By,
Rob Reischel
Middleton Times-Tribune
Sun Prairie — The Green Bay Packers and
Chicago Bears have each other. Ditto
Michigan-Ohio State and most certainly
Texas-Texas A&M.
Rivalries. Nothing in sport quite matches the
drama, the tension or excitement as a great
rivalry, particularly on the gridiron.
And when it comes to the prep football
landscape, the gangs from Middleton and Sun
Prairie have developed one of the more fiery
relationships while producing some of the most
memorable battles in Wisconsin during recent
years. Friday night, in the season-opener for both
teams, another classic was turned out in what's
becoming a yearly tradition.
On a night where players collapsed continually
due to cramps and fatigue left most everyone
with legs of rubber, Sun Prairie was standing tall
and proud at the end. Sun Prairie senior
linebacker Tony Rochester dropped Middleton
senior fullback Matt Meinholz for a safety with
three minutes, 35 seconds left and that proved to be the difference as Sun Prairie
captured the battle of Cardinals, 15-13.
''We're thrilled to get out of here with a win,'' said Sun Prairie coach Mike Hahn,
whose team snapped a two-game losing streak to Middleton that included a 14-10
setback in the second round of last year's playoffs. ''There's no doubt about it. This
was another great game between two very good programs.''
Hahn has that right. Over the last eight years, Sun Prairie has won six Big Eight titles
and Middleton the other two. And barring any unforeseen developments, Friday's
game may have already determined who your 2000 champion will be.
''That wouldn't surprise me at all,'' Middleton coach Kurt Gundlach said.
What was surprising was how Sun Prairie controlled the game early. Behind a 1-yard
scoring plunge from senior quarterback Dugan Gill and a 47-yard touchdown run from
senior tailback Dan Jordan (28 carries, 211 yards), Sun Prairie stormed to a 13-0
lead
But Middleton showed what an arch-rival is supposed to. Character.
First, Middleton drove for a field goal right before halftime, then it chalked up 10 third
quarter points, including a 2-yard Meinholz TD, to even the game at 13-13.
''I thought our kids handled the adversity thrown at them extremely well,'' said
Gundlach, who lost tight end Luke Ingham and wideout/defensive back Tony
Crissinger for the year after it was learned the pair violated the school's athletic code.
''We could have folded up the tent, but we didn't.''
Instead, Middleton's comeback made for great late-game drama.
First, Sun Prairie drove to the Middleton 13-yard-line, but Middleton senior free
safety Michael Morris made his second interception of the night. The only problem
was Morris' momentum carried him out of bounds at the 1-yard-line.
On the next play, Meinholz was drilled for a safety. And when a Middleton defense
that was on the field for 21 of the final 22 plays and all but five seconds of the final
10:18 couldn't produce a stop, Sun Prairie prevailed.
''That's a tough way to lose a football game,'' Gundlach said. ''But we certainly had
our chances.''
And because Middleton didn't take advantage, Sun Prairie grabbed early control of
the Big Eight race.
But afterwards, Hahn wasn't looking ahead. Instead, he wanted to enjoy the moment
after another classic by these two great rivals.
''Games like this are great for high school football,'' said Hahn, who began his 29th
year at Sun Prairie. ''Those are just fun games to be part of.''