SEASON 3 (Fall '23) MATCH WRITEUPS

12/4

#3 KO Mario Kart Black vs. #14 York County School of Technology (W, 2-0)

After an unexpected bye in the Round of 32, KO's Mario Kart Black Team lined up against Pennsylvania's York County School of Technology. An eager Wyvern squad of Cloud Que '24, Hannah Bateson '26, Lia Prahl '26, and Raffi Blocher '27 made short work of the York team, beating them soundly in a quick 2-0 win. The Wyverns showed great communication and collaboration, and they demonstrated excellent improvement in their item use. Their win against York sends them to the Elite Eight and a match on Wednesday, 12/6, against West Virginia's Parkersburg High School.

#5 KO Mario Kart Red vs. #12 Pocono Mountain West High School (W, 2-0)

With their first week playoff match turning into a forfeit win due to technical difficulties, Kart Red Team's Ray Chen '25, Riley Mapp '26, Donovan Thomas '27, and Ryan Zheng '24 readied themselves for a return to form against Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountain West High School. With a lot of time off on their backs, Red Team came out strong and took advantage of PMWHS's player-down situation. The Wyverns had an absolutely slanted Game 1 win and, despite Pocono returning to full strength for Game 2, maintained a strong lead and took a convincing 2-0 win on the day. Their win lines them up against North Carolina's Central Academy of Technology for the Elite Eight match on Wednesday, 12/6, at 4 PM.

12/6

#3 KO Mario Kart Black vs. #11 Parkersburg High School (W, 2- 0)

KO's Kart Black Team found themselves in familiar territory in Wednesday afternoon's match against Parkersburg High School, as the 2022 team ended their strong run last fall in the quarterfinals. Quarterfinal returners Cloud Que '24 and Lia Prahl '26 were joined by Hannah Bateson '26 and Raffi Blocher '27 for a tough match. Black Team came out strong in Game 1 and, despite handing back the lead once or twice, managed to win Game 1 in a sudden-death, tiebreaking seventh race after the normal series ended even at 117-117. Electrified and energized, Black Team readied for Game 2 and never backed down, buoyed by fantastic play by standing Cloud Que. Black Team secured a Game 2 win and punched their ticket to the semifinals on Friday, 12/8, where they will race the #2 seed in Georgia's Alliance Academy of Innovation.

#5 KO Mario Kart Red vs. #13 Central Academy of Technology (L, 1-2)

In the quarterfinals of the Eastern Regional League's fall playoffs, KO Mario Kart Red Team - Ray Chen '25, Riley Mapp '26, Donovan Thomas '27, and Ryan Zheng '24 - queued up against regular season opponent Central Academy of Technology. Earlier this year, Red Team took the win against Central in a tense 2-1, back-and-forth race, and they knew a quarterfinal match would be even more challenging. KO came out strong in Game 1 and secured a close win in the final seconds of race six but found their lead tough to maintain in Game 2, which led to Central evening up the series. In Game 3, Central brought out a stronger and more consistent set of items that, paired with bad RNG luck for KO through item boxes, led to a Game 3 KO loss. Despite the loss and the end of the season, Red Team had a fantastic run this fall, beating their previous achievement from last year. Thanks to everyone for supporting Red Team this year!

12/8

#3 KO Mario Kart Black vs. #2 Alliance Academy of Innovation (L, 0-2)

One win away from racing in the Eastern Region Mario Kart Fall Finals, KO's Kart Black Team - already the most successful team for all titles in the program's first three years - knew they needed to find one more win to get them the championship. This week's matchup, however, was no slouch - the perennial Mario Kart powerhouse of the Alliance Academy of Innovation Avengers. Cloud Que '24, captain Drake Fernald '25, Hannah Bateson '26, Raffi Blocher '27, and Lia Prahl '26 came in confident but cautious, fully knowing the caliber of their opponent. On stream in the final match of his KO Esports career, Cloud helped keep his team within striking distance of the dominant Avengers squad in Game 1, though they couldn't close the gap. Down 0-1, the Wyverns hoped to stage a comeback, but the Avengers quickly put Game 2 out of reach and took home the win, ending their championship hopes and their season. With four of the five racers returning in the fall, the team knows they have a lot to look forward to as they think ahead to next fall. 

11/30

#3 KO Mario Kart Black vs. #30 Brewster Academy (W, 2-0)

Mario Kart Black Team picked up an unexpected forfeit win in Round 1 of the playoffs, as #30 Brewster Academy was completely unable to play. The next match is on 12/4.

#5 KO Mario Kart Red vs. #28 Carver Middle High School (W, 2-0)

Mario Kart Red Team, like Black Team, picked up a forfeit win in Round 1 of the playoffs due to unsurmountable technical difficulties on the side of their opponent. Despite best efforts to get them into the match, Carver forfeited Round 1. Red Team's next match is on 12/4.

