Oxford High School’s Unified Sports basketball team has the unique opportunity to travel.

This event will be a chance for its “extraordinary team to showcase their talent and camaraderie on a whole new level,” officials said in a news release.

The team will play two away games on April 11 at Saltillo High School. The first game will be against Saltillo at 10:30 a.m., and the following game will tip-off at 11:30 a.m against Mooreville.

Unified Sports is “all about breaking barriers and fostering inclusivity, while bringing together students of all abilities to compete as one team.” It is an inclusive sports program that “unites Special Olympics athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) as teammates for training and competition.”

The OHS program, created in 2017, is under the current leadership of Coach Tyler Reed. “[We] are excited to continue the tradition of Unified Sports at Oxford High School,” Reed said. “I can’t think of a better way to promote inclusion within our community between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers than sports.”

There are two remaining home games for the unified basketball team. On Wednesday, April 17, at 10 a.m., the team will play against Shannon. The final game of the season will be on Wednesday, April 24, against the Oxford Police Department at 2:40 p.m.

Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an inclusive sports program that combines an approximately equal number of Special Olympics athletes and partners on teams for training and competition.

“Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: Training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability.”

For more information about the OHS Unified Sports program, contact Reed at rtreed@oxfordsd.org.