SCHOLASTIC eSPORTS: WAVERLY'S 'OVERWATCH' TEAM WINS FIRST-EVER COMPETITION (w / Team Photo) (2019-03-18)

Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY - Waverly won its first-ever eSports competition on Monday, beating East Stroudsburg in dominating fashion - a 3-0 sweep.  

While the term "eSports" can refer to nearly any multiplayer game, Monday's competition featured the game "Overwatch."

Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer strategy game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment.  In Overwatch, teams of six face off against each other in two different game modes, using communication, strategy, and a wide range of abilities to outmaneuver their opponents. The High School Esports League uses a best-of-three format to decide the winner.

 Waverly's team of Matt Atanasoff, Nik Finsel, Casper Winslow, Cameron McIsaac, Caden Delill, Wyatt Blauvelt, and Anthony Mezzarone kicked off the opening match with an unbelievable play from Finsel, who managed to pull two key enemy players out of position and successfully knock them off the map. Atanasoff quickly followed that up by eliminating three players with one of his character's special abilities.

The second match was decided when the Wolverines tricked the T-Wolves by hiding in a building until the T-Wolves were out of position. The Wolverines flanked the outmatched T-Wolves and quickly eliminated all six opposing players.

Winslow provided constant communication throughout the matches, McIsaac and DeLill contributed phenomenal healing and Blauvelt helped the team strategize between matches.

The T-Wolves forfeited the final match, giving the Wolverines a perfect 3-0 record to open the eSports season.

 "We went into it nervous but confident," said Atanasoff.  "We spent all week working on strategies together, and the team executed them flawlessly."

"I'm very proud of them," said Waverly coach Frank Brown. "We are the first in the area to form an eSports team, so to win right out of the gate is a great feeling."

 The Wolverines are in action again Tuesday at 5 p.m. with teams of "Rainbow Six" and "League of Legends" hoping to match the "Overwatch" team success.  Overwatch is played every Monday at 5 p.m.

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IN PHOTO: Waverly's eSport "Overwatch" team. ... PHOTO PROVIDED.