SEASON 1 (Fall '21) MATCH WRITEUPS

11/29

KO Rocket League vs. Clifton HS (NJ) (L, 3-4)

Fresh off a well-earned week's respite, the Form 5 Rocket League trio of Will Jacobs '23, Cole Ellis '23, and Kodi Ezegbo '23 got themselves locked in for KO Esports' first-ever playoff run. Heading into the best-of-seven matchup, the Wyverns found themselves in top form in Game 1, winning by one goal in overtime.  Game 2, however, turned into a blowout loss, with our drivers overwhelmed by what seemed to be completely different style of play from the opposing team, one to which it was hard to respond. Respond they did, though, as KO took wins in both Game 3 and Game 5, the entire esports room full of tension and excitement. Ahead by one game, with the second round of the playoffs just in sight, the Wyvern team found themselves absolutely outclassed in Game 6 and Game 7, losing both, and the match, unfortunately. 

Although our Rocket League threesome didn't make it to the second round of the hyper-competitive Eastern Regional League, they took it right to the very end with solid play, improved teamwork, and greater communication. With another year for this team ahead on the horizon, hope springs eternal. Great job, KO!

11/16

KO Splatoon 2 @ Caesar Rodney HS (DE) (L, 1-4)

On Tuesday, November 16, the KO Inklings headed into their final match of the regular season. Although playoff hopes seemed out of reach, there was still a small chance that a clean sweep could allow them to slip into postseason. Although the game against Delaware's Caesar Rodney High School ended in a 1-4 loss, the match itself was incredibly close. Esther Arimoro '24, Alexa Prahl '24, Ella Chen '25, and Ray Chen '25 played what was easily their best set of the season, and every game went to full time, with losses only by one or two points. On paper, the CRHS team was significantly better than the KO foursome, but the Wyverns made them earn every inch of their Tuesday victory. Our Tower Control and Splat Zone play, in particular, wasn't decided until the very last second. So good were the Wyverns, that the other coach was effusive in her praise of our players, impressed by their communication and coordination. While the first Wyvern Splatoon 2 season ended this week, the gains seen over the course of the past two months, combined with a young combination of two sophomores and two freshmen, show promising potential in the seasons to come. 

KO League of Legends vs. Riverside HS (WV) (W, 2-0)

The five-stack of KO Summoners, standing at 7-5 on the season heading into the final week, saw a playoff berth in their sights. They entered their match against West Virginia's Riverside HS ranked #38 out of 109 teams in the Eastern Regional League, and they hoped to climb to the #32 spot in order to make the postseason. On Tuesday, they did everything the could to get there, quickly shutting out a Riverside team 2-0 in short order. Mason Goldschlager '22, Johnny Kung '23, Michael He '23, Ben Baby '22, and Eason Tang '25 had one of their best matches of the season, and their combined experience overwhelmed the team from West Virginia in seeming record times. With a 2-0 win to close out play, the Wyverns found themselves in the coveted #32 spot - and looking at a playoff run - as of the night of Thursday, November 18. As of this writing, however, the Wyverns have been edged out into the #33 spot in what looks to be the final standings of the season. Although the playoff hopes appear to be dashed for this year, our team put together solid progress and growth to remain competitive until the very end. As they say goodby to two seniors, the remaining core of two juniors and one freshman provide a good core for a solid season next fall.

11/18

KO Rocket League vs. Archbishop Hoban HS (OH) (W, 3-1)

Fresh off the bus from a history trip to Sturbridge Village, the junior trio of Will Jacobs '23, Cole Ellis '23, and Kodi Ezegbo '23 settled in for a long afternoon doubleheader as they tried to keep their rankings prior to the post-Thanksgiving playoffs. Their first match, against Ohio's Archbishop Hoban, turned into competitive 3-1 win. Our drivers played some of their best Rocket League to date, with everyone contributing to the win. Standout goals from Jacobs and Ellis kept the team on top, and Ezegbo chipped in with solid defense and new skills on offense to keep the other team guessing deep in their territory. With the win against AHHS settled, they moved on to their second match of the day.

