When someone says the word “sports,” most people tend to think about something like football or hockey, where teams compete against each other. In grueling matches, players highlight their camaraderie and athleticism. However, what can make a game a sport is the strategy involved and the skills honed to come out on top, whether or not it requires physical exertion.
In the past few years, there has been quiet talk of an esports team emerging in the high school. Starting Jan. 2025, interest meetings were held, and enough students signed up to begin an official Upper Arlington team for Esports Ohio, an organization that hosts competitions and tournaments for high schools throughout the state. John Staley, a history teacher and basketball coach, runs the esports team with Grant Riesen.
The team meets after school Monday through Thursday from around 3:30-5 p.m., with Rocket League matches on Wednesdays and Valorant matches on Thursdays. The matches are held online until the higher qualifying places in the league. The 2025 state tournament will be held at Akron University, April 25-26, according to Esports Ohio.
“Regular season games are here [at the UA Hub], in [the] early stages of the tournament, but if you make it to the final four of the state tournament, then I think that’s held near Cleveland,” Staley said.
The UA Hub is an academic building near Jones Middle School, which the district began to utilize this school year for various programs like college jumpstart. With the idea of an esports team in mind, space was allocated for a computer room in the building
“I was gonna do a club with some of my freshmen from last year who wanted to play Smash Brothers…but when they were building the hub, they designed all the wiring for this to be the esports room, it’s got high-speed internet and everything,” Staley said.
With the evolution video games have had in the competitive scene, some colleges have found an opportunity to attract more students. 235 schools host teams in Ohio, according to Esports Ohio, and these players have the potential to commit to a college for their sport. Senior Jackson Laux is currently a member of the Valorant and Rocket League teams, and noted part of the processes involved.
“So you join a public Discord [server] when you register with Ohio Esports, and they have a specific channel for recruiters. I’ve seen Ohio, Toledo, Ball State, Bowling Green and Miami there,” Laux said.
Recruiters look for high-ranked schools and then look specifically at the players to scout the best to recruit. In its first year, the esports team has garnered 10 members, and with 15 computers available to use in the room, the coaches and players are enthusiastic about the growth the team could see in the future.
With more awareness surrounding the team, esports could gain more players and eventually branch out to games beyond Valorant and Rocket League. This would also increase the team’s chances to go further in tournaments and potentially gain traction from recruiters.
“It’s definitely going to be slow, but the more people join the more games we can play. I could see this thriving in a few years,” Laux said.
