ST. AUGUSTINE – Tyler Douglass scored seven goals for No. 9 (USILA Division II Top 25) Flagler College, but it wasn’t enough as No. 17 Colorado Mesa University won 18-14 in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament final tonight at the Flagler Lacrosse Field.
 
The Mavericks earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament thanks to the win and now have a 13-3 overall record. The Saints will wait to hear if they qualify for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament and are now 14-3 overall. The official announcement will be on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on ncaa.com.

Connor Jensen broke a 6-all tie with his goal with 8:13 left in the second period and Colorado Mesa never gave up the lead. Jensen led the Mavericks with three goals and two assists.

Flagler trailed 10-6 at the half, but scored the first three goals of the period and Douglass’ goal with 9:06 left made it a one-goal game.

Erich Petersen started a 3-0 run by Colorado Mesa as his goal with 2:59 left in the period stopped Flagler’s run.  

 

Shaden Shields complimented the offense with 16 saves, which earned him PBC Tournament MVP honors. Mike Edwards also collected 12 groundballs for the Mavericks, in addition to winning 19 faceoffs.

 

Trace McDonald tallied four assists for the Saints. Matt Mitrega won 12 face-offs and collected six groundballs. Two goalies saw the field for Flagler, and Wade Lamon led with six saves.

2025 PEACH BELT CONFERENCE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Shaden Shields, Colorado Mesa (MVP)

JJ Brummet, Colorado Mesa

Connor Jensen, Colorado Mesa

Mike Edwards, Colorado Mesa

Wolfi Gottschalk, Colorado Mesa

Erich Petersen, Colorado Mesa

Tyler Douglass, Flagler

Trace McDonald, Flagler

Brandon Grusholt, Flagler

Matt Mitrega, Flagler

Gordon Ogden III, Flagler

Jeremy Barnes, Concordia-Irvine

Daniel Yang, Concordia-Irvine

Matt Carresi, Concordia-Irvine

Nicholas Paige, Lander

Emory Watson, Lander

Carter Wilcox, Lander

Tanner Ennis, Dominican (Calif.)

Logan Huggard, Westminster (Utah)

Makai Hillmon, Alabama-Huntsville

Matthew Boas, Montevallo

 

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — A local high school is proving that Esports are more than just playing video games.

All three of Westmont Hilltop’s Esports teams have qualified for the 2025 state championships.

Westmont’s Esports program started just four years ago, and in that short time, it’s gone from a struggling startup to the team winning multiple district titles.

Participating in the state quarterfinals this week, Westmont’s Esports program is showing growth, and one coach says it is only going to get bigger.

Westmont Hilltop has created three competitive teams, two in Overwatch and one in Rocket League.

All three have made it to the 2025 state finals and are hoping to make the state championship that is set for the end of this month at Mount Aloysius College.

“For them to all have their opportunity to do what they want to do for it because it’s not just video games nowadays, you could be in casting or production, on that end of it; you can be in the back end for video and production. They’re advertising and marketing. There are so many different avenues now, it’s not just based on the game, it’s a whole sport. It’s a career you can make out of it,” said team manager Paul Zeris.

The entire program is run by volunteers and supported by fundraisers.

Regardless of it not being an official school sport, the team practices three times a week and often against one another online from home.

“It’s really nice. It’s amazing. I’ve been here since it started and helped it grow. It’s really nice to see the progress and how the kids are there, they experience it,” says junior Anthony Zeris.

Esports at Westmont is co-ed, 9th through 12th grade, and full of opportunities.

With scholarships, career paths in production, and community support growing, the school is working with other schools in the district to get the sport officially sanctioned.

From starting out with only six players to now having over 16, Westmont’s Esports teams are not only building winning records, they are building futures.

Posted in: eSports, Fortnite, Games, Video Games | Tagged: MilkPEP, The Milk Cup

The Milk Cup held its first Qualifier for the 2025 championships last night, while also delving more into the Academy plans

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MilkPEP held their first major event for The Milk Cup 2025, as we got to see fierce competition for the series’ first Qualifier. The event featured 50 duos of women Fortnite players battling it out for points to see who would claim victory and secure a spot in the eventual championships happening later this year. Several teams were neck and neck throughout the competition, which you can see the full video for above, but at the end of the night it was the team of Nina and Vader who ended up on top with a final score of 386.