11/18 (rescheduled from 11/11)

KO Rocket League vs. The King's Academy (GA) (L, 0-3)

Riding a high from the day's first win, the Rocket League combination of Will Jacobs '23, Cole Ellis '23, and Kodi Ezegbo '23 hoped for a sweep to finish the season with a flourish. Their opponent, The King's Academy in Georgia, was a reschedule from KO's conference day. Out of the gate, however, the match had a different tone. Although Game 1 was close, the TKA team won in the end, taking advantage of a tired KO team and demonstrating the importance of ball control out of the backfield. The match ended in an 0-3 loss, but while the match was disappointing, the overall result - a clear playoff spot - was not. Our trio of juniors looks to continue their season-long success when they play in the Round of 64 on Monday, Novermber 29. 

11/9

KO Splatoon 2 @ Urban Assembly Charter School for CS, NYC (WIN, 5-0)

Despite the best efforts of the team to get ready for the Tuesday match against Urban Assembly Charter School for Computer Science (NYC), the match ended up canceled. The UACS players had an unexpected equipment issue, and had to forfeit the match, giving the KO Splatoon 2 team of Esther Arimoro '24, Alexa Prahl '24, Ella Chen '25, and Ray Chen '25 a third victory and a .500 record on the season.

KO League of Legends vs. Hall HS, CT (LOSS, 0-2)

The KO League of Legends crew of Mason Goldschlager '22, Johnny Kung '23, Michael He '23, Ben Baby '22, and Eason Tang '25 were eager to take on a strong and veteran Hall High School team this past Tuesday afternoon. The Wyverns started out game 1 staying neck and neck with the Warriors, but by the midpoint in the match they found themselves being out-earned and on the losing side of multiple team fights, taking the loss. Game 2 went much the same, with Hall coming on strong just before the midgame to take multiple towers and put the Wyverns on their heels. KO lost, 0-2, and has taken their need for tower control into practice matches as they and their 7-5 record fight to keep their playoff spot headed into the last week of the regular season. 

11/11

KO Rocket League vs. The King's Academy, GA (Moved to 11/18)

11/2

KO Splatoon 2 @ Grovetown HS, GA (LOSS, 0-5)

The week after their big 5-0 sweep, the KO Splatoon 2 squad of Esther Arimoro '24, Alexa Prahl '24, Ella Chen '25, and Ray Chen '25 weren't able to repeat their performance in the opening week of Block 3 against Georgia's Grovetown High School. With a a possible playoff berth on the horizon, the Wyvern Inklings played well together and put their recent experience to use, but it wasn't enough to counter the all-star, level 72 player's hundreds of hours of practice in the game. Despite the loss, KO was very close to a 3-2 split. In the Game 1 Turf War there was less than a 5% difference in map coverage between the two, and in the Game 4 Tower Control matchup, the Wyverns were able to take the tower just shy of the penultimate checkpoint before being overwhelmed on all sides and losing the match. Playoff hopes are still on the table, but the Wyverns will need to put in strong efforts in each of the final two weeks. 

KO League of Legends vs. Peters Township HS, WV (WIN, 2-0)  

The KO League of Legends team was slightly modified this week with the substitution of Rocket Leaguer and captain Will Jacobs '23 joining Mason Goldschlager '22, Johnny Kung '23, Ben Baby '22, and Eason Tang '25 as the new support player in the bottom lane. The first game went quickly, with the Wyverns taking a faster loss than they anticipated. An unavoidable departure in game 2 meant KO went in at 4v5, a sizeable disadavantage. Despite this, though, the team put in a good effort in trying to solo each of the game's spaces, but they soon dropped game 2 though. When the match ended at 0-2 for the Wyverns, they packed up and went home.

Except, it wasn't over! In the time between reporting the match results and checking standings later in the evening, it was discovered that the team from Peters Township had cheated, with an unknown, unregistered player having played in the match for them. As a result of this violation, our league, PlayVS, overturned the match results and gave KO an unexpected - but not unwelcome win! The Wyverns now stand as #21 out of 109 teams in the Eastern Regional League, with a 7-3 record.

11/4

KO Rocket League vs. The Pennington School, NJ (WIN, 3-0)

Once is a fluke but twice is a trend, and this week, things were trending in the Wyverns' favor. 

