The esports teams in the district have amassed followers from around the world and created overnight celebrities with corporate endorsements and college scholarships, according to CISD. The six teams in the district are in their fourth season of competing and have players from six CISD high schools, including Canyon High, Canyon Lake High, Davenport High, Hill Country College Preparatory High, Memorial Early College High and Smithson Valley High.
According to Comal ISD, this season’s results have the MECHS team, which competed in the newest esports game of "Overwatch 2," placing fourth in the region, and teams from SVHS, which competed in League of Legends and Rocket League, placing seventh and eighth in the state, respectively.
“Esports offers students another opportunity to get involved and be part of a team,” SVHS esports coach Sam Pippert said. “It takes a video game that many students play in isolation and turns it into competitive team sport. I’m glad that the district pushed to get it started.”
The esports program has had successful seasons since the teams were formed. The SVHS team made it to the top five in the state for "Rocket League"; the MECHS team made it to the top eight in "Overwatch"; and the CHS team made it to the state playoffs in "League of Legends" and "Rocket League," the district said.
“We all want to win together,” said Matthew Hunt, a member of the SVHS team. “The team aspect is the most important part of the game. We have to work together.”
Comal ISD teams compete in "League of Legends," "Rocket League" and "Overwatch 2" with hopes to offer more team-based titles in future seasons. Student gamers practice regularly and compete against schools across the state, regardless of UIL classification. Currently, UIL does not recognize esports as a varsity sport, but it is on its radar as other states adopt it as a varsity-level activity, the district said.
Additionally, CISD enforces the "no-pass, no-play" rules for esports and promotes a healthy approach to gaming, teaching players the importance of having a balance of mental and physical activity, according to the district.
The esports teams are representative of CISD’s “Every Student Connected” initiative, which offers students a variety of choices in how they get involved in activities and organizations. In the first semester of the esports team in CISD, 42% of students participating reported they had not been involved in a campus club or team within the past academic year, according to the district.
The esports team also opens the door to future opportunities for the students participating by getting esports scholarships to play at the collegiate level and pursue full degree programs in the esports industry.
The first CISD student to earn an esports scholarship was 2022 SVHS graduate Dennis Hoehn, who received more than $400,000 in offers, ultimately accepting a $92,000 scholarship to play "League of Legends" at Bethany College in Kansas.
Students interested in joining the esports team at one of CISD’s high schools are encouraged to contact the team's coach or visit the esports page on the district's website.
