BERWICK, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A high school sports team is winning big and keeping the ball rolling for their victorious first season. The unified bocce team is proving how far teamwork can take them, as they prepare for regionals.
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28/22 News Reporter Colby Hughes spent some time with the team and shares the story of their success.
At Berwick Area High School, a spotlight shone on their unified bocce team after a number of wins.
“It feels good, and it’s just a lot of excitement, so excited and loud, and all our parents are cheering us on,” Berwick Bocce Athlete Rachel Haught said.
Players like Haught take to the court and try to roll a ball as close to the pallina as they can for the most points. This is the team’s first season; they started in November and have seen success from the beginning.
“One of our teams made it to districts. Last week, we played and got second place in our district, and we’re headed to regionals this week,” Berwick Bocce Coach Sue Zarrett said.
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The school’s unified bocce has two teams, and each team has athletes and partners. Athletes with disabilities are students, and they are paired with a partner to work together during the game.
“They are the best teammates in the whole entire world. They are so themselves, and they are chill,” Berwick Bocce Athlete Mallory Frye said.
Berwick Bocce gave all of its players the chance to build friendships and include everyone who wanted to be a part of a team, regardless of their abilities.
Berwick Bocce Partner, Danica Laubach, said, “I noticed that a lot of the other schools didn’t have as much involvement with their life skills kids as we did, so I felt really honored that our school really took that and ran with it.”
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“You know, everybody’s equal. Everybody can participate in anything they want to participate in. So, I feel like that’s been our mission to show,” Berwick Bocce Coach Debbie Kern said.
After competing in the regional competition in State College, the team will have the chance to advance to the state competition taking place in Hershey.
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