At a strong 3-1 (match wins) and 10-5 (overall games), placed in the top 25  out of 147 teams in the Eastern Regional League, the KO Rocket Leaguers (Cole Ellis '23, Will Jacobs '23, and Kodi Ezegbo '23 know each successive victory will bring them head to head with stronger competition in the hybrid Swiss schedule. The team knew the match against The Pennington School would be a close one, as Pennington sits just behind KO in the rankings. What the team wasn't prepared for, were two players on the opposing team who were able to string together incredible passes and plays to leave the Wyverns - who lost 0-3 - behind. Despite the score, our drivers fought hard and kept each game close, avoiding blowouts. Frustrated, KO ended the match and set their sights on immediately scrimmaging intra-squad to practice a a team. 

But, once again, it wasn't over. On match review, Mr. Brodeur, the KO Esports coach, noticed that the registered roster for The Pennington School didn't match the roster of players who had actually played in the game. Only one of the three registered players competed against the Wyverns. Neither of the two players who had been putting together advanced passing and shooting combos were registered to play for Pennington in PlayVS, and Mr. Brodeur both reached out to the Pennington coach and initiated a formal dispute of match results with PlayVS. By the end of the night, PlayVS had determined that the two ringer players were not part of the Pennington team, and that due to an attempt to cheat, the Pennington win was invalidated. Again unexpected, but not unwelcome, the Wyvern Rocket Leaguers picked up a 3-0, moving to 4-1 (13-5 overall), and #11 in the rankings.

10/26

KO Splatoon 2 @ Granby Junior Senior HS, MA (WIN, 5-0)

Having gone two weeks without a true competition due to an opponent's forfeit in Week 3, the KO Inklings were chomping at the bit to get underway agains Granby Junior Senior High School. As the game lobby took shape and the Wyverns saw that the opponents' player levels were comparable to their own, they knew this match would be different - they had a chance to truly compete. Compete they did. The Wyverns made short work of the team from Granby, MA, starting with an overwhelming victory in the initial Turf War game, and each player made significant contributions to the win. Alexa Prahl '24 was essential to a quick Rainmaker victory, driving down the map without hesitation, flanked by her teammates, to secure a victory within three minutes. In Clam Blitz, Esther Arimoro '24 and Ray Chen '25 drove the ball home, with each opening up the opponents' goal several times in the game. Ella Chen '25 was critical in Splat Zones, helping maintain dominant color coverage not only in the designated zone, but also by pushing up against the Granby spawn zone, keeping them on their heels. The 5-0 victory brings the Wyvern Inklings to 2-2 on the season heading into Block 3 - and the final push - of the season. 

KO League of Legends vs. Fuqua School, VA (WIN, 2-0) *Each W-L counts towards the team's record

ern League of Legends five-stack set up against Fuqua School in Virginia this week and, after a tough 1-1 split the week prior, was able to sit back and enjoy themselves during this week's match. The Fuqua team, full of new players, put up very little organized resistance in game 1 of the two game match, and KO turned what is typically a long, calculated game into a bit of a rout. Headed into game 2, the mostly veteran Wyvern group of Mason Goldschlager '22, Johnny Kung '23, Michael He '23, Ben Baby '22, and Eason Tang '25 decided to extend a friendly, three-minute, fight-free farming period to the Fuqua team to start game 2. Given that their opponents were less experienced, the Wyverns wanted to give them a greater chance to have a more competitive game 2 to end the match.  

Despite the three-minute grace period, the Fuqua was unable to organize their play enough to counteract the experienced KO group, and the Wyverns drove home a speedy game 2 victory to bring home a solid win on the season, and to move themselves to 5-3 headed into Week 5.

