Hank Voltz, No. 0, is cheered onto the court by his team. Voltz, a senior, acts as manager to the team, but was sent out to play in Wrangell's final home game of the season.
The Wrangell Wolves played in their final home games of the season last week, Feb. 25 and 26, against the Haines Glacier Bears. For several seniors on the team, this was the last set of home games of their high school careers. While Wrangell did not walk away from the games victorious, the games were hard-fought. The team also came together to recognize one senior in particular.
The first game on Tuesday, Feb. 25, opened with Wrangell and Haines going at it neck-and-neck. The first quarter ended with the Glacier Bears holding a narrow lead at 12-14. In the second quarter, the Wolves fought hard to keep up once again, with a score of 27-30. The third quarter saw Wrangell pull ahead of Haines slightly, with a score of 41-39. However, they could not maintain this lead in the fourth quarter. The Glacier Bears managed to reclaim their lead and win the game, with a score of 48-59.
Wednesday's game, on Feb. 26, opened with a bang. Before the game even started, the crowd was cheering loudly. This was because senior player Hank Voltz had stepped out onto the court. Voltz explained that he was born with a heart condition, making participation in sports a potential risk to him. He can keep up with the team in the short term, he said, but playing a full game would be a challenge. He has spent his high school career on the team serving as manager. For his last home game, however, the team decided to let him play in the opening. Voltz went on to score the first points of the game, a three-pointer within the first 30 seconds of the first quarter.
Coach Cody Angerman said it was the highlight of the game, if not the entire year.
"The gym was just mayhem,'' he said. "It was just a crazy thing to be around.''
"It was pretty cool,'' Voltz added. "It was awesome to get out there and play for a minute.''
Voltz was brought back into the game near the end as well.
While the Wolves had a strong opening, thanks to Voltz, the game did not go in Wrangell's favor. The first quarter ended with a score of 9-17. The second quarter also went to Haines with a score of 18-30. The third quarter ended with a score of 23-40. The fourth quarter saw the game end with another loss for Wrangell, 31-53.
Despite the losses, Angerman said he was proud of his team and how hard they worked. He was proud of all of his seniors, and he felt the games were good practice for Regionals.
"It feels good,'' he said. "It's bittersweet once the home games are done.''
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