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.