On Saturday, February 10th, the Castleberry Esports team, comprising 16 students from Castleberry High School (CHS) and Irma Marsh Middle School (IMMS), participated in the 2024 Burleson Independent School District (BISD) Esports Winter Invitational. The event saw a turnout of over 215 students from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, each competing in one of the following games: Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, NBA2k, and Fortnite.
Most of the Castleberry Lions team – 15 out of 16 total participants – opted to compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, while one student chose to showcase his skills in NBA2k. The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competition was a 1 versus 1 double elimination tournament. Displaying determined effort, three Lions, Oscar L. (14th place), Cristobal S. (17th place), and Matheo C. (20th place), managed to secure spots in the top 20.
The highlight of the Winter Invitational was Richard R. from Castleberry, who competed in the NBA2k double elimination tournament. After securing three consecutive wins in the winner’s bracket, Richard faced a setback but rebounded in the loser’s bracket with a decisive victory that propelled him into the grand finals. Although he had an eight-point lead going into the 4th quarter, a series of errors allowed his opponent to take the lead in the final two minutes.
Richard’s second-place finish brought Castleberry its first-ever Esports trophy, along with a new PS5 controller and an Astros Gaming headset.
The Castleberry Esports program, currently operating under the working name “Lion’s Esports,” has a promising future.
“Although the BISD Winter Invitational marked the end of this school year’s events, plans are underway to host a Super Smash Bros. tournament in partnership with the Castleberry High School library. Additionally, a visit to the University of North Texas Esports facilities is in the works,” said Rick Aguillon, Esports team sponsor/facilitator at Castleberry.