After a strong performance this fall, the Dakota Ridge High School E-Sports team returns for another season. Last season our highest performing Super Smash Brothers team ranked 22 out of 141 in Colorado, and our highest Rocket league team ranked as well. They return this season to place even higher. 

“Hopefully we can rank higher than twenty-second. I hope we place higher, maybe top ten or top five,” Mason Deza, Super Smash Brothers player, said. 

According to the Urban Dictionary, E-Sports is defined as “electronic sports, computer gaming played at a skilled and competitive level.” This is exactly what the DRHS E-Sports team participates in. We have three Super Smash Brothers teams, and a Rocket League team as well, but there are other games available in the E-sports league such as Mario Kart and Hearthstone. They compete with other schools in Colorado in both of these games. 

E-Sports has been an amazing opportunity for students who are looking for a positive community within Dakota Ridge and who enjoys playing video games.

“We are not just a bunch of nerds, we are kind of cool sometimes,” Alex DeGiovanni, DRHS Super Smash Bros player, said. 

This is heavily reflected in the atmosphere at E-Sports practices and games — it is clear that all members of the team enjoy spending time with each other in their light-hearted insults and lively practice matches. While there is certainly a lot of competition between the players and teams, they are all supportive of one another. 

It was a challenge to create this kind of environment for E-Sports, as many gamers are not interested in playing in a structured and competitive way. However, after the Dakota Ridge Super Smash Brothers tournament in 2022, it was clear that this was needed in the DRHS community.  

Anyone can get involved in the Dakota Ridge High School E-Sports team through the QR codes on posters around the school, and Mr. Sherman, the team’s advisor, is always willing to talk about E-Sports. 

Overall, this season of E-Sports is sure to be successful for all of our teams in Rocket League and Super Smash Brothers because of the tight-knit community the players have formed. They are looking forward to a new season and hopefully expanding their community in the process; anyone is welcome.  

“The people are cool,” ESports player Riley Briggs said. “It is a place where, if you feel like you don’t belong in any other club, you can just go there.”