The Esports team is gearing up for a successful fall season. After Mr. Spears stepped down as coach last year, Andrew Littell will begin his first season as coach. The team’s fifth season starts the week of Sept. 26 and lasts nine weeks until the playoffs begin. Splatoon 3 has been added to the team’s schedule of games. The squad will play Rocket League, Madden 23, and Super Smash Bros this season.

There will be star players, just as there are in football and basketball. Sam Brutscher, a senior Rocket League player, and Michael Pemberton, a junior Super Smash Bros. player, are poised to take the lead.

“I play at the competitive college level and I’ve gotten some wins against the top players in our state, but the other guys will fully make our team; it can’t only be on me,” Michael Pemberton stated. “We need to prove all of us collectively are the best team in the state.”

Andrew Littell, the new coach, is already working hard in his first season.

“More broadly speaking, what I consider my real job, is to make the team,” Coach Littell said. “There are many things that anyone in the gaming community can do better for themselves and others. We all need to come together to improve ourselves as gamers and people. I truly want to make this team a safe place to be, teach those best behaviors, and teach how we can better take care of ourselves.”

Coach Littell is a former football player, powerlifter, shot-putter, and 2007 class graduate. He feels compelled to contribute to the St. X community.

“I owe St. X a lot with my education and the community it allowed me to be a part of,” Coach Littell added. “I would not be where I am today without it. I was glad to receive an opportunity to give back to the school more than I had been able to before.”

Nick Heck and Michael Pemberton have spent hours outside school preparing for the season. They bring a lot of experience and poise to the team.

“I put in anywhere from 10 to 25 hours a week,” Heck said. “I have over 600 hours in Rocket League.”

“I normally put in about ten to 15 hours a week,” Pemberton added. “All time, I’ve put in about 2,000 hours.”

The Tigers are poised to compete for a state championship. Be ready, because they will be.