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Spartan News is a presentation of Mason County Central School District in partnership with Mason County Press.
SCOTTVILLE — In just its third year of existence, the Mason County Central High School esports program has established itself as a contender for state championships. This fall, the program achieved a milestone, qualifying all four of its teams for the state playoffs for the first time in school history.
The Spartans will compete in two video game titles, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros., with both varsity and junior varsity teams earning playoff berths.
The Omega Spartans varsity Mario Kart team enters the playoffs ranked fifth in the state. The Kappa Spartans are ranked 10th in the 16-team Mario Kart bracket and are the only junior varsity team to qualify for that tournament.
In Super Smash Bros., the Beta Spartans are ranked 12th among 32 teams in the junior varsity tournament, while the Alpha Spartans enter the 32-team varsity tournament ranked 15th.
“The Michigan High School Esports League (MHSEL) actually runs two seasons every school year,” said head coach Tim Danielson. “They run a fall and a spring league to allow for traditional sport athletes the opportunity to play esports in their offseason. We are just able to field very competitive teams year-round!”
Danielson said competition has become more challenging this year following changes to the league’s participation requirements.
“This year the league went pay-to-play and that really made it more competitive as some smaller schools were not able to compete and really only bigger schools with larger talent pools and budgets were left,” he said.
Despite the increased competition, MCC’s teams have continued to perform at a high level.
Danielson noted that the Omega Spartans varsity Mario Kart team faced one of the toughest schedules in the state. Four of the team’s first five matches this fall were against teams that finished among the top eight in the spring championships.
Assistant coach Marissa Rodriguez said the program’s success is partly the result of a core group of seniors who have played together since MCC established its esports program three years ago.
Rodriguez said the players have improved each season and have found ways to get additional practice time this year.
The state playoffs begin next week, with the Alpha Spartans varsity Super Smash Bros. team competing Monday, Nov. 16. The Beta Spartans junior varsity Super Smash Bros. team will compete in its opening round Tuesday, Nov. 17.
The first two rounds of the playoffs will be conducted virtually. MCC’s esports teams compete in Room C2 at Mason County Central High School. Competitions are free and open to the public.
Teams advancing to the final eight will compete in the in-person state championships in Lansing on Sunday, Dec. 6.
In addition to the program’s team success, two MCC players are finalists for All-State recognition.
Senior Jackson Rosenow is a finalist for the Mario Kart All-State Team, while junior Doug Horacek is in contention for a position on the Super Smash Bros. All-State Team.
The MCC esports program will also participate in the Retro Arcade and Video Game Fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 21, at MCC High School.
The fundraiser will help the team cover league participation fees and offset travel expenses associated with competition.
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