A newer game was no problem for Gateway High School’s Esports team.
Gateway won the state championship for Marvel Rivals, a hero video game with Marvel Comics characters, on May 30 at Mt. Aloysius College.
The competition is part of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Esports Association and The Esport Company.
Most of the eight players on Gateway’s Marvel Rivals team had played video games before, but not always together or on the Rivals game, said Tyler Perhac, Esports coach and high school teacher.
“I think they liked Overwatch a good bit, it was one that grew on them too much,” Perhac said. “This is Marvel, and they all like Marvel. It’s something interesting to them. Once they got around to playing it, they were better at it.”
The team’s success stemmed from strong communication, Perhac said.
“In a game like this, because it’s so many players and different roles, it’s communication,” he said. “They’re respectful of each other. They’re good at calling out what support they need in a game.”
Perhac attributed the strong leadership and communication to the team’s captain, Jessie Nguyen, a rising senior.
“The best part was watching yourself or a teammate make a play that would win a fight, or even the game,” said Nguyen, 17. “It was gratifying feeling those successes and knowing you were one step closer to victory, and the more epic the moment, the better it felt.”
The team meshed well, Nguyen said.
“Honestly, the demand for Esports had been going down a little, and it felt like a miracle to get the players we needed for ‘Rivals,’ ” Nguyen said. “We got so lucky with an incredible, versatile team of people who had the skills needed to really keep the momentum going. I think that’s the biggest part in how much success we had.”
There were multiple times in the season where Gateway came back to win a match. The team defeated Central Bucks High School in the championship, but before that, they played a familiar rival, McDowell High School of Erie. Gateway and McDowell had played four times before.
“It seemed to me they got better as games went on,” Perhac said of his team. “I think that’s where their preparation and study of the game did it — even though they were down, they had the other team figured out. They knew how to play to win.”
In addition to Nguyen, the team includes Jacob Beighel, John Beighel, Keegan Parady, Tayshawn Riley, Waasir Jones, Ryeon Wormsley and Jonathan Yue.
Perhac said he hopes the team takes away a stronger sense of confidence.
“I hope it’s something that sticks with them, that there’s something else in life that they were able to enjoy and accomplish with their friends,” he said.