The Triple Threat takes on State Esports

On April 1, New Rockford-Sheyenne is sending three players to the first ever N.D. state tournament for esports.

Fenworks, the company that facilitates high school esports competition in North Dakota, is hosting their first ever state tournament in Grand Forks, and 126 players from 30 teams across the state will travel to the Alerus Center for their game's championship.

For esports, NR-S competes in a co-op with two other small schools: Hazen and Garrison. Within the Fenworks esports program, the schools' team name is "The Triple Threat," and this season they had two teams qualify for state.

One team is for a video game called Rocket League, a game with a simple but tried-and-true premise: three players on each team attempt to shoot the ball in the opposing team's net. The catch? Every player controls a rocket-propelled car, and must use their vehicles to maneuver the ball around the pitch.

NR-S freshman Jacob Louters and eighth grader Dominick Swinland will join Hazen sophomore Parker Frei at the Alerus Center to battle for the Rocket League championship.

The other team plays Apex, a classic battle-royale shooter, in which teams of three fight each other to be the last team standing. It's a style of game reminiscent of the popular "Hunger Games" series.

NR-S junior Taylor Anderson will compete for the game's championship with seventh graders Brendan Bernston and Connor Andrews of Garrison.

There are 25 schools with an esports program in North Dakota, and each program has competitors playing in multiple video games. Those games include Rocket League, Apex, Chess, Valorant and Cooperative Minecraft, and each has a season-ending tournament to determine that game's respective champion.

To qualify for state, teams had to finish with, at least, the eighth best regular season record overall. The Triple Threat's Apex and Rocket League teams both finished the regular season as their game's seventh best team, with an overall record of 6-3.

The accomplishment is particularly impressive because there are no divisions in the Fenworks esports program, meaning The Triple Threat competed against large and small schools alike.

Last year, NR-S played through a different company, but opted to join Fenworks because they were looking to "keep it local and more personable." This is just the second esports season Fenworks has facilitated, but it's the first to have a state tournament.

Fenworks' CEO and founder, Kaleb Dschaak, said they still have work to do improving the relatively new esports structure in N.D., but is pleased with the overall progress.

"We had schools coming to us in North Dakota and Minnesota saying 'We are struggling here. We are sick of playing schools 10 states away.' ... So we said 'No. Let's do this here and let's do this right,' We have more work to do but it's clear to us that people are significantly happier with Fenworks because of the way we do things," said Dschaak.

"That's not to say that all those problems are completely gone but we have done a lot to help teams feel like they matter," he added. "An in-person state tournament is the culmination of that. We heard horror stories of kids paying all this money to be in leagues that they didn't get to participate in."

Esports is one of the fastest growing activities in high schools across the county, and esports opportunities in colleges are rapidly growing as well.

"There are a lot of people who doubt the legitimacy of esports as an actual sport, but it's growing exponentially and has proven an excellent outlet for students who aren't interested in traditional sports," said Brady Eichelberger, The Triple Threat's esports coach.

Fenworks is actively working to become officially sanctioned by the North Dakota High School Activities Association, and Eichelberger believes that esports could be state-sanctioned by the end of the school year.

"It's also another way to keep kids eligible and on the right path, plus there are plenty of scholarships and college opportunities waiting when they finish their high school careers," said Eichelberger. "I like to call it the great equalizer of sports, as anyone can play as long as they are willing to spend the time doing so and willing to improve."

Dschaak added that multiple school administrators have reported increased grade-point averages among their students throughout the season.

The state tournament itself takes place at the ballroom of the Alerus Center in Grand Forks on April 1 and 2, and is completely free to attend.

Tournament players will receive a "swag bag" upon registering, complete with a jersey, name tag, coupon and other items, and the event will have additional activities for players, including virtual reality technology, arcade games and yard games.