While the Lady Bulldogs came up a little short in their efforts to win a state title in softball last Friday, another kind of championship found its way to Greenwood on Saturday.
For the first time, GHS students participated in Esports, a varsity gaming competition emerging across the state and sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association.
Not only did the Greenwood teams compete, but they dominated.
Greenwood’s League of Legends team went undefeated and won the state title among 64 other teams from around the state. Greenwood’s Rocket League team finished second at state.
The competition is team oriented and built around multi-player online battle arena (MOBA) games. Each contest lasts between 60 to 90 minutes during the regular season for two MOBA games.
The Rocket format is a game of strategy, teamwork, and ball handling similar to soccer and requires about 30 minutes per contest.
The state tournament consisted of a best-of-three competition for the League of Legends team and a best-of-seven for the Rocket League squad.
“The first year of Esports has been very exciting,” said Head Coach Andrew Maxwell, a mathematics teacher at Greenwood Junior High School.
“Our Rocket League team worked hard and practiced regularly,” he added. “Their efforts [allowed] them to be second in the state.
“Throughout the season the students really showed their leadership skills. Our League of Legends team worked closely together to develop clever plays against an opponent who [was] doing the same.
“Since we were aiming for a state title, our kids went the extra mile in studying the other teams,” revealed Maxwell. “[Senior] Jack Gaston led the way in putting out research reports on the other teams' strategies, and our group discussed all the likely scenarios before each of the matches.
“The effort of these students really showed in their games and throughout the season. They made it undeniable that they were the top team in the state. They had a 15-0-1 record during regular season and worked through the 64-team bracket to finish first.”