Esports is a new activity at the high school this year. The Esports team is a group of players that meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the fall and winter. There are two separate teams that play different games. One team plays “Rocket League” which is a game that is similar to soccer, only instead of running on a field the players are in cars. This team’s record is 4 and 4, and they made state. The other team plays “League of Legends” which is an arena-based fighting game. Every player in the game has different abilities to destroy the other team’s main tower while defending their own tower from attack. Their record is 1 and 1.
The “League of Legends” players have two separate teams. One being a varsity team and the other is an open team, which is similar to JV. “Rocket League” players have three separate teams. One team is varsity which consists of Eighth-grader Kendal Clarey and Freshman Emmit Xayaosa. The two other teams are also competing with other schools. The Esports team’s goal in the future is to add even more games for the players. The popular game “Fortnite” has been approved to be played in their next season. If you are interested in joining the “Fortnite” team, contact the Esports coach Dalton Pagel in E120 or email him at [email protected].
There are around 80 other schools all over Minnesota involved in this league. Rather than going to one of these schools to compete, the Esports team plays solely online. The “League of Legends” teams play through a program called LeagueSpot. This program is run by the Minnesota Varsity League (MNVL).
Clarey is a team captain on the Esports team this year. Clarey explained that there was a similar gaming club in the middle school that she was a part of that also played “Rocket League”. This was why she decided to play on the high school team. Clarey states that she originally joined the team for the video games but explains that “once everything started going it became for the team.” Clarey hopes to grow the team in the following years.
Clarey said, “My favorite part of the team is them, they are awesome.”
Sophomore Landon Lenz plays for the “Rocket League” team. Lenz stated that he joined because he “wanted to join a school sport that I would be good at and gaming is something I do at home, and it’s something I’m good at.”
He explains that the Esports team provides a welcoming environment of people with the same intentions. Lenz’s favorite part of the team is “the teamwork and just having fun with everyone else.”
If any of this piques your interest you do not have to join the team right away. Burke Egner has an Introduction to Esports class that any student can take to gain a bit of knowledge of the games and rules. Although this class is available it is not a requirement to join the actual ESports team. To join the Esports team you would treat it as any other sport, signing up in the Activities Office. If gaming is something you enjoy, this new team could be for you. To stream the games at home go to @ALHStigerzgaming on Twitch.
