Handball League

Automatically saved draft

Sebastian Spendier (left) aims for a home win.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The Schwaz handball team will honor the promotion heroes of 2004 at their home game against Bregenz on Saturday. A victory in the Osthalle is needed to secure first place in the HLA table. There are still two rounds left in the basic round.

Honor to whom honor is due! During the break, the stage belongs to the promotion heroes of 2004: Pooya Pootschi, Markus Ribis, Wolfgang Reinalter, Hannes Knapp. Just to name a few legends. The coach was Thomas Lintner, who has been sports director since 2012. They were the trailblazers. Schwaz has been playing in the top league for 20 years, leading it two rounds before the end of the basic round.

Alexander Wanitschek is the leader of the successful team.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Pooya Pootschi led Schwaz to the Bundesliga.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Wanitschek was a youth player
Captain Alexander Wanitschek was 14 at the time, a youth player who looked up to the greats. "I later played with some of them. The club has developed incredibly well," said the 34-year-old winger.

Dream of the first championship title
Winning the HLA title for the first time would complete the circle. "There's still a very, very long way to go. A lot has to come together. The league is extremely evenly matched," said Wanitschek: "Now it's all about defending first place." That will probably require a home win on Saturday evening. Rivals Hard play against the Fivers on Sunday.

"Bregenz has a very good team, strong individual players like Tobias Wagner. We're not the favorites, the odds are 50:50. It's the condition on the day that decides," explained Wanitschek: "We've shaken off the defeat against Krems."

HLA: Saturday: Schwaz - Bregenz (18.00), Bärnbach/Köflach - Krems (17.15), Ferlach - Vöslau (18.00), Hollabrunn - Graz (18.00), Linz - Bruck (20.20). Sunday: Hard - Margareten (18.00).