RUSTON, La. — When she’s not teaching English II at Ruston High, Victoria Axton is coaching E-Sports for the Bearcats.
And now as head coach, she and her Super Smash Bros. team of Victor Espinoza, Connor Martin, Jacob Thomas and Carl Wesley can call themselves state champions in Ruston’s inaugural season competing in the LHSAA-sanctioned E-Sports league after Saturday’s win over Mandeville.
“It’s a great way to connect with the kids outside of teaching curriculum,” Axton said, noting she does not consider herself much of a video gamer nowadays. “And it’s a good outlet for kids that may not be into athletics.”
Ruston’s crew made the championship in the Super Smash Bros. division and competed at the state meet held at Louisiana Tech in the Unity Center. Axton shared her appreciation for Tech is housing the students during the season, which provided them with the fast-speed internet connection needed for competition during the regular season.
For the Super Smash Bros. final, Martin chose Inceniroar, while Espinoza played as Luigi. Wesley played as both Byleth and Cloud.l
“It was honestly a team effort in every single aspect,” Thomas said. “Not one person failed to pull their weight, and as the assistant coach, I could not be prouder of the progress I’ve seen our players make.”
Being in Ruston’s first year, Axton was not sure what to expect in the state meet.
“I didn’t really advertise we were competing in the state finals, because I didn’t know if spectators could come,” Axton said. “But now I know more, and next year is going to look totally different.”
Axton credited her team for practicing hard all week to get ready for the match with Mandeville and specifically thanked Thomas for taking most of the lead with the team through the year. Thomas will be going to Louisiana Tech and will be receiving a partial scholarship to compete on Tech’s E-Sports team.
The Ruston E-Sports team began back in September — close to the beginning of the LHSAA fall portion of the season. Axton also shared her appreciation for Principal Dan Gressett for making sure the team had the gear needed to compete this season.
A big reason Axton is passionate about E-Sports is also to show students that there are lucrative jobs in the Information Technology field. She plans to have an E-Sports class where students will learn the specifics of IT, streaming and commentating.
“There are a lot of people in the IT world who make a lot of money,” Axton said. “And you can learn a lot out it through playing video games. It’s huge right now.”
