JEFFERSON TWP — It was a thrilling come-from-behind victory for the Knoch Unified Indoor Bocce team Thursday afternoon, rallying from a 4-0 deficit to capture the game 10-7 over Butler and taking the match 3-2. The team remains undefeated in its inaugural season.

But even if the team had lost, the fact it took the court still would have counted as a victory for the message of inclusion that is behind the team’s formation.

The team is made up of four students with disabilities and three general education students.

The team was sponsored by the Special Olympics and practices twice a week after school. Members have three matches in their first season, including victories Jan. 21 over Hickory High and Thursday over Butler. Knoch will meet a unified bocce team at Seneca Valley High School on Feb. 13 before a bocce tournament Feb. 27 at Slippery Rock ends the team’s season.

This is an excerpt from a story that appears in Sunday's Butler Eagle.