Carroll County’s Esports teams started their seasons with some wins and losses this week. The electronic athletes were laser-focused while engaging in their matches in Splatoon and Super Smash Brothers.
Twelve students comprise the three teams that will compete this season. They play Nintendo Switch games Splatoon 3, Super Mario Brothers and Mario Kart 8. Their opponents were chosen randomly this week through the KHSAA sanctioned platform, PlayVS. Going forward teams will be matched against opponents with similar records. Splatoon competitors may be in places outside of Kentucky while the teams in Smash and Mario are within Kentucky.
Their season lasts seven weeks and they can qualify for postseason tournaments. Regular season games are played in the Carroll County ATC’s Project Lead the Way classroom. Gaming computers give each player their own station for one-on-one matches. There’s also a very larg TV that was used this week by the Smash team.
“They want to do well so they get very loud,” Coach Kenneth Martin said. He noted that three of his four Mario Kart racers played last year and finished in the top half of the competitors.
Their matches are also streamed live on Twitch. Martin said he hopes to have commentators for the games as well.
Splatoon is new to Carroll County this year. “We are very much in a learning season,” Martin said. Splatoon plays a single set with four players per team and the best of five games wins. They lost their opening matches 0-3. Afterward, the players and Martin brainstormed ideas of how they can improve and strategize their play. He said they also spend time on YouTube to watch others playing the games and learn how to perform better.
Super Smash Brothers has three players per team, with each member playing individual one-on-one matches for the best of three games. Carroll County won 2-0 in its opener. Their Mario Kart season opens Thursday against Frederick Douglass High School at 5 p.m.
Martin said the teams are set for this year, but he is looking for new players. The bulk of this year’s team are juniors. He encouraged anyone who is interested to join the team. They practice Monday-Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. with matches on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. All equipment is provided by the school, but players can bring their own headset or controller if they have a favorite, Martin said.
If he gets enough players, Martin is hoping to expand into rocket league, league of legends and hearthstone.
The Esports team includes: Splatoon - Brenna Mefford, Rachel Hawkins, Grace Whisman and Emma Clymer; Smash Brothers - Adam Fremin, Mason Hinkle, Sebastayn Toft, Raleigh Knemeyer, Yahir Garcia Mendoza, and Joey Massey; and Mario Kart - Brayden Lair, Sebastayn Toft, Tyler Tharp and Joey Massey. Robin Dillard is a sub for both Mario and Splatoon.