12/1

#13 KO Splatoon Black vs. #4 Baker High School (L, 1-3)

Splatoon Black Team knew they had their work cut out for them when they squared up against the #4 seed in the Northeastern Regional Splatoon League, but they came to compete. Drake Fernald '25, Esther Arimoro '24, Patrick Ozga '27, Alexa Prahl '24, and Kayla Buttaro '25 put all of the learning they amased this season together in an attempt to prove their playoff entry was deserved. Game 1's Turf War featured tense competition and huge swings in map control, but good communication by the Wyverns gave them a well-fought Game 1 win. Game 2's Rainmaker, the beginning of a tough slide for the Wyverns, was a total stalemate in the middle of the map until the closing seconds of the game when an inopportune Wyvern Wipeout opened the doors for BHS to close out and level the series. After that loss, the team found it tought to get back into the game, as BHS parterned strong objective play with an unanswered Nautilus Splatling to shut down the Wyvern counteroffensive for Game 3 and 4. Although sad to end their season, the team showed tremendous growth and put together a year to be proud of.

11/14

KO Splatoon Black (4-3) vs. West Genesee Senior HS (W, 3-0) 

After a week off for conferences and Election Day, the KO Inklings knew their final regular season match of the year was important. On the playoff bubble, the team needed a win to make their best case possible for playoff contention, and a similarly-skilled WGHS team stood in their way. Battling illness with one player at home, the team of captain Drake Fernald '25, Esther Arimoro '24, Patrick Ozga '27, and Kayla Buttaro '25 kept playoff hopes alive with a convincing win. A shorthanded Genesee team gave up an early game 1 Turf War loss to the ovepowering Wyvern offensive and yet, when the WGHS squad returned to full strength for games 2 and 3, the Wyverns held firm and put their progress as a team on full display. Game 2's Rainmaker and Game 3's Splat Zones required KO to be flexible on both offense and defense, and their in-room communication allowed them to do exactly that. In her final regular season match for a three year esports career, Arimoro '24 put on an impressive show of support and flexibility, keeping her team in the match at several points and helping hold the lines against the last-ditch WGHS offensive pushes. Moving to 5-3 on the season, the team awaits news of their fate - playoffs? - as the rest of the PlayVS Northeastern Regional League finishes out the remaining matches of Week 8.

11/16

KO Mario Kart Black (6-1) vs. Mercy Career & Technical School (W, 2-0)

Heading into their final match of the season, the Wyverns of Kart Black Team needed to get themselves back into the competition mindset after a welcome bye week for conferences. On their schedule for the regular season wrap was Philadelphia's Mercy Technical and Career High School, the only team all season to have beaten the #1 team in the Eastern Regional League. Faced with this challenge, Cloud Que '24, Hannah Bateson '26, Lia Prahl '26, and Raffi Blocher '27, made sure to bring their A game. KO hit the track locked in, taking an early edge and opening up a wide lead to win Game 1 before holding off a desperate MCHS push in Game 2 to complete their 2-0 shutout and end the season with an 8-1 record and a #3 ranking among all 70 teams in the league. As they head into the Thanksgiving holiday, Black Team awairs final word on their seedings for their first round of the playoffs, which will take place on November 30.

KO Mario Kart Red (6-1) vs. Alliance Academy for Innovation (L, 1-2)

Trying to shake off the dust of a conference week bye, Mario Kart Red Team saw a challenge before them in the final match of the season. The Avengers of Georgia's Alliance Academy of Innovation, a perennial opponent for KO, sat at #2 in the league table and stood between #5-ranked Red Team and the end of the regular season. Ray Chen '25, Riley Mapp '26, Donovan Thomas '27, and Duncan Burd '27 knew they had their work cut out for them and came to play. KO took off like a shot at the start of Game 1 and earned themselves a convincing win, but when Game 2 got underway the Avengers team made some key adjustments and set out to make up lost ground. The Wyverns hung in through a close Game 2 loss, but they couldn't replicate their earlier success and dropped a frustrating Game 3, and the match. Red Team ends the regular season at 6-2 and is looking ahead to their first round playoff match on November 30.

BYE WEEK FOR ALL KO ESPORTS TEAMS. 

PlayVS asks teams to elect one week each season as their "bye" week. This year, we selected this week because of Election Day (public schools often can't compete) on Tuesday and KO's fall midsemester conferences on Thursday. Our teams will each be awarded a win and will finish their regular seasons during the week of November 13.

