Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez and edited by Nuha Abdessalam. Photos provided by Tim Moran.

Evergreen Park Community High School (EPCHS) is thrilled to be hosting the IHSA eSports state finals for the second year in a row. The event will take place at the school’s Learning Resource Center, starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 27. The Mustangs, a team of 12 talented students, will be competing in Rocket League, Smash Brothers Crew Battle, and Mario Kart. They will be joined by 224 high school students from across the state, representing 57 schools, all vying for the state championships.

EPCHS leagues’ Rocket League and Smash Brothers Crew Battle teams, led by Damian Torres, Lukas Spain, and Diego Cruz-Fernandez, took first place in their respective events’ sectional finals at DePaul University. The Smash Brothers Crew battle crew, consisting of Quenton Talbott, Brendan Holmes, Michael Noel, Cesar Ortiz, and Ales Carmody, also showed exceptional skills. EPCHS Superintendent Tom O’Malley said, “We are extremely proud of our eSports program for winning the sectional championship and honored to host the IHSA eSports state championship for the second consecutive year,”

EPCHS’ Mario Kart team members Vanessa Paterson, Heather Paterson, Mario Jackson, and Jack Schaller also took second place at the DePaul sectional, earning a spot to compete in the state finals at home.

Community members, friends, and family will have the opportunity to cheer their team on this weekend; English teacher Dan Truffa of EPCHS, who also serves as the faculty sponsor for the school’s eSports activity, said, “All the hard work our eSports team has put in this year paid off,” Truffa added, “We are looking forward to continuing our success in the state final!”

Special thank you to Tim Moran (EPCHS, Public Relations).

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