in the fourth quarter," O'Leary said. "We had a chance to lose this lead at the half, and we didn't do it, and we had a chance to lose the whole darn game at the end, and we didn't."
Senior tailback Kyle Brodd gained 131 yards on 28 carries for the Cardinals, who must regroup in time for Beloit Memorial next week.
"It's not a two-game season," Gundlach said. "It's a nine-game season, last I checked the schedule."
Janesville Craig7000 -- 7
Middleton0300 -- 3
Janesville Craig -- Barry 3 run (Faus kick)
Middleton -- FG Morris 32 TEAM STATISTICS
First downs -- JC 10, M 13. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) -- JC 42-145, M 38-156. Passing yards -- JC 42, M 144. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) -- JC 2-4-1, M 10-24-1. Fumbles-lost -- JC 2-1, M 1-0. Penalties-yards -- JC 5-45, M 6-50.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: JC -- Olson 17-85; M -- Brodd 28-131. Passing: JC -- King 2-3-0, 42; M -- Block 9-23-1, 135. Receiving: JC -- Richards 1-26; M -- Bliss 2-82.