Marshall County’s football, soccer, volleyball and cross country seasons are over. Meanwhile, golf saw Jay Nimmo repeat as the state’s top prep golfer and the Lady Marshals claim the girls’ championship trophy.
But as Big Orange fans wait for basketball season to tip off come January, there are some others at Marshall County High School still competing within the Kentucky High School Athletic Association world. It just happens to be in the realm of esports.
Despite a pandemic and virtual learning, Marshall is in its first foray into the world of video gaming at a high school athletic level. Esports is considered a sports activity by the KHSAA and approximately 100 schools in Kentucky have esports teams. In the First Region, Calloway County, Graves County and McCracken County also have esports. Graves County has even competed in the state championship.
Esports has its own professional leagues and gamers on teams around the world with multi-million dollar contracts and who compete in games such as “League of Legends” and “Overwatch.” Video game versions of other professional sports such as NASCAR and Major League Baseball helped fill air time and slate fans’ thirst for those games during the summer while the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown sporting events across the country.
The benefit of playing esports during a pandemic is that it lends itself to virtual competition. Another plus is it cuts down on travel expenses.
“The only thing it’s done to us is we have a set up at the high school where the kids can go and play, so we’re not able to do that,” MCHS esports coach Brandon Bouland said. “But most anything we can do through esports we can do at home.”
The Marshals’ esports teams compete in two games: League of Legends, which is more of the traditional video game overlooking fighting players who have to accomplish a mission or task, and Rocket League, which is a combined version of soccer and demolition derby.
The League team is made up of Cameron Thomason, Andrew Petitt, Cole Barrett, Jaydn Bogard and Adam Averitt, with substitutes Gabe Driskill, Grady Ward and Haden Poor. The Rocket League team is comprised of Landon Shupe, Brian Richter and Brayden Dunbar.
Petitt, along with some other team members, have been playing League of Legends between a few months to a few years. The League squad currently has a 7-5 record and, according to Bouland, is ranked 12th in the state. Marshall’s Rocket League team, he added, is in the top 18.
Petitt said he’s been pleased with the success they’ve shown in their first year. “In terms of mechanical skill, I think our team is doing well,” he said. “As a whole, we agree to work on communication and understanding the game at a competitive level. Adapting from a casual play style to a more organized play style of a competitive setting is difficult, but is something we are trying to work toward.”
He and several team members have also participated in other sports, such as baseball, tennis, archery and mountain biking.
Bouland, who is the school district’s computer maintenance technician, is also no stranger to the games his charges play. He said he and a group of friends also compete in League of Legends, Rocket League and some other video games.
He said he hopes the Marshals will advance into the KHSAA playoffs, which should take place early in 2021.
