Javen Brock

The Esports room boasts PS5s as well as gaming rigs. Students practice and when season begins, they compete after school against other schools.

We do indeed have an Esports program. Nestled down in the dark reaches of E-8, Mr. Montoya leads a pack of skilled players vying for entry to the gaming championship. 

Now, if you didn’t know much about this club, or you weren’t aware of its existence entirely, this is the article for you. I talked with the coach to answer some basic FAQs about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of esports.

Q: When does Esports meet? For how long?

A: We meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays after school. Our meetings last until 5:00 PM

Q: What do you do in Esports? How do you spend your time?

A: We spend most of the time playing games. We have official rules that we must play by for our matches, so we practice using those rules. The rest of the time we spend preparing our strategies and setting up our online matches.

Q: What games do you play in Esports? Which is your favorite to coach?

A: This year we are playing Rocket League, Smash Bros Ultimate, and Mariokart. I love all three but SmashBbros is my personal favorite.

Q: Do your players compete in different games, or are they stuck to one game?

A: Players can compete in multiple games but for the highest chance of success I recommend students focus on one game.

Q: Do all games have a championship, or do only some have a tournament?

A: Every game we play has its own state championship. The school that wins the most championships wins the overall Esports championship, so the more games we compete in the better.

Q: What does a championship involve? How long is it and how many games do you play?

A: The championship will look a little different for each game. The championship tournament for a game will last two weeks with the last four matches being played live and in-person on the final day of the tournament.

Q: How long have you been coaching esports?

A: This is my second year.

Q: How many times have you been in a championship? What do you like about it?

A: I have been to the championship tournament once. Last year Cibola’s own Rocket League team made it to the state semi-finals. It was awesome getting to play against other teams in-person. You get to meet players and coaches from other schools as well as play in front of a live crowd.

Q:  Which games are the most popular and competitive?

A: I would say that at our school Smash Bros and Rocket League are most popular, but I would love to start up our League of Legends team again if we could get enough people. We lost a few good seniors last year so we will have to wait and see which of our teams is most competitive this year.

Q: How can someone join Esports?

A: All they have to do is stop by and sign-up. My classroom (E-9) is open most days at lunch, or students can stop by after school on Wednesday or Thursday.

So, there you are. A full interview with the Esports coach, Mr. Montoya. I hope that by reading this, you may be convinced to join Esports, or at least run by E-8 to check it out. Who knows? You may just be the next great Esports champion!