Barnegat High School Esports Team Wins State Championship

BARNEGAT, NJ – Barnegat High School’s Rocket League Esports team took first place at the Garden State Esports Finals held at Rutgers University on Saturday. They competed for the winning title against 19 other schools from all over the state of New Jersey.

“We are so proud of these young men for their phenomenal teamwork and dedication. They have worked hard for this honor, and it is well deserved,” said Traci Sellers, BHS computer science teacher and esports coach. “We hope to continue to grow our program and encourage students to get involved. Our esports family has some of the most amazing students. They are kind, dedicated and we are so lucky to have the opportunity to work with them throughout the year.”

The high school's Rocket League went undefeated during both the regular season (9-0) and during the post season (3-0), according to a news release. The team played 2 matches during the championships on Saturday. The first was the semifinal round, where they faced the Oakcrest Falcons. Barnegat swept the match 3-0.

The second match was for the finals where Barnegat faced the Princeton Tigers. Barnegat won the first 2 rounds, lost the 3rd in overtime, then took the 4th match to finish the win, 3-1. This win gave Barnegat the state championship. Each of the 4 starters received a medal for the win and the team will receive a belt as the trophy.

Along with Barnegat’s Championship title, sophomore Hannah Cronen won the Garden State Esports Fandom Art contest.

Tournament seeds were determined by conference champions, most series wins from group stage, head-to-head wins, total game wins, game differential (+/-), common wins/losses, least number of players suspended, least number of forfeits and the coin flip.

Currently, there are 50 students in BHS’s esports organization, which includes players, managers, photographers and website and social media managers. Their 2021 fall season wrapped up in mid-November.

According to the Garden State Esports website, a three-season format is used for Championship Seasons. Each consists of an 8-week regular season, followed by a single elimination tournament to determine state champions. Teams competing in GSE Championship Seasons are divided into their traditional athletic conferences.

Barnegat is one of more than 80 districts in the state with an esports team. BHS started its program in spring of 2020, and participation continues to grow. Although Barnegat was the first in the state to make esports a varsity sport, several other districts have followed suit.

Esports athletes must follow the same guidelines as other sports in the district to be eligible to participate and letter, such as maintaining good grades and attendance records, and participating in a certain number of practices and matches.

The Garden State Esports finals were cast live on Twitch and can be rewatched here: www.twitch.tv/videos/1236873175.

Keep up to date with what's happening in your community by subscribing to your local Patch newsletter here.