10/31

KO Splatoon Black (2-3) vs. Naugatuck High School, CT (W, 3-0) 

Coming off a short losing streak, the Splatoon Wyverns were looking for a way to win. After some time to reevaluate their communication and make some adjustments, KO played like an entirely different team in their Week 6 match against KET attendees Naugatuck High School. As the match got underway early due to Halloween, Patrick Ozga '27, Kayla Buttaro '25, and captains Alexa Prahl '24 and Drake Fernald '25 brought heightened communication and a renewed sense of energy to the match. The result? A strong - and quick - 3-0 win to return to .500 on the season. Games 1 and 2 - Turf War and Rainmaker - were tense and went right to the wire, but the Wyverns held strong and used their renewed sense of communication to coordinate their defense and fend off a last-minute Naugatuck push. Back in the win column, the Wyverns look to start a streak heading in to the final two weeks of the season. 

11/2

KO Mario Kart Black (4-1) vs. Ridge Christian Academy  (W, 2-0)

Fresh off their Week 5 loss to the number one ranked team, the drivers of KO's Black Team were hunting for a way back to the win column. Raffi Blocher '27, Hannah Bateson '26 , Lia Prahl '26, and Cloud Que '24 knew they had the means for a Week 6 victory and set about making it happen. Matching against South Carolina's Ridge Christian Academy - a team that had fallen to Red Team several weeks earlier - the Wyverns felt confident, and rightly so. Their confidence and talent, when combined with a newly refined communication process, led to a quick 2-0 win against RCA. The Wyverns never gave up the lead, and excellent late-match play by Bateson helped KO cruise to victory. With a bye week coming up due to parent-teacher conferences, Black Team looks to close out their season and clinch their playoff birth on November 16.

KO Mario Kart Red (4-1) @ Central Academy of Technology (W, 2-1)

A strong Week 5 play for Red Team turned into fuel for the drivers of KO's Red Team as they hoped to open up a bigger gap in between the win and loss columns in Week 6. While the team knew their opponent,North Carolina's Central Academy of Technology, was no slouch (CAT had taken Black Team to the full three games and eventual KO win several weeks prior), Red Tean knew they could pull through, and they did. The match was an all series of events, with CAT barely showing up in game 1 before flipping the switch in a very close game 2 and splitting to bring it to a tense game 3. A full team affair, every member of Red Team contributed, and every member rotated through top finishes. Donovan Thomas '27, Riley Mapp '26, Ray Chen '25, and Ryan Zheng '24 battled through the first two games. Mario Kart rookie Duncan Burd '27, back from an illness, kept himself warm in the opening games until he jumped in for Zheng in game 3. A fresh set of eyes some strong enthusiasm from Burd, and some musical motivation from A Goofy Movie helped buoy Red Team and push them through to a 2-1 win against a determined CAT squad. With a bye week coming up for conferences, Red team looks to finish their season strong and clinch a playoff berth in their final match on November 16.

10/24

KO Splatoon Black (2-2) vs. Greenfield High School, MA (L, 0-3) 

Splatoon Black Team queued up against the Green Wave Breakers of Massachusetts' Greenfield High School. Coming into the match even on the season, the Wyverns found themselves challenged by a strong MA foursome. Captains Alexa Prahl '24 and Drake Fernald '25 paired with Kayla Buttaro '25 and Patrick Ozga '27 to make a strong effort in Turf War but come up just short. Quick wins for the Breakers put KO on their heels and sent them into Week 6 with 2-3 record on the season.

10/26

KO Mario Kart Black (4-0) vs. Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School (L, 0-2)

KO Kart's Black Team knew heading into this week's match that it was going to be a tough one. SRVT had beating Red Team in a close match during Week 4, and remained one of the few undefeated teams in the 70-team league. Hannah Bateson '26, Lia Prahl '26, Raffi Blocher '27, and Cloud Que '24 gave it their all in trying to unseat Southeastern Voc and kept it close for both games in the match. Despite their best efforts, the team gave up their first loss of the fall. With a number undefeated teams - including KO Black - losing in Week 5, the rankings finally settled down and Black team's quality came through, landing at #3 heading into Week 6.

KO Mario Kart Red (3-1) vs. Eastern Senior High School (W, 2-0)

KO Kart Red team, fresh off their Week 4 loss to MA's Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, looked to rebound against Washington DC's Eastern Senior High School. Riley Mapp '26, Duncan Burd '27, Ray Chen '25, and Donovan Thomas '27 got into their zone quickly this week and, after some technical issues on Eastern's end, found themselves quickly on the good side of a 2-0 win. With the shakeup at the top of the table, Red team settled into the #7 slot in the Eastern League. 

