Here’s who you voted as Whatcom’s most impressive senior male spring sports athlete

It was only fitting that Jordan Voigt enjoyed one more huge number after being part of setting record statistics for Squalicum’s Class 2A state champion boys’ soccer team.

Voigt was voted the fans’ most impressive senior male spring sports athlete in The Bellingham Herald’s first such poll with a whopping 42% of 10,383 votes.

He had 4,398 votes to go with a school-record 23 goals as the Storm amassed a 20-1-1 record on the way to their third state championship under longtime coach Joe McAuliffe.

“We could appreciate this. We really felt for the seniors in the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 because COVID-19 prevented them from having a postseason,” said Voigt, who scored in all but four games for what McAuliffe said was likely another school record.

“We definitely felt the pain of those seniors,” he said.

McAuliffe said Voigt was “part of a senior class of outstanding leaders” — especially co-captains Ryan Johnson, Ace Carr, Carter Weener and Voigt.

They all played key roles as the Storm piled up an amazing school record of 102 goals — even though Voigt noted the starters often did not play the entire game during numerous blowouts.

“The other kids really appreciated Jordan,” said McAuliffe of Voigt, who will play soccer at Whitworth College after earning a 3.9 grade-point average at Squalicum. “He has a great sense of humor and he was never full of himself.”

“I’m interested in a career in sports medicine, so I think Whitworth (a Division III program) will be a good fit for me,” he said.

When asked what Voigt’s most memorable goal was, McAuliffe quickly replied: “Jordan’s game-winning goal in overtime on the road in the state semifinals against Sammamish.”

The Storm rallied from a 2-0 deficit to a 2-2 tie to send the game into overtime.

“We’ll always remember that goal,” McAuliffe said. “Kyler Carr (a junior) made a long throw-in to Xander Koenig (another junior) and Xander flicked it off his head to Jordan, who also made a header for the score that made it possible for us to go to the title game against Burlington-Edison. Jordan got up higher than the goalie‘s hands and flicked the ball in. He has had that unusual style of scoring.”

“That was definitely the goal of my life,” said Voigt, who began playing soccer in first grade with several of his senior teammates. “Scoring that goal was the best feeling I’ve ever had.”

Burlington handed Squalicum its only loss with a 2-0 win in the District 1 championship game, so the Storm’s 5-0 win over the Tigers was that much more special.

“That 2-0 loss really motivated us,” he said. “We came into the state championship game with a different team (from the standpoint of knowing what was needed to win). Our defense deserves a lot of credit.”

Considering that he was the team’s scoring leader by a large margin, Voigt thought it was especially significant that eight different players scored the Storm’s eight goals in the state semifinals and finals.

“That really showed our team’s depth,” the quick, 5-foot-9, 145-pound athlete said.

Voigt — who got the opportunity to play in Squalicum’s only state game when he was a freshman — is also proud to be part of one of the richest high school soccer traditions of any city in the state. The city of Bellingham has seven state titles — three apiece for Squalicum and Sehome and one for Bellingham — since 2000, two years after Squalicum opened and the year Bellingham reopened after a remodel.

Voigt is the son of Kyle and Tiauna Voigt. His dad was a soccer and basketball standout at Meridian High and his mom played softball at Bellingham High.

“My sister Kiarra will be a freshman at Squalicum and she’s really going to be good there,” Voigt said. “She’s really been supportive.”

Voigt said he was motivated by strong support from his parents, too.

“Dad and I had a bet and no one won. We both had 17 goals in our senior regular seasons,” Voigt said. “But he never got a chance to play in the postseason so he really appreciated our postseason.”

Voigt said last year’s abbreviated soccer season, in which the Storm displayed considerable potential with a 9-1 finish, seemed curiously empty without a chance to play for state honors. Since sports did not resume in the 2020-2021 school year until February, officials decided to play three short seasons all over the state, with no postseason for anyone.

“But we were definitely very confident coming out of last season,” he said.

Voigt will play this summer with mostly older teammates for Bellingham United. Last winter, his Whatcom FC Rangers team made it to the state U18 club finals before losing 3-2 in overtime to Sound FC of Seattle.

Voigt said he’ll always remember how his team scored more than 100 goals.

“I would have said that’s insane,” he said with a laugh, when asked what he would have thought if anyone could have told him before the season that the team would score so often.

Voigt says he’s excited about college, “But I’m sure going to miss my teammates. We couldn’t have found a better way to finish playing all those years together.”