Having blown up on social media over Thanksgiving break, and for good reason, was the first ever live E-Sports championship between two schools. The event was held on November 21 at Detroit Catholic Central High School. It was their team against Dakota’s.
Catholic Central’s entire student body was in attendance; the was gym pack with students excited to be there and to rally behind their team. Cheers echoes off the walls, practically enough to shake the place down to its foundations. It was so loud, in fact, that the E-Sports players could barely hear each other over their headsets. Walking out to thousands of spectators, Dakota’s team was ready to take on the challenge against Catholic Central. Even after the game, the crowd rushed the stage to congratulate the winning team, Detroit Catholic Central.
Playing for Dakota High School were William Guiffre, Jonathan Adams and JT Kearns, and subs Preston Jarreau, Evan Sokolowski, and Jonah Beniamin. Mr. Bilof is head coach for the E-Sports team. On the opposing side with Detroit Catholic Central were Jacob Bennett, Marcus Vlad, and Ethan Darga, and Aiden Voth, Adyn Stoddard, and Jacob Elerson. Their team was coached by Stephen Juncaj.
The night’s showdown was over the game Rocket League; played in a best-out-of-seven match. It was chosen partially for its universal appeal and ease for non-players to understand. Catholic Central took home the gold with four wins against Dakota. Thoughout school team didn’t win, they were still happy to be part of this thrilling – dare we yet say historical? – moment.
The match blew up on ESPN, TikTok, and other social media platforms. Popular youtubers and influencers also added to the hype by tweeting about the match and sharing the news on their channels. In the end it went viral with over 20M+ views, 100K+ shares, and over a million likes on a wide range of media.
On a related note, check out Dakota’s gaming club. It’s a place where people with similar interests can get together and have some fun. It’s not restricted to just video games and new members are welcome. The club is led by Mr. Bilof in room 220.
Click here for related links featuring the match:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0ErQ8zM2eD/?igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ%3D%3D
