On December 15, 2022, Southside’s Esports team competed in the State Finals against Bryant High School at Hendrix and managed to rope in an amazing victory.

In the Esports program, the group that exceeds the most and shines above all others is the League of Legends team. The state tournament started first by winning the quarter-finals against Van Buren and not too soon after, a victory against White Country Central in the semi-finals. Finally, the Southside team clashed against Bryant High School in a tactical battle that tested every player’s wits. With the scales constantly being tipped in the game, the pressure coalesced and finally, Southside came out victorious.

“I would say for us it wasn’t that hard fought. We made multiple mistakes, but we were trying. It was like if we win, we win; if we lose, we lose. The other team was fighting hard, so we fought back just as hard.” says Ridge Colquitt, one of the members of the League of Legends team.

Ridge Colquitt, Jason Le, Andy Garcia, Thien Lee, Travis Wen, and Daniel Hernandez Donato were all part of the team. Their wins averaged an impressive score of 14-0 in regular season games. Out of all 16 teams that played, this has been their first season with a perfect score in Southside’s history with John Leeman and Blake Matthews coaching this team.