Abington Heights once again has two teams entered in the Unified Champion Schools bocce competition in Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Northeast Region League this winter.
With the addition of Valley View this season, Abington Heights and Lackawanna Trail are among the 13 schools in the league. Eight of the schools have two squads, totaling 21 teams.
Abington Heights Team-1 is off to a 4-0 start for first place in the nine-team West Section. That team handed second-place Dallas its only loss in four matches as part of a doubleheader when the league resumed action Jan. 5.
Abington Heights Team-2 is 2-2, and Lackawanna Trail is 1-1, putting them in a tie for third.
The two local schools opened the season with a match at Lackawanna Trail.
Abington Heights Team-1 beat the hosts 6-1, but the Lions bounced back to defeat Abington Heights Team-2 by a score of 6-3.
Both Abington Heights teams swept the two Carbondale teams Dec. 16.
Dallas rallied to pull out a victory in the final frame for a 7-5 win over Abington Heights Team-2 in the second half of the Jan. 5 doubleheader.
The first-place Abington Heights team roster is: Jacob Butler, Danny Dolcetti, Adam Gomaa, Saige LaCoe, Tori Miller, Ella Musgrave, Callie Odom, Maddie Rowlands, Grace Russini and Michael Shuey.
The UCS program aims to promote social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities that foster system-wide change in schools. Sports serve as the foundation, with teams composed of students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, typically in equal or near equal numbers.
Abington Heights had one of the nine UCS track and field teams from around the state to qualify for and participate in last May’s state meet, held in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships.
