ESports Champions

Siuslaw High School’s esports team made history last Saturday, winning the OSAA-partnered PlayFly Esports State Championship in Mario Kart 8. The four-member squad, led by Coach Patrick Looney, went undefeated this season and clinched the title with a 3–1 victory over Sherwood High School at the University of Oregon. Captain Husky Scribner, along with Ethan Spencer, Mandy Condi, and Holden Kurth, powered the Vikings to the school’s first esports state title. The program, founded in 2020, also competes in Super Smash Bros. and Rocket League, blending competition with STEM-focused career skills.

OSU Victory

Canon Reeder’s two-run homer in the second was all No. 7 Oregon State needed Thursday night, as the Beavers edged Long Beach State 2-1 at Goss Stadium. Eric Segura earned his eighth win, holding the Dirtbags to one hit over six innings. The two teams play again this evening beginning at 5pm on KCFM.

Ducks Shutout Hawkeyes

No. 5 Oregon opened its series at Iowa with a dominant 10-0 shutout in seven innings Thursday night. Grayson Grinsell struck out eight and allowed just two hits, improving to 7-1 in Big Ten play with a 1.36 ERA.

Siuslaw Sports

The Siuslaw Vikings hit the road today for baseball and softball with double header games against Glide.  2:45 is the pregame time for game one of Siuslaw baseball.  The game will be covered on KCST.

The Viking track and field team will be in Cottage Grove for the Wally Ciochetti Invitational today.

St. Patrick’s Community School Rocket League team, the St. Patrick’s Celtics have captured the Alberta Esports Division 2 Championship. 

The Red Deer team triumphed at the prestigious Alberta Esports Championship, held at the Bow Valley College Esports Arena in Calgary, Alta. from Saturday, May 10, through Sunday, May 11. 

The Alberta Esports Championship is recognized as Canada’s largest scholastic Esports tournament, bringing together junior high and high school students from across the province to compete live in popular Esports titles including Rocket League, VALORANT, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Celtics’ victory in Rocket League marks a significant achievement for the school’s burgeoning Esports program. 

Michael Saretzky, Head Coach of the St. Patrick’s Esports Team, expressed his pride in the team’s accomplishment at this year’s event.  

“It has been incredible to watch the Rocket League team grow over the past few years—not just as athletes, but as individuals. Ending the year with a win makes it even more special, especially as many of our players move on to new schools next year.  

With just one returning player, it marks both a celebration and a new beginning for the team. Competing at a post-secondary institution like Bow Valley College was a unique and inspiring experience. It gave our players a glimpse into the future and the real opportunities that Esports can provide,” said Saretzky.  

Mandy Reed, principal at St. Patrick’s Community School said the win is a testament to the team’s hard work, strategic thinking, and collaborative spirit.  

“Esports provides our students with valuable opportunities to demonstrate teamwork, problem-solving skills, and sportsmanship, and we are thrilled to see their dedication rewarded on such a significant stage.” 

Beyond their impressive Rocket League squad, St. Patrick’s was also proud to send six talented players from grades 6 through 8 to the Super Smash Tournament, which drew competitors from grades 6 to 12.  

While victory eluded them this time, the experience was invaluable, and St. Patrick’s is thrilled to celebrate a player who brilliantly navigated a field of over a hundred participants to reach the top 32. 

With information from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. 

 

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Students in Kentucky’s second-largest school district will compete against each other Saturday in a video gaming competition. Fayette County Public School’s EPIC esports program is hosting a tournament to celebrate its inaugural year.

Over 250 FCPS students will make up 61 teams that will go head-to-head at Saturday’s EPIC esports Expo, representing 30 district schools. Shad Lacefield, a science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning coach, oversees the esports program. He said it’s a way to celebrate all the schools and their involvement in the program’s first year.

“With esports specifically in the state of Kentucky, there’s not a ton of opportunity for in-person tournaments and when it comes to esports, that’s where it is at; building relationships and community within each of the schools,” Lacefield said.

