Central High celebrates state championship, esports team heads to national finals

Central High students and staff presented the district’s first state‑championship high school esports team Monday and said the program combines competition, practice structure and academic accountability.

At the Board of Education meeting, a Central High staff member representing the team said the school fields 77 players across titles and that the team reached national competition brackets after winning state championships in multiple games, including Fortnite. Staff said the team played about 692 competitive matches this season with a 66% win rate and that in the PlayVS national league they placed among the top 25 high schools in the country in the Central time zone bracket.

Two students, identified as Chase and RJ, spoke briefly about what drew them to esports and the team environment. Chase said he joined because he has “always liked playing video games” and that the team helped him make friends. RJ said esports offered an escape from school and a place to belong.

Board members asked how competition days work and about practice time. The staff member described “organized chaos” on competition days when students coordinate PCs, starting lineups and role assignments; coaches described weekly practice and lineup selection similar to traditional sports. The coach and board members said students must meet academic standards to play; the presenter said one student improved his GPA by 1.5 grade points after joining the team.

Central brought three trophies to the meeting for photos: an overall state team trophy, the Fortnite Division 1 Championship, and a PlayVS Central Time Zone Championship. The team has an upcoming national championship match later this week, the presenter said.