Close behind them were Fraantic and Kanary with 369, followed by LilyBWT and Milly with 308 in third. A number of the teams we saw in last year’s finals were struggling to stay in the top 10, but this is just the first qualifier, and there’s still time to make their way into the competition. The organization also took time during the event to reveal details of The Milk Cup Academy, announced back in March, as they plan to expand the event beyond just competitions. We have more info on that for you here.

The Milk Cup Academy

The Milk Cup Academy is designed to be a welcoming place for women to practice, scrim, meet new teammates, and learn what it takes to be an esports athlete. The Academy will feature several programs aimed at strengthening Fortnite gameplay, nutrition, mental health, and more. Some of these programs include:

• Live Q&As with various Fortnite pros and esports health and wellness specialists: Join ThePeachCobbler and other Fortnite pros for live Q&As on Discord where they will both answer questions and offer tips to improve your gameplay, develop strategies to keep your head cool in game, as well as nutrition tips to help you focus (like drinking dairy milk!)
• Scrims: ThePeachCobbler and Raidiant will be organizing monthly scrims with cash prizes  to help get practice for The Milk Cup and level up skills, with a focus on being welcoming to new players. If players aren’t quite ready to join a big tournament, this is the place for you, and could be a first step on a player’s esports journey.
• Community: The Gonna Need Milk Discord is one of the largest in women’s Fortnite, so it’s the perfect place to kick back and chat with like-minded players.
• And much more… Gonna Need Milk will be continually adding features to The Milk Cup Academy throughout the year, so joining is the best way to stay up to date!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

04/30/2025 – 08:00 AM

FRISCO, TX / ACCESS Newswire / April 30, 2025 / GameSquare Media, a division of GameSquare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:GAME), is consolidating and scaling GameSquare’s media solutions under one unified brand focused on gaming and esports. This strategic move reflects GameSquare’s commitment to building a dedicated, end-to-end media offering designed specifically for the gaming ecosystem. As part of this transformation, GameSquare Media has partnered with Esports.gg, an eFuse company, expanding the existing relationship between GameSquare’s Sideqik and eFuse. The company expects GameSquare Media to be another strategic growth pillar as part of delivering on its 2025 guidance

The consolidation underscores GameSquare’s vision to centralize its media operations, streamlining its experience in digital content monetization with advanced media, technology, and analytics capabilities. To lead this next phase of growth, Drew Brunson has been appointed as Head of GameSquare Media. Brunson brings extensive experience in gaming media and advertising and will work alongside Brittany Peters, who leads GameSquare’s media operations team, to deliver innovative and impactful solutions for brands looking to engage gaming audiences. Together, they position GameSquare Media as the go-to solution for gaming-focused publishers and brands seeking high-impact, targeted advertising services.

This announcement builds upon the recent multi-year partnership between efuse and Sideqik, another GameSquare company, reinforcing the growing synergy between the two organizations. The collaboration will enable Esports.gg to offer enhanced programmatic advertising solutions, allowing brands to engage gaming audiences with greater precision and effectiveness.

“With the launch of GameSquare Media, we are doubling down on our commitment to the gaming industry,” said Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare. “Under Drew’s leadership, we are confident in our ability to deliver world-class direct advertising solutions tailored for gaming. Esports.gg is the perfect partner, and through our growing collaboration, we are delivering sophisticated advertising solutions that empower brands to connect authentically with gaming communities.”

Through this partnership, GameSquare Media will enable Esports.gg to significantly expand its direct advertising capabilities across both its website and social channels, offering a robust suite of tools and services designed to drive higher engagement and revenue. These include:

“This partnership marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of gaming media,” said Matthew Benson, CEO and Founder of efuse. “GameSquare Media’s direct advertising solutions will help brands engage our audience in an even more seamless and data-driven way, reinforcing Esports.gg as a leading platform for advertisers looking to connect with the gaming community.”

The launch of GameSquare Media underscores GameSquare’s strategic commitment to redefining digital advertising in gaming. As the esports industry continues to expand, this transition ensures that brands can effectively reach and engage audiences in an evolving digital landscape.

For more information on GameSquare Media, visit www.gamesquare.com. To learn more about efuse, visit www.efuse.gg.

About GameSquare Holdings, Inc.

GameSquare’s (NASDAQ:GAME) mission is to revolutionize the way brands and game publishers connect with hard-to-reach Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Millennial audiences. Our next-generation media, entertainment, and technology capabilities drive compelling outcomes for creators and maximize our brand partners’ return on investment. Through our purpose-built platform, we provide award-winning marketing and creative services, offer leading data and analytics solutions, and amplify awareness through FaZe Clan Esports, one of the most prominent and influential gaming organizations in the world. With one of the largest gaming media networks in North America, as verified by Comscore, we are reshaping the landscape of digital media and immersive entertainment. GameSquare’s largest investors are Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the Goff family.