The Engaging Players in Inclusive Competition or EPIC program at FCPS is an after-school activity which combines STEM education and video games.

“We’ve really tried to show kids that video games are fun and exciting, but our program showcases all of these different career paths that can be associated with it,” Lacefield said.

Esport athletes will compete in Mario Kart, Minecraft and Super Smash Bros. Lacefield said the beauty of esports is anyone can learn and grow their skills.

“We wanted to make that really welcoming environment to show that this is a program and activity that all kids no matter their situation, background or what they look like they can play and have a good time,” Lacefield said.

The tournament is at the University of Kentucky’s esports lounge in conjunction with UK’s longstanding esports Campus Takeover, which offers esports enthusiasts a chance to gain insight into the gameplay. Erik Jarvis, program lead for UK’s esports program, said the university is always looking at ways to connect education and career pathways to video games.

“We can bring in students and industry professionals and kind of find the benefits where these worlds intersect,” Jarvis said.

Showing that video games can be fun and educational.

“I really love to see how engaged the kids are; to hear from the teachers and hear about how they see attendance is up and behavior is improving, they have all these success stories,” Lacefield said.

FCPS and its EPIC program were recognized as a Top 5 finalist for Esports District of the Year.

Many universities, including UK, have teams in various esports games that compete nationally. The Campus Takeover event is happening from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UK Student Center on Saturday, May 17.

Jonesboro, AR — (Contributed) — May 16, 2025 — With its first national title in hand, the Arkansas State University Esports team is looking forward to future team play.

The team recently brought home a National Esport Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship, marking the first time the team has competed for a national title.

“Winning a divisional championship in either semester guarantees a spot in the national tournament,” said Fielding Belk, Esports director.

He said the team has improved over the past two semesters.

“In the fall, the Rainbow Six team went 3-4 and lost in the quarterfinals. This spring, the team went 6-1 and won their divisional playoff, clinching a spot in nationals,” said Belk, a Collierville native who graduated this spring with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

Rainbow Six Siege is a “team-based video game with fast-paced tactical battles.”

The A-State Rainbow Six team is made up of six players, including Beebe native Tucker Oxner, a senior information systems and business analytics major; freshman psychology major Vincent Valenti of Brooklyn, N.Y.; sophomore exercise science major Jackson Facello of Memphis; freshman information systems and business analytics major Tra Guthrie of Wynne; junior radiological sciences major Geoffrey Schaefer of Malvern, and Belk.

In Esports, Belk said that each semester is considered a season. Earlier this year, he said the team traveled to Colorado to participate in a local area network (LAN) tournament where players compete on the same physical network. They participated in a tournament called “Siege Showdown.”

“They competed against semi-pro level and other collegiate teams there,” he added.

Any full-time A-State student is eligible to participate in the Esports team.

“All skills are encouraged to attend tryouts, as rank often does not equal skills within a game. Not to mention, once you are on a team, you will participate in practices and work on improving with teammates. We have seen low-rank players play huge roles on some championship games,” Belk continued.

The A-State Esports team has won several other championships, including the 2022 League of Legends, where they won a divisional championship.

Other games the team participates in including: Valorant, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Splatoon, Super Smash Brothers, Counterstrike, and Marvel Rivals.

A Red Deer school’s Esports team has won a provincial championship.

St. Patrick’s Community School’s Rocket League team, the St. Patrick’s Celtics, captured the Alberta Esports Division 2 Championship at the Alberta Esports Championship, which was held at the Bow Valley College Esports Arena in Calgary from May 10-11.

The Alberta Esports Championship is recognized as Canada’s largest scholastic Esports tournament. The event brings together junior high and high school students from across the province to compete live in popular Esports titles, including Rocket League, VALORANT and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

“It has been incredible to watch the Rocket League team grow over the past few years—not just as athletes, but as individuals,” said Michael Saretzky, head coach of the St. Patrick’s Esports team.

