As Sir Issac Newton supposedly once said, “what goes up must come down,” and for the Bobcat Unified Bocce team their miraculous win streak has ended. But that doesn’t mean all hope was lost for Bobcat’s Bocce . . .

“All players were excited and anxious to get games underway on Wednesday night,” Coach Rachael Fleming said about their trip to the state tournament in Hershey.

The Bandits played their first tournament game Wednesday March 20. Their first matches were huge wins for them since it shaped the tournament placements.

“We finished first place in our bracket with a record of 2-0. Unfortunately, seeding for Thursday was based on total points, not wins/losses. So we placed sixth which had us playing Bald Eagle Area,” explained Coach Fleming.

The Beaver Bandits’ match-up against the Bald Eagle Area’s bocce team led to their demise. The Bandits had already faced the Eagle Area’s team having won by only a single point. But the Bandits tried to stay positive and keep their heads up.

“Bald Eagle Area ended up winning the state championship. Everyone played very well and continued to play hard even when we knew we were out of the running for first place,” remarked Coach Fleming.

“My advice to future Bocce players would be to focus on finding your opponents’ weakness,” recommended Bandits’ captain senior Eli Obrist.

Despite the sixth-place state finish for this young and talented team it remained an impressive and positive season.

“It was an unbelievable season! All players had fun, and what a great outcome coming in sixth place out of 123 teams in the state and winning county championships! We will have quite a few returning players next year, so we look forward to another successful season ahead! Not only with their overall record and accomplishments, but with their positive attitudes! They learned about inclusion, patience, and understanding of others’ strengths and needs. They were outstanding role models for one another and the teams they played against,” summarized Coach Fleming.