The Warren unified bocce team got exactly what it was hoping for — a playoff berth.

In only the second year of the program, head coach Cayla Onoratti and assistant coach Kevin Dustin have made great strides with leading the unified team, and now their hard work has paid off.

Warren 1, represented by Julia Getner, Hemi Baran, Eric Irons, Peyton Cabisca, Jacob Elmquist, Attie Corey, Sophia Fromknecht and Keely Southworth, will have their shot at playoffs. Warren 2, represented by Ryder Check, Colton Ristau, Sammy White, Leo Westover, Daniel Vignere, Logan Ristau, Lettie Pearson, Brooke Campbell and Anthony Clark, narrowly missed out on playoffs, but had a very strong season with a lot of good games.

“I am so incredibly excited for these kids to continue their season,” reported Onoratti. “Our second team, consisting of 50% freshmen, ended third in the section and nearly qualified, but I am confident they will come back stronger next year. We are lucky that they continue to attend practice so we can scrimmage, and are thankful they can attend to cheer on Team 1. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the drive of these kids. They show up ready to learn every practice, and are a great group of kids. Kevin (Dustin) has mirrored his dedication to cross-country and track into bocce, and our team greatly appreciates his assistance this season. He and I are so excited to see where the playoffs take this team, and aren’t quite ready for the season to end.”

Onoratti discussed the progress the program has made in such a short time.

“Our team is very excited to represent our school moving forward,” Onoratti said. “15 months ago, nearly all teammates couldn’t answer the question ‘what is bocce?’ at our first practice. Now we are proving to be one of the top teams in our section, which goes to show how dedicated and hard-working these students are. Most teams have had an established program a bit longer, so it is very impressive that our kids stepped up and set that high goal at the start of the season. Finishing our regular season last year at a record of 3-5 put that spark in their drive to ‘get revenge’ as Keely (Southworth) likes to say. I think they will go into the playoffs with that same mentality.”

The news is obviously wonderful to hear for the Dragons, but it is back to practice for Warren 1 as they look to have a strong performance.

“We continue to practice with increased focus on skills, strategy, and high-pressure bocce,” added Onoratti. “We had a tough match versus a skilled Maplewood team, which gave us areas to work on moving forward. Coach Kevin does a great job teaching out-of-the-box strategy, which will help us when matched with the top teams moving forward.”

The District playoffs will have two teams from each of the three sections, for six total in the contest. Of these six, the top three will advance to the Regional tournament. If the Regional is won, then a trip to States in Hershey is in order.

The Dragons, who compete on Monday, Feb. 23, do not have a set opponent yet, but will find out soon.