Esports: Cherry Creek claims Super Smash Bros. Ultimate title

LAKEWOOD – As esports approaches the finish line on its journey to becoming a Colorado High School Association-sanctioned activity in Colorado, the state crowned its first Super Smash Bros. Ultimate champion on Thursday.
 
At Localhost on Thursday, Cherry Creek Smash was the final team standing in the high-action smashing title, besting ThunderRidge Green Team, 2-1, in the championship match.
 
The Cherry Creek Smash squad – Luke Russell, Ray Camp and Arin Singh – is the first to win a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate championship in Colorado and also is the state’s last with esports as a pilot program, as the activity is set to receive full sanctioning starting next school year.
 
“We were pretty confidence going into it but it was really close in the finals,” said Singh, who won the decisive third set in the finals. “The guy I played at the end was really good and I know him from other tournaments I play. It feels really cool to be the first people to win the first Smash state championship.”
 
In the finals, teams of three players faced off in a best-of-three match. To win, a team must win two out of three sets, each of which is best-of-five games.
 
Cherry Creek won the first set and ThunderRidge took the second. In the pivotal third set, Cherry Creek, which also had a battle with Pueblo West Smash Varsity in the first match of the day, broke a 2-2 tie to come away victorious.
 
“It really came down to it and it was a really great matchup,” Cherry Creek coach Alex Bak said. “That middle set was tough, but it was a really good match and everybody really had fun. We’re really excited about our first title in Smash and it’s the first Colorado title in Smash. We’re very excited about how this turned out and everyone had a ton of fun.”
 
The spring playoffs began with a 32-team state tournament. Once the field was whittled down to 16 teams, those teams all gathered at Localhost on Thursday for a full day of esports action beginning with the Round of 16 at 2 p.m. and ending late into the evening with the championship match.
 
Douglas County Varsity Smash and Rocky Mountain Lobos Varsity also reached the semifinals.
 
Overall, just seeing the excitement produced by 16 teams, coaches and spectators at Localhost left Rashaan Davis, CHSAA assistant commissioner overseeing activities, thrilled for what appears to be a bright future for esports.
 
“What a great year we’ve had in esports,” Davis said. “Today, we were able to bring together 16 teams for an in-person championship. Teams from every area of the state and teams representing every classification took part in the tournament. With the growth of esports on the rise in Colorado, this event speaks to how bright the cute of gaming is in our schools. By recognizing our spring season Smash Bros. champion here tonight, we’ve shown that that we are now ready to move forward as an officially-sanctioned CHSAA activity.
 
“I’d like to thank our advisory committee, our coaches, and the players who have helped to build Colorado esports into what it is, and what it will become.”