Student Spotlight: Logan Mayer, John Nicolosi, Sophia Van Coillie

After months of competition, three Plymouth Whitemarsh High School bocce players have qualified to play at Special Olympics Pennsylvania's Fall Festival, which brings together more than 1,200 athletes and coaches from across the state and is the largest annual student-run Special Olympics event in the world.

Logan Mayer, John Nicolosi, and Sophia Van Coillie have been gearing up for this event since August. The trio, who are also members of the PW Unified Bocce team, met every Saturday morning to practice at the Conshohocken Bocce Club. In September, they competed at a county tournament held in Norristown and finished in third place after being cheered on by members of the PW Unified Bocce team who turned out to support them.

Their third-place finish propelled them to the DeSales Eastern Fall Sectional on Oct. 5, where they finished in second place and secured a spot in the Fall Festival, which takes place at Villanova University from Nov. 7-9. They will represent Montgomery County at this prestigious event, which brings together 43 county programs from all regions of Pennsylvania for several matches over the course of the weekend.

Their determination and skills will be put to the test, but they are well-prepared!

UPDATED, 11/10: Logan and John brought home first place medals following the Fall Festival, and Sophia placed in the top five. Hard work pays off!