This past weekend NISD Esports held our Fall 2024 Championships and second annual Esports Explorers Expedition. We hosted over 50 finalists from 21 middle and high schools, and 20 elementary schools with over 120 students in attendance, making this our biggest championship yet!
Additionally, thanks to the hard work of the student broadcast team at Holmes High School, consisting of Producer Willard Mancia Menjivar, Shoutcasters Draven Torres and Tony Garza, and campus sponsor and director Joshua Mullenary, viewers from around the city were able to tune into the action on KSAT+!
Rocket League Grand Prix
Teams from Harlan, Holmes / NSITE, O’Connor, and Sotomayor, our Final Four from the November Qualifiers, played each other in the Rocket League Grand Prix. Holmes and Sotomayor were eliminated in the first round, and O’Connor got a chance to challenge the reigning champions from Harlan.
However, the skill of the top team in the district couldn’t be denied, and Harlan High School went home with the title of Rocket League Champions once again! Congratulations to players Alfred Hernandez, Dante Rodriguez, and Jordin Barnes!
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Grand Finals
In the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU) semi-finals we had 16 middle school and another 16 high school players playing in their own level’s best-of-five, single elimination bracket.
Middle School Finals
The Final Four players in the Middle School Finals were Cyrus Guzman from Rayburn, Malcolm “NIGHTMARE” Thompson from Folks, Maximus “Paranoia” Gonzales from Jones, and Josiah Pineda from Neff. Cyrus and Josiah were eliminated in the first round, and the Grand Finals match was set to be between NIGHTMARE and Paranoia.
After a hard-fought five rounds, Malcolm “NIGHTMARE” Thompson came out on top, and he and Folks Middle School went home with the trophy for the SSBU Fall Champion!
High School Finals
For the High School Finals, the Final Four players were Jonathan “Sapl” Piedra from Jay, Jose “Toffy!” Pineda from Holmes / NSITE, Kantrell “JUDGEMENT” Thompson from Sotomayor, and Thomas “Schmed” Carter from Warren. Sapl and Schmed were eliminated in the first round, and our Grand Finals were between the all-city champion, Toffy!, and our previous middle school champion, JUDGEMENT.
The supremacy of the grand master of the San Antonio SSBU scene couldn’t be overcome, however, and Jose “Toffy!” Pineda and Holmes / NSITE high school went home as the High School SSBU Fall Champion!
Esports Explorers Expedition
While the secondary students battled it out in the Finals, elementary students from 20 of our district’s Esports Explorers clubs joined one another to play Minecraft Education. These students participated in the program’s new “Adventure Club” strand, and played against one another in Bed Wars, a game where teams of four have to protect their team’s island base while attacking their opponents. These students were given the opportunity to connect with their fellow players from across the district, and visit with representatives from our middle school magnets at Hobby, Jones, Jordan, and Zachry.
Thank you to all our student competitors, campus sponsors, event staff, and counselors for helping make this our best Championship yet! We’ll return for our Spring season with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and a surprise, brand new game for our high school players. Have a Happy Holiday, and a great New Year!
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