El Diamante High School adds esports to its athletic department

When people think of high school sports, they don’t usually think of video games.

The concept of competitive gaming itself remains foreign to many; however, hopping online to play video games with friends is second nature for a handful of athletes at El Diamante.

"I was so overjoyed to hear that not only is Visalia Unified putting up with esports, they're also investing in it," said J.C. Marquez, esports head coach.

Visalia Unified has invested more than $23,000 in esports programs at each high school, Marquez said, which helped the Miner's program buy the equipment they needed.

Esports athletes compete against other students using a keyboard and mouse, Xbox or Nintendo Switch controller depending on the game.

Groups practice with each other a few times a week, though some players will get together after school to log in a few more hours.

Last Thursday, a group of El Diamante students practiced their Splatoon skills, while another hopped on to play Fortnite. Nearby, two of the Miner’s esports groups, the school’s Rocket League trio and Mario Kart quads, sat waiting.

They weren't there to practice. They were there to compete.

Game Day

Room 615 on El Diamante’s campus is lined with gaming chairs, laptops and monitors. When approaching the classroom, usually, you will hear a little yelling, accompanied by a few cheers here and there.

If you are unfamiliar with callouts, it may just seem like noise. Those who understand the game, however, know how important that noise can be.

For El Diamante’s Rocket League athletes, communication is "No problem."

Jordan Sanchez and Jayden McGuire downloaded Rocket League ― a soccer-like game using rocket-powered cars ― in 2016 when it became available on Xbox.

The two have been competing in the game for so long now, they have reached the game’s grand champion ranking in duos ― which puts them in the top 3% of the game’s player base.

Tayler Rhoades, the team’s third player, joined the group this year. He ranks anywhere between platinum and diamond, a few levels below Sanchez and McGuire, but the three teammates have made it work so far this season.

In fact, during their best-of-five matchup last week, they kept their opponents off the board completely. McGuire led the group, his voice the loudest of the three, calling the shots as the game went by.

Player rotations are an important aspect of playing Rocket League; one wrong rotation frees up an opposing player and leaves them with a shot at an open net and no real way of stopping them.

There were a few close calls and near misses from Burton Tech Thursday, but ultimately El Diamante came out on top. They are currently ranked 30th out of nearly 175 teams in California.

While the Miners were sweeping the Scorpions in Rocket League, there was another group of athletes taking on another school in Mario Kart ― a racing-style game using characters from the Smash Bros universe.

Marquez explained some of the strategies used in Mario Kart, specifically a scenario were sabotaging your own player can actually help the rest of the team succeed.

They too beat their opponents and celebrated with high fives and fist bumps afterward ― an all too familiar scene among athletes.

The school's esports team has around 25 competitive athletes during its inaugural season.

Esports is growing, and fast

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and PlayVS entered a partnership in 2019 to launch the CIF Esports Initiative.

Currently, students can earn a varsity letter and compete for a state championship in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League and League of Legends.

Sunny Hills High School’s esports team won the League of Legends state championship in Fall 2019, while St. Ignatius College Preparatory won the Rocket League state championship.

CIF added Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to its lineup of games in Spring 2021, while FIFA was added in Fall 2021.

Mario Cart was added this year, prompting a surge of new players to join Marquez said.

"If you just go online, turn on Twitch, you will see how big this is," he said. "This is not a niche thing anymore, it is so mainstream now."

More and more colleges are starting to offer esports athletes scholarships, too.

According to Next College Student Athlete, more than 150 colleges and universities are members of the National Association of Collegiate Esports and offer varsity esports as of 2022.

Scholarships usually range from $500 to $8,000 depending on the school. A full list of colleges that offer esports scholarships can be found here.

Schools offer scholarships for League of Legends, Overwatch, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Rocket League, FIFA, Madden, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and more.

Marquez understands there may still be esports skeptics.

"Come down to the classroom," he said. "I couldn't play in 'traditional sports'... this has allowed those kids to feel part of something."

Lauren Jennings covers education and news for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow her on Twitter @lolojennings. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Visalia Unified invests over $23K for high school esports programs