LAKEWOOD — The Grandview esports team have won four League of Legends state titles in a row, but there’s something a little more special about Wolves’ latest championship.
Over at Localhost on Friday night, the Grandview team won 2-0 over Chaparral in the League of Legends State Title game. This time around, after winning three pilot seasons in the League of Legend title, Wolves stood on top at the end of the first official state championship campaign sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association. The win comes with a trophy and banner to take home to Grandview, as well as a spot in the official all-time Colorado high school esports record book.
Either way they watched it on Friday – fourth in a row or first ever – Wolves glowed with pride after winning the 2022 Championship.
“It’s the first year that we get the actual trophy like other teams get trophies. It’s amazing,” head coach Carlos Nevares said. “For us, we’ve won four in a row and we were coming here thinking, ‘Oh my God, please don’t let us waste the year, it’s finally official-official. But here we are, four-time state champions in our heads and for the CHSAA, the first state champions We’ll take it all.
Nevares added that he was proud of his players for the way they worked together as a team throughout the season. That teamwork was on full display in Friday’s league game, in which Wolves claimed victory in the semi-finals and then again in the final, where Wolves took control relatively early in what can be a long competition and have capitalized on this advantage to seal the best. -of-three series without having to play a third game.
“We just kept communicating with each other,” said Jacob Weir of Grandview. “I felt like we were all on board and we all understand what to do in what situations.”
In the semis, Grandview won 2-0 on Cherokee Trail to reach the final. In the opposite semi-final, Chaparral won 2-1 over Pinnacle Charter.
Grandview senior Ryan Tran said Friday’s win was especially gratifying given the program’s success over the pilot seasons and this year’s team has ensured that once the championships are finally official for the CHSAA, Grandview left Locahost with the trophy.
“This will be my last senior here and a lot of our team members last year were seniors,” Tran said. “We’re continuing that legacy and supporting our team, and making sure we’re still aiming for that win.”