Bocce was king Tuesday at the Glen Mills School as 150 athletes on 16 different teams from nine local high schools turned out for the Indoor Bocce Regional Championships, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.

This is the third year for the event. Hosted by the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, the teams are a mix of student-athletes with and without intellectual disabilities.

The teams foster a lot of school spirit and support.

At an earlier competition for Penn Crest,  hundreds of students, parents, and teachers, and the high school band showed up.

The game of Bocce starts with the tossing of the smaller Pallino ball. Each team throws or rolls colored balls in an attempt to be the closest to the Pallino.

Mingling the teams was introduced in the mid-1980s to add equality and inclusiveness.

 “It’s a good way to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself,” said Chester High School coach Yasmeen Bates. Bates. “I have a fun group, they didn’t know each other at first but now they all know each other.”

Garnet Valley and Strath Haven took the win Tuesday. They will advance to the state championship later in March.

Read more at the Daily Times about the Bocce Regional Championships.