Talk about pressure.
Tyrone’s Unified Bocce Team played its first-ever Backyard Brawl Bocce match in front of the entire Bellwood-Antis High School student body at an all-school assembly on Wednesday, January 8.
“We went into the game intimated knowing their entire high school [was watching], but it helped when they cheered for everyone in the match,” Tyrone assistant coach Kate Coltenbaugh said.
Fortunately, Tyrone was up for the challenge and the large Bellwood crowd did not phase the Tyrone bocce squad.
The Golden Eagles won the match decisively in two frames, outscoring Bellwood 10-1.
“Knowing that this was the first Bocce Ball Backyard Brawl motivated the team and helped them to win the match,” Tyrone coach Shannon Davis said.
According to the Tyrone players, playing against Bellwood was a fun experience, and the Bellwood crowd was very supportive and cheered enthusiastically for both teams.
the spirit of sportsmanship and inclusion is part of the mission of the Unified Bocce League, and according to the Tyrone players, the atmosphere was great.
However, that doesn’t mean that the teams were not competitive. Both teams were out to win, and the Golden Eagles came out hot, taking the first frame 7-0.
Tyrone kept the momentum up in the second with a 3-1 win to finish the match.
Freshman Emma Myers scored one of Tyrone’s three points in the second match.
“We are focusing on strategy more this year and playing defense is helping our team to win,” Myers said.
After the game, Tyrone received a Backyard Brawl trophy, which now sits in the Tyrone High School Trophy case.
This has been quite a season of firsts for the bocce team, which was just established last year. On December 18, Tyrone won its first match ever in sudden death overtime against Mount Union.
Tyrone followed that up with a successful 1-1-1 record at their first invitational tournament at St. Francis University on Saturday, January 4.
Like the Backyard Brawl football trophy, the winning team keeps the award until at least next season, when Bellwood will have an opportunity to win it back.
Tyrone said that while they appreciated the warm welcome from their rivals, they have no plans to give the trophy back, and they are looking forward to a rematch in Tyrone next season
According to Davis, they would like to host the game as a school-wide assembly with the Tyrone High School student body cheering everyone on, just as Bellwood did this year.
Tyrone’s next match this season will be at home against Huntingdon on Monday, January 13th at 4 pm.
