CASPER, Wyo. — A Natrona County High School senior is about to make history in a small but rapidly growing sport.
Payton Goodman, 18, is poised to compete in the 2024 High School eSports League Nationals championship event this June in Kansas City, Missouri. There, he will be on a large stage at the Hy-Vee Arena, playing “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” against a competitor as gaming fans intensely watch every move on large overhead screens.
Goodman’s rise to regional champion is an impressive achievement, especially considering that NCHS’s eSports program is only a few years old.
According to volunteer coach Ozzy Ness, the sport took root in Casper during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It definitely had something to do with the lockdown,” Ozzy said, “because normal athletic sports like football, you couldn’t do that.”
Ozzy graduated last year and is currently studying at Casper College, where he continues to participate in eSports and volunteers as a coach at NC. The program was initiated by NCHS Spanish teacher Guillermina Monzón Paz. Originally from Mexico City, Guillermina has been an avid gamer for years.
“I’ve played a lot of video games myself,” Guillermina said, “and I know that with eSports there is a lot of scholarship money, so I kept trying for years [to start the program] and finally in 2020 I had enough kids that were interested, so I thought, ‘OK, let’s do something.'”
“It’s a very new industry,” added Ozzy, “but it is by far one of the fastest growing industries.”
It’s new enough that Guillermina said the district’s IT department had trouble allowing enough bandwidth for gaming due to the school’s data-limiting internet security procedures. A full-bandwidth port that was also deemed secure was eventually installed in NC’s tower, where the team meets for competitions. The events are scheduled by the league online at specific times, usually in the afternoon.
There are a handful of sanctioned games to play in eSports; some involve multiple players while others are single-player. Payton started playing Nintendo’s wildly popular “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” with friends in seventh grade, and quickly became a fan.
“I just kept playing with friends up through my sophomore year here, and decided I’d like to join and start competing,” said Payton. “My friends urged me too because I’m the best [among the four of us].” Two of his friends — one from NC and the other from Kelly Walsh High School — also joined the Casper league. However, Payton is the only one who qualified for nationals.
Payton wasn’t too surprised that he advanced so far in the competition.
“I expected it,” he said. “Most of the matches I ended up winning to qualify were pretty simple.”
“During the last two sets to qualify, it ended up being really close,” he added. This was due to one opponent he played in this region, according to Ozzy. “Their skill level increased drastically the closer we got to final, [and] it became more difficult,” he said.
“I’m really good at noticing when I’m losing and why I’m losing, and [knowing] how to flip it pretty quickly,” said Payton.
One beauty of eSports is being able to watch and learn from other players, which Ozzy compares to watching game footage for traditional sports.
“I’m very thankful because one of our other teammates had to fight that guy and lost to him, so I got to watch that game and see how the opponent played,” Payton said.
Studying more archived games and going through practice runs is how Payton is training leading up to the national tournament, which takes place June 7–9.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I think I do better under pressure.”
The team is trying to raise money to help pay for the trip, and has organized online fundraisers. Payton’s two teammates, his coaches and various families plan to attend and cheer him on as he plays.
Ozzy would love to eventually see Casper become a hub for high school eSports, much like the state athletic championships held at the Ford Wyoming Center annually. “The biggest challenge we now face is funding,” he said.
For now, the team’s Kansas City trip feels like the first big step toward an exciting digital future.
“We’re going to be the first team from Wyoming to make it there, and Payton is the first person from here,” said Guillermina. “It’s just amazing.”
A fundraiser to help the NCHS esports team compete in Kansas City in June can be found here.
