Army All-American Bowl for Voltz
There was a point where Barrington offensive tackle Dan Voltz didn't believe his dream of playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl would happen.
But Voltz still held out some hope and held off committing to other senior all-star football games that showed interest.
It turned out to be a wise decision as the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Voltz, who has committed to Wisconsin, was chosen for the 12th annual Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7 at San Antonio's AlamoDome. Voltz will play for the East team and took part in a jersey selection ceremony Tuesday at the school.
"It seemed like they were done selecting kids and then I got the phone call the one day and I was excited," Voltz said. "It was definitely a big surprise and it was awesome.
"It's something that's been a big goal since my sophomore year. I remember I wanted to play in this game one day."
Barrington's Dan Doering and Garrett Seeger played in the game in 2004. Fremd sent offensive linemen to the last two games in Notre Dame sophomore Christian Lombard (2010) and Ohio State freshman Brian Bobek (2011).
Voltz also participated in the underclass combine last year that is held the week of the game.
"It's really cool to get an opportunity to play in the game," Voltz said. "I was hoping I could show I was good enough to play in the game and prove myself."
The game will be broadcast live on NBC. Barrington coach Joe Sanchez also gets to attend the game with Voltz.
But the game immediately on Voltz's mind is Saturday's 6 p.m. Class 8A home playoff opener with visiting Glenbard North. The Broncos enter the playoffs on a three-game winning streak after going in a year ago with consecutive losses before dropping its postesason opener to Glenbrook South.
"Last year was a rough end to the season and the spirit and morale of the team wasn't quite as high as it should have been going into the playoffs," Voltz said. "This year we ended two teams' seasons (Fremd and Schaumburg) the last two weeks so our confidence is through the roof right now. We're so excited to get going with the playoffs."