HUGO BUFFALOES E-SPORTS
Coach: Mike Morris
OUTLOOK
“This year started as a rebuilding year,” said head coach Mike Morris. “Over the last two years, we have graduated six seniors, who all went on to have opportunities to play at the college level. However, we have a bunch of freshmen that arrived to the high school team with state playoff and championship experience. Once we find a rhythm with the young talent, we are looking to make some deep runs into the playoffs this year.”
Leading the Buffaloes is senior Lauren Eby. “Lauren is a four-year starter for the esports team and the current team captain,” Morris said. “She specializes in our Nintendo Switch games, such as Mario Kart, Smash Bros (qualified two years in a row for state playoffs with deep runs each year), and Splatoon. She was part of a top 5 in state DKO team, Overwatch team, and a top 8 Valorant team. Lauren is the only senior on the team this year.”
Another standout is Michael Whitbeck, one of Oklahoma’s rising esports talents. “Michael joined the team last year mid-season as a sophomore,” Morris said. “I had heard from many around the school and around the town that he is a gifted Chess player, and the spring season included Chess.com speed chess as a title. I was able to convince him to play for us, and he instantly came in and increased the level of play for the team. He joined the Marvel Rivals team to help out, and even though he had never played the game before, he joined the Mario Kart team, where he made it to top 4 in the state with his duo Derek Frost-Jordan. His specialty, however, is Chess. The only loss he had the entire season, was while sheltering in place from a tornado, playing against the eventual state champion. Michael ended up being number two in the state. He is looking to take over the state championship this year as a junior.” Sophomore Traver Weathers is another promising underclassman gaining attention. “Traver joined the team last year as a freshman,” Morris said. “He is young and energetic and pushes the team to be better. He is a talented all-around player but shines the most in our FPS titles like Marvel Rivals, Rainbow 6 Siege, and Overwatch. In those games, he is usually the in-game shot caller, making decisions for what plays to run and the timing that goes into them. Last season he also joined the Mario Kart team, and along with his duo Landon Gamblin, made it to state top 8.”
Rounding out Hugo’s leadership is Derek Frost-Jordan. Morris said. “He has stepped in to play multiple titles but has been most effective in Smash Bros and Mario Kart, where he placed in Top four in state along with his duo Michael Whitbeck. Derek taught Michael to play Mario Kart, and after what seemed to be an epic training montage, they went from ‘well, I guess we can try it’ at the start of the season to ‘hey coach… I think we can win this at the state finals.”
