Front Row: Ace Cromwell, Sophia Braida, Loretta Candela, Sage Gavin, and Coach DeCola
Back Row: Angelina Cambareri, Damon Jones, Nate Black, Noah Braida, Sam Albion, and Coach Schkolenko
By: Sophia Braida
The Wallenpaupack Area High School Unified Bocce team delivered a historic performance at the regional meet on Tuesday, March 10, held at Penn State Schuylkill. Competing alongside eight teams from across the region, Wallenpaupack fought for a chance to advance to the state championship meet. Only the first-place team at regionals earns a spot at the state meet, where just eight teams from across Pennsylvania compete, making every match critical.
Wallenpaupack opened the day with a thrilling matchup against Northampton. The game remained extremely tight from start to finish, with neither team scoring more than a single point in any frame for most of the math. In the final frame, however, Wallenpaupack broke through with two crucial points to secure a 4–3 victory.
Their second match was against Schuylkill Haven. The game started evenly, with both teams battling to a 3–3 tie by the fourth frame. As the match continued, Schuylkill Haven began to gain momentum while Wallenpaupack struggled to regain control. Schuylkill Haven created a large point gap in the 5th frame that ultimately resulted in an 8–3 loss for Wallenpaupack. Since the regional tournament follows a bracket format, the defeat ended Wallenpaupack’s chance to advance to the state championship and placed them in contention for third or fourth place.
Despite the disappointment, the team responded with determination in their final match of the day against Hazelton. Refusing to let the previous loss define their performance, Wallenpaupack came out strong and quickly built a lead. A four-point frame helped swing the match in their favor, and the team maintained their advantage to earn an 8–5 victory and secure third place overall.
Although the season ended just short of the state championship meet, the team still has plenty to celebrate. Earlier this year, the team captured first place at the league meet on February 17th. Their third-place finish at regionals also marks the best performance any Wallenpaupack Unified Bocce team has achieved ever before. Out of the 64 teams that qualified for regional competition across Pennsylvania, Wallenpaupack’s finish places them among the top 24 teams in the entire state. The accomplishment reflects the team’s dedication, teamwork, and growth throughout the season.
