Nome-Beltz eSports team wins State competition
Last Wednesday, the Nome-Beltz Esports team competed and won in the state finals for a video game called Rocket League. The easiest way to explain Rocket League is that it is a game of soccer played by rocket-powered cars. In this game, players can drive, jump, fly and everything in between, all of which the Nanooks have mastered.
The varsity Esports team, consisting of Bode Leeper, Parker Kenick and Calvin Fry, have gone undefeated in their set matches with a record of 8-0. Set matches in the regular season were best of five, and each game lasted for five minutes. Bode Leeper says, “working together and chemistry is important” to be so successful. Teamwork is an essential aspect of Rocket League. Bode says the biggest hurdle for the team this year was the loss of teammate Isaiah Marble. “It is difficult because changing members is a tough adjustment,” said Bode. This roster change mixed up the team’s chemistry, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Nanooks.
The Nanooks dominated in the playoff tournament where the 16 best teams in Alaska faced each other.
In this tournament, the set matches were best of seven, and the Nanooks beat a Nulato team and two teams from Colony High School to get to the finals. They encountered the North Pole Patriots in the finals, where the Nanooks beat them in the first three games without losing a single point. The Patriots attempted to turn the set around by winning the next two games, but the Nanooks stopped them by winning game six and taking the title of state champs.
Parker Kenick’s amazing defense was especially notable in the first half of the series and Bode Leeper’s great offense took game six for the Nanooks. Calvin Fry’s performance was the most consistent on the team and provided the support necessary to win. This victory now makes the Nome-Beltz Nanooks back-to-back state champs in the game of Rocket League.