Working hard in the Science Center basement, the Saint Louis U. High Esports program has been producing fruitful seasons of state final contention and a myriad of wins since it was founded.

English teacher and Esports manager David Callon is behind the operation, managing a team of about 60 players. In building a great community of Esports players, Callon has been able to transform a room full of computers and keyboards to a community that ultimately serves SLUH’s mission and forms boys into young men.

“Ultimately, it’s not so much about gaming, it’s just building a community around a shared interest and giving people a chance to compete for SLUH and embrace their talents,” said  Callon.

Inside of the large program referred to as Esports, SLUH harnesses the power of many great players in games ranging from Valorant and possibly including Overwatch to games like Super Smash Bros. and Rocket League.

In the past fall/winter season of Esports, one of the most notable teams was the varsity Rocket League team led by sophomore captain Hunter Mueller. The varsity Rocket League team finished top five in the Missouri state championship in a bracket with the top eight teams in Missouri.

Coming back from a deficit against Francis Howell Central, the varsity Rocket League team clinched a spot in the state championship bracket among eight other top Rocket League teams in Missouri. 

“We just rode that momentum for the rest of the play-in tournament and state championship tournament and ended up making a great run,” said Mueller.

After the great state run the Esports program made in the fall and winter seasons, the spring Esports season is upon the Jr. Bills and Super Smash Bros. is among one of the most well known and notable programs within SLUH Esports. 

Smash Bros. (Crew) varsity squad is entering into state like its Rocket League predecessor led by senior captain Sam Zychinski.  Zychinski leads a team of five due to the Smash Bros. “crew” fashion including seniors Jake Marison and Ryan DeCarlo, junior Conor McMullen, and sophomore Sean Henry. 

Rankings in preparation for the upcoming state tournament are determined by admitting the top three teams of each of the five regions around the state into the state bracket. SLUH, placing second in their region after a hard-fought loss to CBC, will be attending the state tournament for Smash Bros.

The SLUH Esports program is always looking for recruits to enhance their progress and reputation in the Esports community, so any interested students should feel free to stop by the Science Center and take advantage of everything the Esports program has to offer.

“It’s been super fun! I highly encourage anyone to come down and play with us, and it doesn't have to be strictly Esports,” said Smash Bros. player Sean Henry. 

As for the Rocket League and other off-season sports that fall under the realm of Esports, practice is year round so the team can refine its skills for its next tournament.

For a live look at many of the varsity matches, tune in to the Esports twitch channel at twitch.tv/sluh_esports to watch livestreams or view past matches in the video section. 

“We love getting new people to experience the game and getting to coach them up. Getting to experience the introduction to these games is a great feeling,” said Mueller.