To learn more, visit www.gamesquare.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of the applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the Company’s and FaZe Media Inc.’s future performance, revenue, growth and profitability; and the Company’s and FaZe Media’s ability to execute their business plans. These forward-looking statements are provided only to provide information currently available to us and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, assurance or definitive statement of fact or probability. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions which include, but are not limited to: the Company’s and FaZe Media’s ability to grow their business and being able to execute on their business plans, the Company being able to complete and successfully integrate acquisitions, the Company being able to recognize and capitalize on opportunities and the Company continuing to attract qualified personnel to supports its development requirements. These assumptions, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the Company’s ability to achieve its objectives, the Company successfully executing its growth strategy, the ability of the Company to obtain future financings or complete offerings on acceptable terms, failure to leverage the Company’s portfolio across entertainment and media platforms, dependence on the Company’s key personnel and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. These risk factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect the Company which are discussed in the Company’s most recent MD&A. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. GameSquare assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Corporate Contact

Lou Schwartz, President
Phone: (216) 464-6400
Email: ir@gamesquare.com

Investor Relations

Andrew Berger
Phone: (216) 464-6400
Email: ir@gamesquare.com

Media Relations

Chelsey Northern / The Untold
Phone: (254) 855-4028
Email: pr@gamesquare.com

SOURCE: GameSquare Holdings, Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

KEOKUK (WGEM) – Lee County history was made Friday afternoon as Courtney Lovell, a senior at Keokuk High School, became the first student in school history to sign a letter of intent to play esports at the collegiate level.

Lovell committed to Grand View University, which is in Des Moines, after only being a competitive gamer for under 2 years.

“I never really thought I’d get into it as much as I have, and I’m really happy that I did,” Lovell said.

Lovell described herself as a casual gamer before joining Keokuk’s esports team. She primarily played Minecraft. Lovell is a two-year captain for the program’s Overwatch team.

This year, the team qualified for the Iowa High School Esports Association (IAHSEA) State Tournament in Marshalltown. Lovell feels honored to be Keokuk’s first esports college signee and hopes other players will follow in her footsteps.

“You never think about that growing up, like I’ll be the first one, and that’s just a crazy thought,” she said.

Over 200 colleges and universities across the U.S. are a part of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). According to the NACE, millions of dollars in scholarships and aid have been awarded over the last seven years.

According to Grand View University’s website, scholarship totals depend on which game a student plays, if a student is a varsity or junior-varsity player, and their game ranking. If a student is a varsity player for League of Legends, Overwatch, and Rocket League, for example, a scholarship at Grand View could cover the full cost of tuition, excluding room and board.

Grand View’s Director of Esports, Nathan Ragsdell said he has signed nine new team members this spring, and recruiting isn’t done yet.

Ragsdell described college esports as an extracurricular that can be mentally taxing.

“Per week you’re looking at anywhere up to 20 hours of actual game play, not including official game play for conferences and things like that, and when it’s all that condensed competition it can be pretty tough,” Ragsdell said.

Ragsdell said college esports and traditional sports have very similar recruiting methods. Schools can scout high school players and reach out if there is interest.

“The nice thing about esports is that being that it’s all online you can have them tryout for your team right then and there,” Ragsdell said.

KHS Esports Coach Scott Gooding said student participation has held steady in the program’s two years, sitting between 20 and 30 students.

Gooding believes esports can be just as competitive as traditional sports and carries the same concept of team play.

“Every positive of being part of a team is still active here,” Gooding said. “The social engagement, learning to interact with others, working with others, being a part of your school.”

Since the program’s inaugural year, Gooding said the team’s mentality has shifted and the atmosphere has become more positive. He said students have also transitioned from playing more casually to becoming competitive players.

“The first year, it was very much like the wild west, we didn’t know what was going on, we didn’t know the structure of the matches or tournaments,” Gooding said.

The team held their end-of-year party on Thursday after school.

Lovell said esports gives students who don’t fit into the traditional sports model a chance to still be a part of a team.

“I feel like it’s just become a club where you can come to be friends and just belong and you have something to do,” Lovell said.

Lovell is a first-generation college student.

RELATED: ‘I met more people like me’: Esports popularity soaring, strong turnout in Keokuk’s first year

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