NASEF and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) recently presented a California Finals Event. CIF selected NASEF as the Official Esports Provider because the organizations share core values and mission regarding education-based opportunities for students. 

The Grand Finals were a fantastic production streamed on Twitch. Watch the VOD of that stream here: 

Warmest congratulations to the winners of this season's CIF Esports Initiative State championship Finalists. Each team demonstrated exceptional skill, sportsmanship, and dedication throughout the competition. Please join us in celebrating their remarkable achievements:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate:
1st Place: El Diamante High School
2nd Place: Heritage High School

Rocket League:
1st Place: Quartz Hill High School
2nd Place: Cathedral High School

League of Legends:
1st Place: Sunny Hills High School
2nd Place: La Quinta High School

These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work and talent of both the players and coaches involved. The season and event were a huge success! Here’s some feedback from several coaches and team general managers regarding the season. 

Sunny Hills High School said: We are very pleased with how the season turned out for our team. The players worked hard to come together to win the championship title. All the teams we played this year were very competitive. We had a lot of fun and look forward to competing next year. One of our teams took 1st place in League of Legends! – Sonja Joyce 

El Diamante High School: This season was an amazing experience for our school as a whole. NASEF and CIF organized an incredible first season of Smash, Rocket League, and LoL. The structure of this league allowed our students and myself to befriend players and coaches from neighboring schools--helping build those great rivalries which help foster school pride and culture. I am excited for the future of the league and in-person events and matches with other squads. Winning the NASEF| CIF state title in Smash was beyond our wildest dreams. When we won, our entire student body and staff rallied around us. There is even plans to start and Esports Academy in the 2024-2025 school year! To say that NASEF and CIF have changed the lives of our students and my personal teaching career would be a gross understatement! The support and passion everyone in the NASEF|CIF community has for esports is so incredibly refreshing! – JC Marquez

Quartz Hill High School's Esports program began in January of 2021, competing in Rocket League and League of Legends. We now have nearly 100 students involved across more than a dozen different games. Our coaches are Tim Fields and Ana Fields, a husband and wife duo. Our goal was to build a program that supported students who were willing to take their love for gaming and turn that into a competitive environment; that required opting into as many leagues and tournaments as we could feasibly manage. While our program maintains a very busy schedule, we are excited about the integration of esports into CIF. We believe that this is the right direction, providing more legitimacy and a foundation for growth throughout the state. Last year, QHHS found success across various leagues, winning regional and state titles in four different games. In the fall, we also won titles in 3 more games, and both our Varsity and JV Rocket League teams won the CIF championship finals. Our current varsity Rocket League squad, Continuum--Reuben (SSL, 12th grade), Husk (GC3, 11th grade), and Jayspect (captain, GC2, 12th grade)--have played together since the Fall of 2021. As they have had the most opportunities to play through seasons and tournaments in every league, they were busy competing year-round and wracked up an impressive overall record 168-17. This season, they went undefeated in all state and regional leagues, and their only losses came in national level tournaments. We are thrilled with all of the success! Our plans for next year include sustaining our involvement, securing our funding sources, implementing the approved NASEF Esports English classes, an increased focus on self-management and team-building, and growing and supporting new programs at our neighboring schools. We hope this will bring more recognition, validate all of the efforts our students make, and solidify esports as a valuable, growing culture across our valley. – Tim Fields

Mark your calendars and sign up for NASEF’s esports tournaments in the fall! The California tournament will again be offered with the CIF Esports Initiative, and teams across the country can join the NASEF Finals.