Middleton football beats Madison West in Torin Pettaway TD

“I started running and thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got 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 into the end zone to score Middleton’s only touchdown in a 7-3 win over Madison West.

The fumble recovery turned touchdown set the tone for how Middleton won the game – his stifling defense.

“Our offense, you know, they tried their hardest, so when they can’t make that happen, we need 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 a 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 entered the game scoring touchdowns in consecutive games. Quarterback Joey Passaglia finished the game with a 30% completion rate, and the team suffered several offensive penalties.

But Pettaway and the defense delivered time and time again.

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

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

The Regents were forced to settle for a field goal and didn’t come that close to scoring a touchdown again.

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

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

But whenever 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 consecutive season after finishing with a 6-3 overall record, including 5-2 in the Big Eight.

“The defense has been working hard the last few weeks just to perfect everything and we’ve played as hard as we can,” Pettaway said. “So I’m feeling very confident.”