The Republic High School esports team is preparing for the Missouri Scholastic Esports Federation (MOSEF) state tournament this weekend in Mexico, Missouri. The team, which competes in the video game Valorant, has been undefeated throughout the regular season and is determined to make its mark at the state level.
Esports, or competitive video gaming, has been gaining popularity in recent years, with many schools now offering programs and scholarships for skilled players. Coach Rob Coffey, who has been with the school’s esports program since its inception eight years ago, said the team is successful when members work together.
“These kids know the games better than I do, but they’ve never played on a competitive team before,” Coffey said. “I teach them how to get along with each other and work on teamwork.”
Senior Max Davis, who recently signed with the University of Missouri’s esports team, also emphasized the importance of teamwork. “It’s hard because we all have different personalities, so just getting everyone to play together and mesh well is hard,” Davis said.
The team, consisting of Davis, Cole Allen, Brody Bryant, Alexander Dale, and Tales Schreiber, has been dominant in its matches leading up to the state tournament. Republic defeated teams from Joplin, Nixa, Web City, and Buffalo, among others, in the regular season and playoffs.
“The competition aspect is the same as physical sports because the competitive nature of gaming is the same as playing a game like football or basketball,” Davis said. “You still want to win no matter what.”
Coffey noted that the esports program has attracted students who might not have been involved in other extracurricular activities. “We pull a lot of kids in that don’t have a whole lot of other extracurricular involvement,” Coffey said. “Some of them have made friends that they never talked to before.”
The Republic team will face North County in their first match at the state tournament on Saturday at 11 a.m. The tournament bracket is set up so that one loss puts a team out of contention for the title.
Davis said the team members’ friendship and motivation to represent their school well have been driving factors in their success. “I want to win the state championship and make Republic High School proud because not many other teams win the state championships,” Davis said. “We’re really good friends outside of the game, and we’re all very good at the game.”
The rise of esports has gained recognition from students outside the team as well, especially when Davis landed a scholarship to Mizzou. “A lot of the athletes really think it’s cool now, seeing that I got a scholarship playing video games,” he said. “It gives me hope that esports in the future will become more normalized and not just be seen as a nerdy thing.”