Nearly through the season, the Keene State Esports team has improved its record compared to last season, going 20-10 across the program’s six teams. The esports team fields players in four different games: Rocket League (10-3), Valorant (5-0), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (3-1) and Overwatch 2 (2-3).
Head Coach Noah Drouin feels that his team is doing very well. “I think as a program, we hit our stride. Our teams are generally doing well, and at this point in the season, they’re all still in the playoff race, which is exciting,” Drouin said.
The Valorant team has led a strong campaign to a 5-0 start in the season, having won every match played so far. “We’re doing great,” said sophomore Ysaiah Arezzo. “We have two new members on the team and I think they’re doing great.”
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team sits at 3-1, looking to improve their record of 3-6 in spring 2025. Sophomore Matthew Silvestri said, “Our season’s going pretty good. Last season, we didn’t win at all, but we got to playoffs because we got so many forfeits. This season immediately started going better.”
Silvestri added, “I think we’re gonna make the playoffs, honestly. We have a pretty good lead so far. I don’t see us losing many [playoff] games.”
Forfeits have been a notable part of the Owls’ experience. “That’s one of the more frustrating aspects of competing in collegiate esports,” said Drouin. “Most of my teams in my program have at least one forfeit victory per season, some have multiple.”
The Owls’ Rocket League teams have a combined record of 10-6, split between Varsity (3-3), Academy Black (4-0) and Academy Red (3-3). Sophomore Adam Albik said, “I think we’ve done very well so far, we’ve been playing the best we’ve ever played.”
Albik added, “We have a few hard games coming up against the number two [and] number three seeds, and they’re all tied up on points. So it’s gonna be rougher than the first few days, but I think we’re ready for it.” Albik plays for the undefeated Academy Black team.
The Overwatch 2 team is the only Keene State Esports team with a record below .500, going 2-3 after being upgraded to the Premier Division, the highest level of PlayVS College League (PCL) esports. Both wins came as a result of forfeits. “I think the season’s going pretty well,” first-year Emily Percy said. “It’s still very enjoyable, there’s never really been a point of low morale for the team, even with the losses.”
The esports regular season ends Nov. 7, with playoffs beginning shortly after.
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