10/27

KO Rocket League vs. Lincoln HS, RI (W. 3-0)

Still smarting a bit from a tough loss to the Week 3 opponent, the Wyvern drivers got set up and ready early to settle in to their game against nearby Lincoln High School, in Rhode Island. Their opponent unfortunately was unable to field a full team for the engagement, but because league rules permit at 3v2 match as league legal, the game carried on. Despite being a man down, the Lincoln Lions fought hard to stay competitive against the Wyverns, but the Form 4 power trio of 

Will Jacobs '23, Cole Ellis '23, and Kodi Ezegbo '23 kept the pressure on from start to finish and swept the series, going 3-0 right out of the gate. Multiple goals by Ellis and Jacobs kept the Wyverns easily ahead, and the KO team cruised to a smooth victory, and a 4-1 record on the season.

10/19

KO Splatoon 2 @ Johnson Central HS (WIN, 5-0)

Days of practicing the different game modes and seriously improving their communication led, unfortunately, to a disappointed KO foursome as the team from Johnson Central High School forfeited just before match time. While disappointed to lose a chance to compete, the Wyvern Inklings were pleased to pick up a breezy win, nonetheless, and are already looking forward to their match next Tuesday, 10/26.

KO League of Legends vs. The New School Atlanta (SPLIT 1-1) *Each W-L counts towards the team's record

After going 2-2 in Block 1 (the first two weeks of the season), the KO Champions (as the players are named in League of Legends) set up with an evenly-matched team from The New School in Atlanta. The team of Mason Goldschlager '22, Johnny Kung '23, Michael He '23, Ben Baby '22, and Eason Tang '25 found strong footing in the early game of Game 1, but then found themselves on their heels as the The New School pushed hard into the lanes and took out KO turrets in quick succession. The Wyverns never recovered, and lost Game 1. 

Game 2, however, got off to a different start. In the downtime between matches the Wyverns were silent, focused on figuring out where they had gone wrong. The team came out stronger in the second game - thanks in no small part to excellent efforts from Johnny Kung '23 - and found themselves with all the momentum as they match marched to the 30' mark. A pivotal takedown of the TNS outer nexus tower opened up the mid lane and gave the team an opening to push forward, an opening the Wyverns exploited when they crashed the nexus a few minutes later. As the group rallied to find their form for a final push, they shattered The New School's nexus and notched their first win as a five stack pulled themselves up to a respectable a 3-3 record.

10/21

KO Rocket League vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS (LOSS, 1-3)

Coming into Week 3 against a slew of undefeated teams, the KO Rocket Leaguers prepared themselves for a push towards a 3-0 start to the season. The all-Form 5 trio, led by team captain Will Jacobs '23 and rounded out by fellow juniors Kodi Ezegbo '23 and Cole Ellis '23, hit the field for what looked to be a tough match. The SPFHS team showed their stuff early, with back-and-forth play marking a Game 1 victory in the Wyverns' favor. That early 1-0 set lead wouldn't last, however, as KO's drivers found themselves playing catch-up through tough losses in Games 2, 3, and 4. Although they dropped the middle games and the match, each game was a tense five minutes, with goals being traded back and forth and SPFHS only coming out on top at the end. Although disappointed to pick up their first loss of the season, the Wyverns were able to take some pressure off themselves and look at specifics in their gameplay to practice moving forward.

10/12

KO League of Legends vs Ridgewood HS (LOSS)

After their Week 1 opponent forfeited to give the Wyverns a welcome 1-0 start on the season, the players from KO were eager to compete against a dedicated team in Ridgewood High School. Adding unexpected pressure to the mix, the Wyvern League team was featured as the PlayVS Match of the Week, with their match streamed out to over 13k followers on the PlayVS Twitch channel. With their first true 5 v.5 test ahead and the eyes of PlayVS on them, the team of Mason Goldschlager '22, Johnny Kung '23, Michael He '23, Ben Baby '22, and Eason Tang '25 felt up to the challenge. A nailbiter at certain points, the Wyverns unfortunately found themselves outmatched and lost both games in the match. The 0-2 score, however, didn't reflect the back-and-forth competitiveness, especially in Game 1, when teams held even until late into the game, when Ridgewood took several objectives in quick succession to counter the Wyvern captures of dragons in the jungle. Game 2 looked lopsided from the beginning, with a top-tier, platinum-ranked Ridgewood player regaining form, after an unusually bad Game 1, to go essentially unanswered by the Wyvern champions. Despite the loss, the Ridgewood players declared KO far and away the best, and most organized, opponent they had yet faced this season, giving our players plenty to reflect on and learn from in the week ahead.

