Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District -

The Grapevine High School Rocket League Red Team finished in third at the Texas Scholastic Esports Federation (TexSEF) State Championship, considered to be the first state competition for Esports.

Held April 28-29, the tournament brought together for the first time 36 teams who had won regional championships across Texas. With only a few months of preparation under their belt, the GHS Rocket League Red Team, comprised of three freshmen and one junior, won the Vanta Esports Texas Regional Championship held in December 2022, qualifying them for the state championship.

“I knew right off the bat that we had something special right here at GHS. The team went undefeated in the fall and spring semesters in Vanta,” said GHS Assistant Principal and Esports Coach Dr. Kendrick Johnson.

Esports tournaments are held across the state throughout the year by several Esports leagues, such as TexSEF and Vanta Texas League, which are designed for schools and academic associations to offer inclusive youth esports platforms and leagues that educate and inspire future esports leaders as well as build skills that students can use in the future. In addition to the team, Esports classes are offered at Colleyville Heritage High School, GHS and GCISD middle schools.

While the GHS team is considered the best in the area, they wanted to expand their horizons to see how they would fare against other top teams across the state, but the competition is not just about playing video games.

“It's really fun, but it's also a good learning experience. At school, they let us use top-notch technology and it allows kids who don’t have access to this at home to learn,” said Christopher Ochoa, a junior member of the GHS Rocket League Red Team.

They are also learning important life-long skills.

“We get to meet new people and learn how to work as a team. It's all about strategy, trust and bettering our communication” said Jordan Messina, a freshman member of the GHS Rocket League Red Team.

“You have to learn how to be a good teammate. They have to be good communicators. They have to also have a sense of direction to be able to lock into something and see it through to the very end,” Dr. Johnson said. “My hope for the team is that they can cultivate this skill set so they can utilize it not only in gaming at GHS, but they will be able to say that they have a skill set that will help them be successful in the real world.”

Congratulations to the following students for making history in GHS Esports and good luck at the next Vanta League tournament on May 6.

Grapevine High School Rocket League Red Team:
Jordan Messina
Mason Broyles
Drew Pellegrin
Christopher Ochoa