Gilmer High’s Rocket League team proved to be one of the state’s best for the second time this year.
The Georgia High School Association’s E-sports seasons are held in spring and fall of each calendar year. GHS notched a Rocket League state runner-up finish in March, and placed fourth when the fall season concluded Dec. 9.
“Once we got into the season they really got focused,” said GHS coach Rodney Thurman. “My top two players have really worked. They followed the top teams we knew were out there.”
Gilmer’s top four players are Austin Long, Holden Vines, Canyon Adams and Jackson Fountain.
Rocket League is a video game where players maneuver remote control cars on a playing field that has a ball and two goals. Players make contact with the ball in attempt to knock it into the opposing team’s goal.
There are 207 Rocket League teams in the GHSA, and they all compete in one division regardless of enrollment.
During the regular season, Gilmer posted an 8-2 record. Its two losses came against Lambert and West Forsyth, the respective spring and fall state champions.
Gilmer entered the 64-team state tournament seeded No. 27, with its pair of defeats weighing heavily on its placement.
“The seeding is a little bit of a farce, and we kind of laugh at how they do that,” Thurman said. “It’s all based on your win-loss record, not the quality of the players involved.
“There are eight to 10 teams in the state that are really topnotch. We are one of those, and we played arguably two of the best teams during the regular season. There are only three teams in the state that we thought were going to be a challenge, and we faced two of them in the regular season.”
In the state tournament, matches were played remotely. Each team gathered at their respective school, and the matches were held over an online network.
In the opening round, Gilmer skunked Mill Creek, 4-0. In round two, they faced Lambert, a team GHS had been eyeing since losing to the Longhorns in the spring season’s state championship match. This time around, Gilmer notched a 4-3 victory.
“We were delighted to get that win,” Thurman said. “That was a big, big win in the playoffs for us. We finally beat them. We had never beat them before, and they beat us five times in a row. We knew we were making progress, but we were so happy.”
GHS topped Lanier High 4-2 in the Sweet 16 ahead of an Elite 8 victory versus Lanier Christian Academy, 4-1. Gilmer’s tournament run ended in the Final Four with a 4-2 loss to West Forsyth. Two of West Forsyth’s wins needed overtime.
“We definitely have an expectation to always make the Final Four,” Thurman said.
Gilmer finished the fall season with a 12-3 overall record.
GHS will attempt to embark on its next Final Four run when classes resume after the holiday break. The spring season will get underway in February.