PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College Esports team hosted a tournament for high school players at the end of May, and when the virtual dust settled, Jeren Ruiz of Bainbridge Island, Matthew DeGroot of Lynden and Cole Fierst of Lynden emerged as the winners.
“This event exceeded my expectations, and I was blown away at the talent we have in Washington state,” said Peninsula esports head coach Charlie Morrow. “I wanted to extend a shoutout to Jason Dilley from Sedro-Woolley High School and Michael Patterson from Lynden High School. They were able to round up some incredible players, all of whom I would be fortunate to have on my roster in the future.”
The best local finish came from Aric Johnstone of Chimacum, who finished third in the Smash Brothers competition.
Ruiz claimed the Rocket League title on May 22, while DeGroot prevailed in the Smash Brothers tournament May 23 and Fierst won the League of Legends competition May 24. All three winners earned $50 gift cards.
Morrow conceived the tournament as a way to scout high school players for Peninsula College’s new esports team.
The Pirates competed in Rocket League, League of Legends and Overwatch in 2019-20 and are adding Super Smash Brothers, Rainbow 6 and Fortnite in 2020-21. Scholarships are available to qualifying esports players.
The events were live streamed with Pirate players Drew Eckard and Mike Roggenbuck assisting coach Morrow with shoutcasting.
Finishers were:
• Rocket League : Jeren Ruiz, Bainbridge Island, first; Nicholas Green, Bethel, second; Jacob Top, Lynden, third.
• Smash Brothers: Matthew DeGroot, Lynden, first; Carlos Rodriguez, Sedro-Woolley, second; Aric Johnstone, Chimacum, third.
• League of Legends: Cole Fierst, Lynden, first; Elijah Sanders, Sedro-Woolley, second; Kim Partida-Morales, Sedro-Woolley, third.
Equestrian honor
PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ Sara Holland, 14, has been awarded a certificate of achievement for successful completion of the U.S. Equestrian Athlete Lettering Program for 2019-2020.
Holland, a freshman at Port Angeles High School, trains under the instruction of Nancy McCaleb at Living Well Farm in Port Angeles.
Holland has completed over 100 hours of training at Living Well Farm specializing in the Hunter/Jumper discipline within the 2019-20 year. The U.S. Equestrian Athlete Lettering Program was developed to provide recognition for the accomplishments of young equestrians and encourage their future involvement in equestrian sport.
U.S. Equestrian is the national governing body for equestrian sports in the United States, sanctioned by the United States Olympic Committee. The U.S. Equestrian Athlete Lettering Program includes young equestrians involved in all breeds and disciplines from grassroots to international competitions.
Peninsula Daily News
