The Rocket League esports team at Benjamin Franklin High School has advanced to nationals at the Scholastic Esports Tournament. The National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) is one of the sponsors of the event. According to their website, the tournament will be held in San Antonio May 9–11.
Jesus Bobadilla, a junior at Franklin, said he has played on the Rocket League team for three years. Bobadilla said he felt prepared going into the final match that decided whether the team would be able to attend the national tournament in Texas.
“We were really confident, and we just knew we were going to make it far,” Bobadilla said.
Gavin Ma, a Franklin math teacher, said he directs esports at the school and coaches the Rocket League team. Ma said in order to get invited to nationals, the team had to become the best in the West Coast league, which encompasses all high school teams on the West Coast. At nationals, they will face the best team in the East Coast league, Ma said.
“[The tournament is] run by a corporation called EGF, and they run high school leagues across the nation,” Ma said. “As you play your matches, whoever gets to the top spot is invited to this national tournament.”
Ivan Vences is a junior at Franklin who has been on the team for three years. Vences said to prepare for competitions, the team plays Rocket League with each other, as well as with teams from other high schools.
“We play the game a lot beforehand,” Vences said. “That [prepares] us for the finals, so we can become better.”
According to Ma, the Rocket League team receives assistance from coaches at collegiate esports programs. Ma said the collegiate teams play Rocket League matches with the Franklin team and provide guidance on how they can improve.
“I’ve been able to link with those coaches and they’ve been able to […] coach our teams,” Ma said. “If you’re willing to go out there and ask, there’s people nice enough to volunteer their time.”
Ma said that his players’ consistency and hard work have contributed to their recent growth as a team.
“Even though we’re seeing a lot of success now — we’re going to nationals — it didn’t start off that way,” Ma said. “[There] was a lot of growth happening. I would say last year was our big jump.”
According to Vences, the fact that everyone on the team is close friends with one another means that, even when they lose a game, it has little effect on morale.
“Usually we just end up talking to each other, since we’re close friends outside of school,” Vences said. “We’ll forget about the losses, or try to forget the losses. [We try] to keep the vibe good.”
August Flores, an after-school staff member at Franklin, assists with managing the esports club. According to Flores, the esports room was renovated three years ago in order to better meet the needs of students interested in competitive gaming.
“Now it’s cleaned up a bit,” Flores said. “You have dedicated spaces for the Nintendo Switch, PS5 and also different PC and gaming [consoles].”
Rocío Rivas is a member of the LAUSD School Board, representing District 2, which includes Franklin. She said the school’s leadership is committed to getting students the spaces and technology they need, especially for big competitions. Rivas said she is impressed with the esports teams for being strong competitors, even against private schools who have access to more funding for gaming equipment.
“[I’m] very proud of them winning so many titles, particularly this last season,” Rivas said. “I was just so, so glad.”
Ma said he attributes the Rocket League team’s growing success to the players’ passion and dedication to improving at the game.
“They’ll wake up at six in the morning to practice,” Ma said. “They want to be good. They want to win.”
Ma said one challenge he anticipates at the upcoming nationals tournament is the opposing teams’ high level of skill — some players on those teams are being recruited by colleges to play for their esports teams. According to Ma, the Franklin team lost badly against players of that caliber at a competition last year.
“When we arrived, we just got the floor wiped [with] us,” Ma said. “I think this year we’re much better, so we’re prepared.”
Vences said he is looking forward to eating at the famous barbecue restaurants when he arrives in Texas.
“I definitely want to go to Texas Roadhouse again,” Vences said. “I just love their restaurant.”
Vences said he is not nervous about the upcoming competition in Texas because of the experience he has gained competing so far.
“I feel like I’ve gotten used to the feeling of making it to a bunch of in-person events,” Vences said. “So I’m not feeling as nervous. I’m just keeping my preparations the same — just play the game, have fun, play the game that I love.”
Contact Ruby Gower at gower@oxy.edu and Mollie Barnes at mbarnes@oxy.edu.
