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On Tuesday, November 21, Detroit Catholic Central hosted the first-ever high school Esports assembly match against Macomb’s Dakota High School, winning four games in a best-out-of-seven match.
Videos and coverage from the event have gone viral on social media, attracting 20M+ views, 1M+ Likes, 100K+ shares, and over 5,380 comments. It has been shared by ESPN, SportsCenter, Whistle Sports and professional influencers, such as Jake Lucky and TJ Hitchings, a senior producer at Barstool Sports.
“The Esports assembly match was an amazing success. I love seeing the CC brothers support each other. Five years ago, Esports didn't exist at the school, and now we are playing in front of the whole school and being featured on ESPN. A Big shoutout to Macomb Dakota for their willingness to compete and share the moment with us!” shared Head Esports Coach, Stephen Juncaj ‘18.
It was the second highest-spectated esports crowd in Michigan, taking a backseat only to the 2019 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Summer Finals held at Little Caesars professional sports arena in 2019.
The assembly match was a fundraising event that raised $2590 for Gamers Outreach, an organization that provides games to hospitalized children. It was held at 2 PM in Catholic Central’s gymnasium with the entire student body and faculty present, and featured live narration by Ferris State University’s Liam Joyner and Jono Eaton.
During the match, students held signs cheering on their team and chanted “What a Save” when Catholic Central scored. The noise was so intense that the Esports players couldn’t hear each other and took off their headsets, while the entire student body cheered enthusiastically. After Catholic Central won, the students rushed the stage to congratulate their team.
The Catholic Central High School Esports team consists of Captain Jacob Bennett, Starters Marcus Vlad and Ethan Darga, and Subs Jacob Elerson, Adyn Stoddard, and Aiden Voth.
Macomb Dakota’s Head Coach is Vince Bilof. His players included Captain William Guiffre, Starters JT Kearns and Jonathan Adams, and Subs Evan Sokolowski, Jonah Beniamin, and Preston Jarreau.
The day after the assembly, Catholic Central students participated in their annual GDK (Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge) service day where the entire student body volunteered at local churches, senior centers, and organizations supporting the homeless and less fortunate.
You can view the ESPN and SportsCenter videos below:
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ESPN Video: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8fSc7Ab/
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SportsCenter Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0ErQ8zM2eD/?igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==