Gateway unified bocce players finding success, enjoyment in 2nd season

By: Michael Love
Sunday, February 4, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Alyssa Fritz joined the Gateway unified bocce team in its inaugural season last year and helped the team make the playoffs.

One of the team’s special education members who competes in concert with general education students in the Three Rivers Region of the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Unified Champion Schools program, Fritz said it is a lot of fun to come to practice and matches and interact with friends old and new.

“The first time I ever played bocce, it was really hard,” said Fritz, a senior at Gateway. “Now, it’s easier and a lot of fun to play. We are a good team.”

Gateway fields two teams in its second season as a Three Rivers member. More than 50 schools comprise several divisions throughout the region, and many programs field two teams.

Special Olympics PA provides the court, the uniforms for the players, and the bocce set for the matches.

One of Gateway’s teams, Gateway 1, was 6-2 heading into home matches Thursday afternoon against Burrell. The other team, Gateway 2, sported a record of 5-3.

“The program last year got off to a great start,” said senior Blake Marsh, a general education team member who also plays soccer, football, hockey and tennis at Gateway.

“The level of cooperation and teamwork is something you don’t see in other sports. We know how to have fun in a relaxed atmosphere, but we also know how to focus on becoming better players and competing for wins. It’s just a great way to give everyone an opportunity to be a part of a team. I’ve made friends who I might not have otherwise.

“This year, a lot of the things about the sport and the season that were unfamiliar to us last year, including the playoffs, we are a lot more comfortable with.”

Marsh said the team members get more and more confident in their playing abilities through each practice and match.

“Nobody starts in here comfortable because it is different for everyone,” Marsh said.

“Everybody who comes in new hasn’t played school bocce before so they have to learn the rules and get familiar with the team. Now, we have a bunch of confident players who want to show what they can do in matches.”

Three Rivers Region teams have only a few regular-season matches left before the qualifying teams — the top four from each division — enter the division playoffs set for Feb. 15 at Plum, Feb. 20 at Ellwood City, Feb. 21 at Moon, Feb. 26 at Baldwin, Feb. 28 at Avonworth, and Feb. 29 at Grove City.

Regionals at Geneva College will be March 6-7.

A total of 64 teams will qualify for Pennsylvania’s eight regional tournaments. From there, one team from each regional will advance to the state championship tournament March 21 in Hershey.

Gateway plays in the Allegheny East/Westmoreland division with Franklin Regional, Plum, Burrell, Riverview and Fox Chapel.

“The fact that we had so many coming back from last year’s teams, it made it easier to teach a lot of the newcomers and bring them into the bocce family,” Gateway coach Jay Scarcelli said.

“Someone like Alyssa, just with all of the interactions with others on the team, has really come out of her shell. She designed our bocce t-shirts. The kids loved the design, and she lit up knowing that she is making a difference on this team. Teachers throughout the district bought the t-shirts, and on bocce match days, you have teachers who are not even involved wearing their t-shirts to support the team.”

Senior Becca Ryan, a member of both the girls soccer and basketball teams at Gateway, has had some tough luck with ACL injuries which have taken several of her seasons away from her. That included this past fall where she missed all but one soccer match while finishing up her recovery.

She decided not to play basketball this winter, but she is grateful for this new opportunity with the Gateway’s unified bocce team.

“I’ve always been a really competitive person growing up, so any kind of competition interests me,” Ryan said.

“A few of the girls on the soccer team play, and Olivia (Garbett), an assistant coach on the soccer team, is a coach for bocce, too. When I heard of the chance to join the team, I wanted to know more.

“I love it here. It is so much fun. It’s not an intense competition, but everyone wants to do really well for each other. I had played bocce once or twice recreationally, but I came in not knowing the rules that well. It basically was new to me. Everyone was welcoming, and I’ve learned so much.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway