Upper St. Clair Bocce is entering its third year at Upper St. Clair High School, and both the team and their fans are eagerly anticipating the start of the season. The team, which has seen success in its first two seasons, has welcomed several new athletes to its ranks.
Competing in a Unified League that includes both special needs and non-special needs athletes, the team collaborates to overcome their opponents. While the game is simple and easy to understand, it poses challenges, demanding precise focus and ample practice.
The game begins with the away team calling the coin toss and deciding whether to roll the pallino and have the first roll or to defer and let the opposing team take the initiative. Once the pallino settles within the two-line zone, the team that rolled it attempts to roll one of their balls close to the pallino. Subsequently, the other team rolls their ball, aiming to get it closer to the pallino. This process continues until both teams exhaust their supply of balls.
Scoring in the game is straightforward – each ball closer to the pallino than the closest ball of the other team earns a point. After 30 minutes, the team with the most points wins the match.
Athletes on USC’s bocce team have joined for various reasons, leading to a substantial increase in the team’s size over the past three years. Junior athlete Maddie Webb shared her perspective on joining the bocce team, stating, “Bocce has made me appreciative that I get to be a part of giving the athletes an opportunity to be a part of a team like every other athlete in the school. It’s rewarding to see the smiles on their faces at practice and to still be undefeated.”
Despite being a recently introduced sport in the district, USC Bocce has quickly made a name for itself by reaching the playoffs in its first two years. Upper St. Clair Bocce alumnus Zach Ehasz commented on his two years with the team, saying, “Joining the bocce team was one of the best decisions that I made at USC. Allowing these special needs athletes to participate in something fun but also competitive is a very rewarding and uplifting feeling. Making playoffs back to back in our first two years was pretty sweet too.”
The St. Clair Bocce season, classified as a winter sport, runs from November to March, featuring three regular-season matches. This year, the team has two home matches and one away match. If the season proves successful, they will advance to the regional championship.
Junior athlete Logan Hufnagel encourages everyone to attend the matches, exclaiming, “I think everyone should come out to watch us! It’s always very exciting and a lot of fun to cheer us on! You won’t regret it.”
Best of luck to Upper St. Clair Bocce in their season!
The Bocce team had a great season and was able to qualify for the playoffs this year!