New season, new team.
As the Mount Carmel E-Sports team enters the 2024 season, they are bracing themselves to make their hard work count. In the last two seasons, the E-Sports team made it to sectionals, and then made it to state. By reflecting over their past seasons, adding new players, and adding a new video game, they are looking to have the most successful season by far.
“We’re out to avenge our losses from the past couple seasons,” McGovern said. “Let’s try to be undefeated this season, if we have to sweep the whole league then so be it.”
The current coach of the E-Sports team is Mr. Dominic Scheuring. He primarily handles communication, scheduling matches, coordinating strategies, and considers himself more of a moderator. Even though he has experience in gaming, he mainly lets players teach each other new skills. Still, Mr. Scheuring works to prepare the team for its matches, particularly the mental approach to competition.
“It’s about not being cocky,” said Mr. Scheuring. “Not being scared as well. Some people play differently when they go up against an opponent they know is good.”
One video game that the E-Sports team has found success with in recent years is Rocket League, an arcade-style soccer match, but with cars instead of soccer players to strike the ball. Freshmen newcomers Steven Douglas, Ryley Britton, and Eduardo Munoz are playing for the JV squad, while seniors Aidan McGovern, Conor Dukes, and Angel Tate are playing on varsity.
“I’ve gotten more mechanical,” McGovern said in regards to how his approach has changed over the years of being on the squad. “I’m a lot more refined. I definitely have matured a lot, and I’d say I’m a pretty good leader.”
McGovern is the varsity team captain for Rocket League. He fills the shoes of previous players Isaiah Heard ‘23 and Diego Caban ‘24, who led a team that found success in fast playstyle.
“It was definitely the speed of the team,” McGovern said. “If you make crazy reads all the time, which takes positioning, communication, and reaction time, that’s what’ll make you fast.”
Originally, McGovern preferred an aggressive offense, but now he can appreciate a steady defense. In the past, he would get heated if a match got intense, but now he’s become more patient and responsive to his teammates’ styles of play. Undoubtedly, he has the skill and time to teach the next generation of E-Sports players.
“In past seasons we always got beat by the counterattack team,” McGovern said. “Our defense used to be really jumpy, that’s partly why we’re so fast, but also why we were getting scored on.”
In order to learn from past mistakes, McGovern wants to bring stability to their defense by reviewing Rocket League Championship Series footage with the rest of the team. All E-Sports games are streamed live on MC’s Twitch channel. The Rocket League team won their first game against Greater South Gibson County High School, with a final score of 3-0. Every Thursday the Caravan ESports team will stream Rocket League, and their next game is October 10.
After closing up the previous season, the E-Sports team recently introduced Super Smash Brothers Ultimate to their lineup. It’s a fast-paced, character-focused fighting game, where team points are tallied from individual matches. In order to win a match, teams must knock their opponent off a floating stage.
Smash Bros. captain Aiden Correa figured it was a long time coming for MC to have a team, but that it was also bound to happen. He’s got aspirations for himself, and the team to make it to state. Practice makes perfect, and Aiden Correa understands that they cannot make it to state without it.
“We do mock runs of a tournament,” Aiden Correa said. “We have house rules, like whoever wins keeps going until they get taken out, but it can be a little unfair because I get so much playing time.”
Correa grew up playing Smash Brothers with his family, and it is his favorite video game of all time. Over the past years, he bought multiple additions to the Smash Bros. lineup. When Correa came to Mount Carmel, his passion for Smash Bros. came with him.
“We talked to [head coach Mr. Dominic] Scheuring junior year, and we got it going for all of senior year,” Aiden Correa said. “It’s been a dream of mine, and it’s finally come true.”
The other team captain of the Smash Bros. team is Aiden’s twin brother, Angelo Correa, and other members include juniors Claude Henderson, Anthony-Michael Clemons, and Jackie Harkins. They won their first game against Saint Patrick High School, with a final score of 3-0. Every Wednesday the Caravan E-Sports team will stream Rocket League, and their next game is October 9.
There is one other team that’s excited for the upcoming season. After a promising season last year, the Overwatch team is back for some more action. Overwatch is a character-focused, first-person shooter objective focused game in which strategy and positioning wins matches. The current team consists of senior captains Conor Dukes and Angel Tate, as well as members Anthony-Micheal Clemons ’26, Mason Harpur ‘25, William Kinsey ‘28, Ryley Britton ‘28, and Devin Butler Scott Thomas ‘26. Clemons had a particular motivation for joining the squad.
“My dad told me something that stuck with me in the back of my mind,” Clemons said. “He said that I was good at the games that I play, but I don’t do anything about it. I realized that if I joined the E-Sports team, maybe I could be picked up by a pro.”
Clemons fancies himself as a more humble player on the team. Admittedly he’ll celebrate a hard-fought win, but he also learns from tough losses, and he encourages his team to do the same. Players understand that character choice determines playstyle, a better fitting character creates better team synergy. Clemons understands this very well, which makes him an exemplary player for the team.
“I play as a [support] on varsity,” Clemons said. “Everybody loves my role because I can do the most damage before going down. It makes me sort of the backbone of the team.”
There is a lot of comradery that goes into the planning of an Overwatch match. A win is not earned by one individual, as it takes the entire team to plan out where to be, and how to get the game done. The Overwatch team won their first game against Cristo Rey Kansas City, with a final score of 3-2. The Overwatch team streams with Smash Bros. on Wednesdays, and their next stream is on October 9.
Through reflecting on previous seasons, bringing in new players, and adding a new game, the E-Sports team is bracing to have their most successful season by far. Still, it’s is important to Mr. Scheuring for each player to remember what really matters.
“I organize it so that they care about each other, and care about winning,” Mr. Scheuring said. “There’s also an importance in cultivating student-athletes. If you had a D or an F, you’re not playing for me.”
