Panther Valley hosted the Unified Sports Bocce playoffs on Friday at the intermediate school.

The Special Olympics Unified Sports Bocce Ball brings students with and without disabilities together on the same team to compete, build friendships, and promote inclusion.

Athletes and partners work side by side to develop teamwork, sportsmanship, and confidence in a fun, supportive, and competitive environment.

The focus is on belonging, respect, and celebrating every athlete’s strengths while enjoying the game of bocce ball

together. This is the second year the district has participated in this program.

“I think my players did an amazing job in the playoffs and worked incredibly hard all season. I am so proud of them for making it this far, especially being only our second year as a team and for some of them, their very first year playing,” said Evelyn Hydock, Panther Valley Head Coach.

Results were Hazleton Team 2, first; Hazleton Team 1, second; Panther Valley, third, and North Schuylkill, fourth.

Bradley Barlett, a junior and team captain for Panther Valley, said, “It was a great experience. This was our first time being in them, and being able to do that in our second year of having the program is amazing. Losing was obviously disappointing, but it gives me hope that we’ll be able to make it back next year and maybe even make a deeper run.”

Natalie Verbonitz, a senior from the Hazleton Area’s team, “We were prepared and ready to come in and win. We wanted to advance so we put everything into it and we succeeded.”