FORT SMITH, Ark. — On Tuesday, April 25, Northside High School’s (NHS) Esports team became the first high school in the state to win the PlayVS Central Region Splatoon 3 competition in Arkansas.
The team was formed at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year and competed against schools from Canada to Alabama.
“This season, their team communications gave them a competitive edge over other teams during the competition," said Zach Coats, team coach. "They did a great job of staying calm, even when they were down in the match and when they had to fight back for the win.”
This year’s winning team included:
- Captain Shaila Dawson (Senior)
- Tristin Chanthavong (Sophomore)
- Julian Mena (Sophomore)
- Waylon Hurd (Freshman)
- Allyson Hayes - Sub (Freshman)
- Joshua Bonnett - Sub (Freshman)
Last year, NHS Esports team earned the “Spring ‘22 Runner-up for Splatoon,” but Coach Coats noted this team is the first to win the championship.
The team competed remotely from the campus computer lab and will receive their trophy from PlayVS in the next few weeks.
Out of nine competitive seasons, NHS has participated and competed for the championship in six of those seasons. The team competes in League of Legends, Splatoon 3, NBA2K, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, Madden, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
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