KO Splatoon 2 @ Advanced Technology Center (LOSS)

Fresh off their first match as a team, and with a full week of strategic matchmaking, the Wyvern Inklings faced off against the ATC Mammalians on Tuesday, October 12. A newly bonded group of Form 3 and 4 students Esther Arimoro '24, Alexa Prahl '24, Ella Chen '25, and Ray Chen '25, showcased improved communication, better map awareness, and overall greater skill than in their first match. Although their improvement wasn't enough to prevent an 0-5 loss to a very experienced group from ATC, the Wyverns showed much better presence, poise, and cooperation on the field. The lessons from the loss continue to inform their practice, with the group currently working to isolate map preferences for each game type and better identify their roles in each of the five game types.

10/14

KO Rocket League vs. Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School (WIN)

With an easy win in their Week 1 offering, the KO drivers looked to end their Block 1 schedule undefeated as they faced off against Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School. Captain Will Jacobs '23 set KO up for a stellar stream on Twitch by setting school colors for each of team's cars, and the addition of team names made the encounter feel much more like a traditional high school matchup. With Kodi Ezegbo '23 and Cole Ellis '23 to round out the trio, the five-game set did not disappoint. The Wyverns eventually won the match, 3-2, in a series that included a 1-0 loss, a 2-1 overtime win, and two lopsided blowouts for each team. Ellis and Jacobs were dominant on both offense and defense, putting their cars through their paces for both spectacular goal-line saves and acrobatic offense. Ezegbo's presence in the midfield also set up the team for a number of goal-scoring opportunities. With the win and an undefeated first wave, KO heads into a strong field for Block 2, which runs for Weeks 3 and 4 of the hybrid Swiss schedule from PlayVS.

10/5 

KO League of Legends (WIN, opponent FF)

KO Splatoon 2 @ Wakefield HS (LOSS)

On Tuesday afternoon, after several weeks of inaccessibility due to Nintendo networking struggles, the KO Esports team went up against the Warriors of Wakefield High School in Artlington, VA. The rookie Wyvern Inklings ran into a very experienced Warrior foursome. After taking a warmup Game 0 of Turf War during match setup, the Wyverns went 0-5 as the Warriors showed the benefit of their veteran players. A bright moment for the KO team of Aliza Sadiq, Alexa Prahl, Esther Arimoro, and Ray Chen came in Game 4, when the Wyverns were able to bring the tower on Arowana Mall to the first Warrior checkpoint. Although the Wyverns lost the match, the team earned valuable experience and is already bringing their lessons to bear on their preparations and training in the esports room. KO Splatoon's next match will be next Tuesday, October 12 at 4 PM, against the Mammalians of the Advanced Technology Center in Virgina Beach, VA. The match can be found next week on the KO Esports Twitch page. Thanks to everyone who checked in on our stream!

10/7

KO Rocket League vs. Onslow Early College HS (WIN)

On a beautiful Thursday afternoon, the experienced KO Esports Rocket League team hosted the Owls of Onslow Early College High School in Jacksonville, NC for their first win of the season, 3 games to 0. The experienced Wyvern drivers took an aggressive style of play onto the field. Game 1 - a 6 to 1 rout - featured high-flying goals from the players on Kingswood Road. Although the Owls had connection issues that led to their Game 1 play being short-handed, they chose not to replay the match and keep the result in KO's favor. Game 2 was another score-fest, with KO holding off a charging Owls team - 5 to 4 -  that gave the Wyverns a wake-up call on defense. The match-clinching Game 3 was classic Rocket League, a 1 to 0 win, with the only goal coming around the 3'30" mark from Esports captain Will Jacobs, who rode the ceiling to a goal-line fake and match-winning goal.  Tight defense from the Wyverns held off the eager Owls, and KO earned their first Rocket League win of the regular season. Our next Rocket League match will be next Thursday, October 7 at 4 PM, against Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School from Greenfield, MA. The match can be found next week on the KO Esports Twitch page. Thanks to everyone who checked in on our stream!