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Middleton leaves Parker football team behind

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Parker vs. Middleton Football

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JANESVILLE — Joe Dye is a firm believer in not allowing his football teams to look in the rearview mirror.

The longtime successful Janesville Parker coach likes to focus on the present.

It’s a good thing, too, because his 2011 team would not like what it sees.

After starting the season 5-0, the Vikings suffered their third loss here Friday night, a 28-7 setback against Middleton in a Big Eight game at Monterey Stadium.

Parker High (5-3) slipped to fourth place in the conference, while Middleton (8-1) stayed alone in second.

The loss likely will send Parker on the road in its WIAA playoff opener.

Two first-half fumbles and an interception helped stake the Cardinals to a 21-0 halftime lead. The Vikings cut their deficit to 14 midway through the third quarter, but Middleton responded with a long drive to put the game out of reach.

“You don’t want to play 21 behind to these guys,” Dye said. “I don’t think we gave ourselves a real good chance, but that’s high school football. We didn’t manage the football very well, and I’m disappointed in that.

“Our scheme was good, and we moved the football on them, but you can’t spot them 21.”

Senior tailback Adam Vesterfelt carried the load again for Parker but was virtually all of the team’s offense. Vesterfelt had 200 yards rushing on 33 carries, but Parker finished with only 274 yards of total offense.

“Vesterfelt’s a great back, and he came close to breaking a couple of long runs. My heart stopped a couple of times, but we were able to bottle him up,” Middleton coach Tim Simon said.

“It’s never easy to come down here and play. Parker’s very physical, and you have to be able to take advantage of any opportunities you get, and we were able to do that with a couple of turnovers.”

Both teams fumbled on their first possession, with Parker giving up the ball at the Middleton 10-yard line. The Cardinals took the lead for good on A.J. Redders’ 1-yard sneak with 51 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Middleton made it 14-0 on Redders’ 14-yard touchdown pass to Chris Thompson with 4:16 left in the half.

Vesterfelt had 125 yards rushing the first half, but the rest of the team had minus-3 yards of total offense.

Redders was sharp the first half. The senior quarterback completed 13 of 16 passes in the first 24 minutes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

With his team in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Dye said it’s important to focus on Madison La Follette in the regular-season finale Friday night at Monterey Stadium.

“I know our kids are going to get back to work, starting tomorrow morning,” Dye said. “This is over, and we have a new challenge in front of us.”

MIDDLETON 28, PARKER 7

Middleton 7 14 0 7—28

Janesville Parker 0 0 7 0—7

Scoring summary: M—A.J. Redders, 1 run (Derek Rongstad kick). M—ChrisThompson, 14 pass from Redders (Rongstad kick). M—Mack Mohan, 10 pass from Redders (Rongstad kick). JP—Vernon Franklin, 20 pass from Decker Thompson (Cullin Simonson kick). M—Mike Stevenson, 2 run (Rongstad kick).

Statistics: First downs—M 16, JP 13. Rushing—M 36-78, JP 47-244. Yards passing—M 185, JP 30. Passes—M 19-14-1, JP 11-2-2. Fumbles—M 3-0, JP 3-2. Penalties—JP 5-45, M 2-10.