Newport Esports began as a club five years ago however this school year is the first year that the Newport High School administration recognized it as a sport in addition to a club. This change allows the club to receive funding from the school, makes Esports members candidates for varsity lettering, and requires grade eligibility for members to participate in games.
“I think Esports finally being recognized as a sporting group is a great opportunity for a lot of kids that don’t have interest in the more traditional sports,” said Logan Bower, coach of the Esports teams. “Esports gives even more students a place to express themselves and fit in with like-minded peers and with the addition of the school’s support and budget we are able to take what was only a hobby for most and turn it into a possible future for them going towards college and pro-play.”
‘In anticipation of recognizing Esports as a sport last year, the administration provided six new gaming chairs and desks for exclusive Esports use and sectioned off an unused classroom as the official Esports room. Here the club and teams meet for club periods and practices. Math department teacher Mrs. Cirulli runs the Esports club but Coach Bower trains all Esports teams.
Newport currently has teams for three games: Rocket League, League of Legends, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The varsity Rocket League team members are juniors Benny Stewart and Nate Stuck and sophomore Bradley Zettlemoyer. The JV team consists of sophomores Kaiden Barnes and Tyler Kelly and freshmen Colton Eyster. The League of Legends team has seniors Nick Trout and Zach Bellis, juniors Gabe Bailor and Jacob Kolmansberger, and sophomore Axel Brown. The Super Smash Bros Ultimate team consists of seniors Alex Douglas and Nick Trout and junior Jacob Kolmansberger.
As in past years, the Rocket League made it to the playoffs this season; however, they could not advance past the first round. After a 5-2 regular season, the team climbed to number seven in the regional rankings. They played the number ten seed in the bracket but lost the best-of-seven matchup 4-1.
Riddled with inconsistent match participation, the League of Legends team faced a rough road through the regular season. They finished 20th in the region with a 4-4 record. Due to most players having other sports commitments, the team had to forfeit three of their games and play two of their games down a player. Despite the hardships, they finished the season strong with three consecutive wins but fell short of the playoffs. “I believe that even with a new player and playing down a player the whole season, we did alright,” said Kolmansberger.
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team had a spectacular regular season, placing 6th in the state with a 6-2 record. Matched with the number eleven seed in the first round of the playoffs, the team managed to beat Pocono Mountain West High School. However, their playoff run was stopped in the second round when the team lost to the number three seed 3-0.
These Esports teams will pick back up with the Spring Major season in mid-March. Until then, the teams plan to hold practices to work on their teamwork and overall playing skills. Two members of the varsity Rocket League team, Stewart and Stuck, have enrolled in a short Winter competition that will take place in January.
