Kilgore, Texas - Region 7 Education Service Center hosted its annual Fall eSports Tournament on October 13–14, welcoming middle and high school students (grades 6–12) from across East Texas for two days of spirited competition, collaboration, and connection. The event, featuring Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, united esports clubs from across the region to celebrate teamwork, strategy, and digital skill in a supportive and educational environment.
Beyond the excitement of gameplay, the purpose of the Region 7 Fall eSports Tournament was to highlight esports as a legitimate pathway toward college and career opportunities. To help bring that vision to life, representatives from several colleges and universities with established esports programs attended to engage directly with students.
Participating institutions included Kilgore College, Panola College, Jacksonville College, Trinity Valley Community College, and Texas A&M University–Commerce. Their representatives shared valuable insights about collegiate esports, scholarship opportunities, and emerging careers in the rapidly growing gaming and technology industries.
“This is the best day ever!” said one enthusiastic student competitor.
“We are so thankful for what you are doing—creating connections and opportunities to promote esports. We appreciate being included,” added James Jones of Trinity Valley Community College.
The tournament’s true highlight was the connections students built—with peers from other districts and with mentors who could help guide their next steps in higher education. The day was filled with meaningful conversations, enthusiastic engagement, and a shared excitement about the bright futures that esports can help students imagine and achieve.
Tournament Results:
Middle School Division:
- Tournament Winner: SkyFox – Chapel Hill (Josiah Omere, Joel Benavidez, Noemi Zuniga)
- Runner-Up: BJH #1 – Brownsboro (Zack Stewart, Michael Dickerson, Caiden Tabraham)
- Consolation Bracket Winner: Brady Bunch – Westwood (Eli Perez, Braden Newman, Brady Henry)
High School Division:
- Tournament Winner: Atlas – Jacksonville (Luis Rosales, Abraham Montes, Liam Jones, Vadin Nixon)
- Runner-Up: Smash Against the Machine – Palestine (Michael Alonso, Wyatt Sellars, Jose Salinas)
- Consolation Bracket Winner: BHS #1 – Brownsboro (Sedrick Bradley, Garrett Powell, Conner Stevens)
Images from the day can be found here.
Region 7 ESC is committed to district, charter, and student success by providing quality programs and services that meet or exceed customer expectations. One of 20 regional education service centers statewide, Region 7 ESC participates in the planning, development, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of innovative educational programs for 94 school districts and 7 charter schools in the counties of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Nacogdoches, Rains, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Panola, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood. For more information, visit www.esc7.net.
###