“Ending the year with a win makes it even more special, especially as many of our players move on to new schools next year. With just one returning player, it marks both a celebration and a new beginning for the team. Competing at a post-secondary institution like Bow Valley College was a unique and inspiring experience. It gave our players a glimpse into the future and the real opportunities that Esports can provide.”

Assistant Coach Keith Davis echoed this sentiment: “As both coach and teacher, I’ve watched these young competitors grow—not just in skill, but in character. Through every match, win or lose, they’ve learned resilience, teamwork, and self-belief. Esports isn’t just about the game; it’s about unlocking the potential within, and this tournament was their proving ground. What they’ve gained goes far beyond the screen—it’s experience, confidence, and the courage to keep levelling up in life.”

St. Patrick’s Community School Principal Mandy Reed called the Celtics’ win a testament to the team’s hard work, strategic thinking, and collaborative spirit.

“We are incredibly proud of our St. Patrick’s Celtics Rocket League team for their winning the provincial championship,” said Reed.

“Esports provides our students with valuable opportunities to demonstrate teamwork, problem-solving skills, and sportsmanship, and we are thrilled to see their dedication rewarded on such a significant stage.”

St. Patrick’s also sent six players from Grades 6-8 to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament, which drew competitors from Grades 6-12. While the St. Patrick’s players weren’t victorious, one of the school’s players reached the top 32.

Public Employees Credit Union and esports platform PlayVS are partnering to bring competitive gaming opportunities to schools across Central Texas at no cost. The initiative is designed to use esports as a platform for developing skills, building leadership, and creating future academic and career pathways.

The collaboration was sparked when PlayVS sought out organizations committed to youth development, making PECU a natural fit.

“We were looking for an entity that could help us support the cost of participation for schools in Austin ISD and in Travis County,” said Veronica Sander, PlayVS’ head of strategic partnerships. “PECU stepped up to that, so now we have an opportunity to make that experience available to those students.”

A spike in participation

The impact of the partnership has been immediate. Participation in Central Texas esports has surged in the past year, with the number of participating schools growing by 265%. This increase reflects the expanding recognition that esports is more than just a game.

“By participating in their esports club or team, players have an opportunity to increase their leadership skills, communication skills and their mental well-being,” Sander said. “We find that kids are able to connect with peers and create a community. They have a real sense of belonging inside their scholastic ecosystem.”

Supporting schools

PlayVS also provides schools with guidance to build successful programs.

“If [a school] has no idea what esports is, and a kid comes to them and asks for help [to start a team], or if [a teacher] is a gamer themself, and they want to create this opportunity for students, we can help them,” Sander said.

Commitment to financial education

PECU is supporting students beyond the field as well, offering free access to Zogo, a top rated financial education app, as part of its involvement.

“​​Zogo has frequently been the No. 1 rated financial education app. PECU makes it free to everyone in the community, whether they’re PECU members or not,” PECU Vice President of Marketing Scott Murphy said. “People can learn about financial education through gamified bite-sized online modules. They earn points for each module, plus they can later cash in their points for online gift cards from their favorite brands such as Amazon, GameStop, Apple, Starbucks, Walmart and Target. What’s more, PECU offers a free account at the credit union for all area esports coaches and players.”

Understanding esports

As esports grows in popularity, both PECU and PlayVS stress the importance of community understanding and education. They encourage parents and educators to see the value beyond the screen.

“Take an opportunity to learn about the games, the ecosystem and the coaches,” Sander said. “If you can equate the participation in esports to a more traditional sport, [you’ll] understand that the values of teamwork, communication and leadership are garnered across it.”

Together, PECU and PlayVS are helping students discover new opportunities for growth and success in the digital age.

To inquire about your school’s participation, contact [email protected].

The above story was produced by Multi Platform Journalist Sydney Heller with Community Impact’s Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their “sponsored content” purchase through our advertising team.