Middleton Football beats Madison West on Torin Pettaway TD

“I started running and thought, ‘Oh, I have the ball in my hands,’” he said. “So I had to make sure I got in.”

Pettaway, a University of Wisconsin commit, carried the ball 50 yards to the end zone to score Middleton’s lone touchdown in the 7-3 win over Madison West.

The fumble recovery that became a touchdown set the tone for how Middleton won the game: the suffocating defense.

“Our offense, you know, they’ve given it their best effort, so if they can’t deliver, we’ve just got to step up,” Pettaway said. “That was our goal from the beginning. Our goal was to cause turnovers, force fumbles, just make it happen.

Middleton’s offense never found its rhythm due to a combination of incomplete passes, penalties and injuries.

Middleton standout running back Elijah Jackson left the game during his team’s first possession after a helmet-to-helmet hit. Jackson came into the game having scored touchdowns in back-to-back games. Quarterback Joey Passaglia finished the game with a 30% completion rate and the team was awarded numerous offensive penalties.

But Pettaway and the defense delivered results time and time again.

Sophomore Reed Falk recorded his first interception of the season in the first quarter on the Regents’ possession after Pettaway’s touchdown.

Falk later made a crucial tackle late in the first half. The Regents had first and goal inside the 5-yard line, and he tackled the West receiver for a loss in front of the 7-yard line.

The Regents had to settle for a field goal and never came that close to a touchdown.

Middleton’s defense allowed just seven first downs to Madison West.

Middleton’s Patrick Passini set up the Cardinals with the team’s second interception. Middleton managed to get to the 1-yard line, but ultimately turned the ball over on downs.

But every time the Regents had any momentum, the Cardinals defense crushed it. Madison West couldn’t get past the 10-yard line on the ensuing drive and had to punt.

The loss dropped Madison West to 4-5. The Cardinals will make the playoffs for the 28th straight season after finishing 6-3 overall, including 5-2 in the Big Eight.

“The defense has been working really hard over the last few weeks to perfect everything and we’re just playing as hard as we can,” Pettaway said. “So I’m really confident.”