By,
Rob Reischel
Middleton Times-Tribune
Muskego ‹ They've shown you flashes of
brilliance all season long.
An impressive touchdown march here. A
stellar defensive series there. And a
standout special teams play now and
again.
But putting it all together? Now that was
the real challenge for Middleton's football
team.
Until Tuesday night, that is. That's when
the Cardinals got a monster game from
their defense, a nearly flawless contest
from their offense and special play from
their special teams and upset host
Muskego, 35-14, in the first round of the
WIAA Division 1 playoffs.
Middleton, which improved to 8-2 on the season, advances to play at Waukesha West
Saturday. As of press time, a starting time was not known. Muskego, the No. 4 seed,
finished its year 7-3.
''No doubt, that was our most complete game of the year,'' Middleton coach Kurt
Gundlach said. ''I'm real happy.''
With good reason.
Muskego entered with one of the state's most dangerous ground attacks led by tailback
Steve Kleinertz and his 1,462 yards. But after Warriors' running back Chad Somodi
broke the first play of the game for a 69-yard touchdown, Muskego managed just 96
yards on its remaining 36 carries (2.7 yards per carry).
''We worried about stopping the run first and other than that big play, we did a good job
doing that,'' said senior linebacker/fullback A.J. Ziegler, who had three short touchdown
runs. ''I thought the defense really stepped up.''
As did the offense.
Muskego, which was allowing just 14 points per contest, was virtually helpless as
Middleton moved the ball at will.
Junior tailback Kyle Brodd did the dirty work on the ground, running for 129 yards on 23
carries, while Ziegler got the glory down on the goal line. And senior quarterback
Jeremy Ziegler gave Middleton an element the Warriors didn't have ‹ a passing game ‹
throwing for 91 yards and a touchdown to Dustin Ziegler, while running for 63 yards, as
well.
''I just thought we mixed it up really well all night,'' Jeremy Ziegler said. ''We're not
afraid to throw and we ran the ball well all night. And having that many options makes it
easier.''
The Cardinals certainly made it look easy after falling behind, 7-0.
A.J. Ziegler returned the ensuing kickoff 25 yards to the Muskego 41, then capped off a
7-play, 41-yard drive with a one-yard TD run that evened the game, 7-7. After a
29-yard Brandon Hellenbrand field goal and a 10-yard TD run from Kleinertz put
Muskego back ahead, 14-10, Middleton really began asserting itself.
Midway through the second quarter, the Cardinals drove to the Muskego 13, where
Jeremy Ziegler delivered a beautiful pass to Dustin Ziegler for a touchdown. Although
the score was certainly nice, the real beauty of the play was how the two ad-libbed it.
When Muskego defensive back Ryan Fitzgerald jumped the attempted slant pass to
Ziegler, the senior wideout just continued his route only further across the field and
deeper. And Jeremy Ziegler had the smarts to pull down the ball when he saw
Fitzgerald break on the route, then re-cock and fire when Ziegler had cleared.
''Jeremy made a great play to not throw it and I just kept running,'' Dustin Ziegler. ''That
gave us a big lift.''
That score, and a 30-yard Hellenbrand field goal right before half, gave the Cardinals a
20-14 intermission lead and a world of momentum.
''We felt really good at half,'' Gundlach said.
They'd feel even better in the second half.
After a Muskego drive died at Middleton's 37, the Cardinals put together a march that
broke the Warriors' back. Beginning at its own 17, Middleton moved the length of the
field in nine plays and 3 1/2 minutes. And when A.J. Ziegler went in from the one again,
and Jeremy Ziegler ran in the two-point conversion, the Cardinals were in full control,
28-14.
''I kind of felt them wearing down,'' A.J. Ziegler said. ''Their interior linemen were going
both ways and they were kind of dying.''
The obituary was complete when A.J. Ziegler crashed in from 10 yards out with 2 1/2
minutes remaining to give him a hat trick of scores on the night. And for the Cardinals, it
was time to begin celebrating their most complete effort of the season.
''I just thought we played a great all-around game,'' Jeremy Ziegler said. ''We all knew
we could do it and we were waiting for it to happen. Well, it was a good time for it.''