Brushy dynasty continues with fourth esports playoff appearance
Think sports dynasties, and several teams undoubtedly leap to mind: New York Yankees of the 1920s and ‘30s then the 1950s, Boston Celtics of the 1950s and ‘60s, UCLA basketball in the 1960s and ’70s, Pittsburg Steelers of the 1970s, Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s, San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s, Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, UConn women’s basketball of the 2000s, New England Patriots in the 2000s and 2010s, Alabama football of the 2010s and Golden State Warriors from 2015-22.
Think sports dynasties, and several teams undoubtedly leap to mind: New York Yankees of the 1920s and ‘30s then the 1950s, Boston Celtics of the 1950s and ‘60s, UCLA basketball in the 1960s and ’70s, Pittsburg Steelers of the 1970s, Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s, San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s, Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, UConn women’s basketball of the 2000s, New England Patriots in the 2000s and 2010s, Alabama football of the 2010s and Golden State Warriors from 2015-22.
For the past two years, add the Brushy Public School Mountaineers.
If that’s a surprise to you, then you may not have been keeping up with esports.
The Brushy esports program is wrapping up its second year, with more than 50 students from fifth through eighth grade participating and competing in the program on both the state and national level in the Oklahoma eSports League (OESL) and the Middle School Esports League (MSEL), respectively.
And in those two school years, which are divided into two seasons per year for fall and spring, all the Mountaineers have done is gone to the playoffs every season the school has offered esports.
That includes the fourth consecutive playoff berth in the nationwide MSEL which began this week, and culminates with the finals April 24-26.
No, the students may not be protecting the Rebel Alliance from the Galactic Empire, but they’re also not playing Pong, Hopscotch or Rock-Paper-Scissors.
“Esports has given kids that do not play traditional sports a chance to compete at the same level as any other sport the school offers,” explains Cody Walters, who coaches the Mountaineers. “I am thankful for this program and the joy it brings to our students. Knowing they are excited to come to school so they can compete in tournaments is a pretty amazing thing.”
The first week of the spring playoffs is underway, with 16 Brushy students competing in four different games. To qualify for the playoffs, students must play at least six matches per season and place in the top tier for the game. Top placement for each game is different, Walters says.
Brushy also has four students who have qualified for the OESL State Tournament on April 29 in Broken Arrow to compete in Super Smash Brothers.
“The state tournament is an in-person tournament in which all MSEL matches are held at the school in our esports room. Our esports room is equipped with 12 PCs, an Xbox and 6 Nintendo Switches. We offer Chess, Minecraft, Brawlhalla, Super Smash Brothers, Rocket League and Mario Kart to all students fifth through eighth that want to be a part of the team. We also have a curriculum that our students participate in throughout the year that helps keep them accountable by keeping their grades up,” Walters says.
Brushy has reached the playoffs for Chess, Minecraft, Brawlhalla and Rocket League, and this past fall earned a national win in the MSEL when Annie Vang won the Redemption Road Chess bracket.
While the seasons coincide with the school semesters — August through December and January through May — the 10-month schedule “gives the kids the opportunity to compete year-round and continuously work and practice to get more familiar with how things work,” Walters says.
Walters is not one person overseeing more than four dozen students, however.
“None of this would be possible without the help of my assistant coaches, Arica Walters and Noah Miller,” he says. “They both have spent hours and hours poring into the program, and are always there and will jump in and help with anything, no matter what it is.”
