Front row: Michael Sharp, Jeremiah Ply, Braedon Greene*, Henry Hicklin* and manager Elizabeth Smith, not pictured Isaac Hurley and Slade Smith. (Mario Kart 8)
Middle row: Kieran Spence, Mason Gideon, Faith Erwin, Ella Coatney, Everhett Smith and Barron Swearingen (Supersmash Bros. and Splatoon 3)
Back row: Troy Devore, Tristen Barclay, William Quinn and Gavin Ladurini (Rocket League)
Photo courtesy of Tina Ply
A sport that’s new to some residents of the Twin Lakes Area has proven to be a successful one for a local high school. Yellville-Summit’s esports program wrapped up just its second fall season in December with one of its teams advancing as far as the state semifinals.
The Panthers were represented in the final four by their MarioKart 8 team of Michael Sharp, Jeremiah Ply, Braedon Greene, Henry Hicklin, Isaac Hurley and Slade Smith. Yellville-Summit head coach Tina Ply says it was an exciting way for the program to finish its third overall season of competition.
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MarioKart 8 is one of four games the Panthers take part in. Yellville-Summit also has students competing in Rocket League, Super Smash Brothers and Splatoon 3. Their matches are sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association in partnership with PlayVS.
There were 77 teams throughout the state competing in MarioKart 8, and the top 32 were able to advance to the postseason. Yellville-Summit finished the regular season as the fifth best team in Arkansas. Ply says the team was notified of how they performed during the next to last week of the regular season.
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The Panthers’ MarioKart team did end up losing their semifinal match to Valley View. The Blazers later went on to capture the state championship.
Ply says esports is giving students that might not participate in a contact sport an opportunity to take part in an extracurricular activity, and it could also give them a chance to further their education. She says some colleges are offering esports, including a couple on the local level.
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Yellville-Summit is preparing for its spring season. The preseason will start Jan. 30, and the regular season will get underway about two weeks later.
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