Lady Wolves preparing for unique season

The Wrangell Lady Wolves are preparing for a truly unique basketball season this year.

Not only has COVID-19 required the high school to create mitigation plans to keep players safe, but the team has had to get creative to find enough players to even form a team. However, after decisions by the state school sports association and the school board to ease the eligibility rules, the season will move forward for the girls' team.

Christy Good is head coach for the Lady Wolves this year, her first season in the position. She said Wrangell has never had a situation like this before. The high school only has a few girls willing and able to play this year, she said. In an email to school district leadership, and discussed at Monday night's school board meeting, High School Activities Director Trisa Rooney went into more detail.

"We have 4 high school girls," she wrote. "5 if you count one that is injured and we are unsure if she will be able to play at all during the season."

Bob Davis, lead teacher and assistant principal for Wrangell's secondary schools, explained that three other high school girls who would normally be interested in playing were out with leg injuries.

Rooney said they petitioned the region and the Alaska School Activities Association for a waiver to allow eighth grade girls join the Lady Wolves. The waiver has been granted, Rooney said, but some issues still remain for Wrangell hosting a girls' basketball team.

"The problem we now have is the school board policy states that we have to have 8 in order to have the school sponsor a team," Rooney wrote. "Only 2 eighth grade girls want to play. That leaves us with 6 to 7 girls. We are asking for an exception to this policy for this year."

Upon some further discussion, a one-time exception to school policy was unanimously approved for the Lady Wolves. This will allow the team to be sponsored by the district, even with less than eight players.

"It looks like we're going to get a season, which is good," the coach said. "It's going to be a strange season. We're living in strange times."