Archbishop Riordan’s esports program wrapped up one of its best seasons, with several teams finishing in the top 10, and players across five games making the postseason.

“The team did very well this season with multiple teams in the top 10 all year,” head coach Cory Nelson told The Crusader. “The biggest highlight was League of Legends winning their championship, Valorant making the playoff bracket after narrowly missing last year, Mario Kart continued to dominate all season.”

Three players had standout seasons. Nelson said Tony Moreno took both Marvel Rivals and Valorant to the playoffs, Ryu Jose did the same with Super Smash Bros. and League of Legends, and Ben Estrada stepped up as team captain on both the Smash and Mario Kart teams.

The season was not without disruption, however. When the tuberculosis closure hit, the team had to shift to playing from home, much like everyone else at Riordan. Nelson credited assistant coach Duke Reeder for keeping things running. “Coach Reeder was extremely beneficial and communicated effectively to get people playing at the correct times on the correct days,” Nelson told The Crusader. 

Building team chemistry was a separate but ongoing challenge. “We have a lot of teams that haven’t played together and the biggest challenge is to create synergy, communication, and friendships so they play well together,” he said. 

On the equipment front, Nelson said the school’s computers gave players better setups than most had at home, which helped the team practice together in person consistently.

Heading into next season, Nelson wants more players involved and more accountability around practice. “We practice the same amount as all physical sports, we compete four days a week, we play in the spring, we have a lot of fun,” he told The Crusader. “Come out and join even if you have a lot or not that much experience.”