10/17

KO Splatoon Black (2-1) vs. Middletown High School, NY (L, 1-4) 

The Inklings of KO Splatoon Black Team faced a tough opponent this week in New York's Middletown High School. The team of Esther Arimoro '24, Kayla Buttaro '25, Drake Fernald '25 (C), and Patrick Ozga ' 27 pushed their communication and coordination to the next level but weren't able to overcome a strong MHS squad in the first three games. A close Turf War loss led to two successive knockouts in Rainmaker and Splat Zones, handing the Wyverns their first loss since Week 1. Strong play in the final two games of the match - a win in Tower Control and a razer-thin loss in Clam Blitz - gave KO reasons to hold their heads high as they head into Week 4. 

10/19

KO Mario Kart Black (3-0) vs. Central Academy of Technology (W, 2-1)

KO Kart's Black Team faced their first real challenge of the season in the top team from North Carolina's Central Academy of Technology. While Black Team raced against CAT in Week 3, it was an easy romp over a weaker team. However, as the Swiss schedule run by PlayVS hits its the season midpoint, weekly matchups become much more difficult as top teams are paired with one another. This week's Black Team match was certainly an example of that, with the Wyverns ending up walking away with a 2-1 win after trading razer-thin leads for a full three sets. The entire team contributed to the win, with Hannah Bateson '26, Lia Prahl '26, Raffi Blocher '27, and Cloud Que '24 each brining their individual skills - map knowledge, shortcut confidence, and calm, foundational driving - to different points in the matchup. The still undefeated Wyverns, holding at #3 of 71 teams along the East Coast, head into Week 5 having shown their grit.

KO Mario Kart Red (3-0) vs. Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical  High School (L, 0-2)

Similar to KO Kart's Black Team experience, Kart's Red Team hit their first true challenge match in Week 4 this past Thursday. Week 4 in our league's eight week Swiss schedule is typically when top teams, who have been winning in early season matchups, tend to run up against one another. Red Team found that out the hard way as they drove headlong into a very talented SRVT foursome. Red Team found themselves challenged to keep the match close all afternoon and, to their credit, keep it close they did. Unfortunately, close was not enough, and Red Team was handed their first loss of the season by a team whose win against KO would put them at #1 in the East, just slightly ahead of KO's Black Team based on strength of schedule. Undeterred, Red Team - now at #7 - heads into Week 5 a little bit humbled, but better for the experience.

10/10

KO Splatoon Black (1-1) vs. Lyman Hall High School (W, 3-0) 

KO squared off against a local Connecticut high school in Wallingford's Lyman Hall. The team made short work of the Trojans in a quick 3-0 match. The group of Alexa Prahl '24 (C), Drake Fernald '25 (C), Kayla Buttaro '25, and Patrick Ozga '27 made short work of a shorthanded Lyman squad. The Trojans made a strong effort in Game 1's Turf War, including a concerted midfield push in the final third of the game, but KO capably wiped out the push and kept the Trojans locked in their base. KO's next Splatoon matches will be this weekend against Hall High School and Immaculate High School in this year's KET.

10/12

KO Mario Kart Black (2-0) vs. Central Academy of Technology (W, 2-0)

Mario Kart's Black Team raced against Central Academy of Technology on Thursday, October 12, ahead of their big weekend at the KETs. Still down a player due to illness, Black Team's Raffi Blocher '27, Lia Prahl '26, and Hannah Bateson '26 were joined once more by captain and Splatoon starter Drake Fernald '25 (C). The KO Karters had little trouble with Central's team, maintaining a strong lead throughout both sets to sweep the series 2-0. The team balanced their performances to pick each other up as needed and find ways to finish strong as a group, at 3-0 on the season.

KO Mario Kart Red (2-0) vs. Bergenfield High School (W, 2-0)

KO's Mario Kart Red Team put together a dominant performance against New Jersey's Bergenfield High School in Week 3 of the regular season. Karters Duncan Burd '27, Riley Mapp '26, Ray Chen '25, and Ryan Zheng '24 made short work of Bergenfield's Kart team, taking a massive lead in both of the opening sets to shut them out, 2-0. Team newcomer Burd '27 had a standout performance, putting his gaming progress on display in helping carry his team to a standout win and a 3-0 record on the season. 

10/3

KO Splatoon Black (0-1) @ Lake Region High School (W, 3-0) 

KO's Splatoon Black team took home a dominant 3-0 win in their second week of the regular season. The Lakers of Maine's Lake Region High School went head-to-head with an eager Wyvern team that had spent the past week working on their Turf War (Game 1 mode) comps to ensure they started on strong footing. Good communication and coordination by the Wyverns and excellent maneuverability by junior Kayla Buttaro, '25 in Clam Blitz propelled the team to their first win of the season. With some momentum and positive feelings coming out of Week 2, the Wyvern Inklings are looking ahead to Week 3 and the KET on October 14.

10/5

KO Mario Kart Black (1-0) @ Parkersburg High School (W, 2-0)

KO Mario Kart's Black Team navigated an early opponent forfeit to queue up for a match against West Virginia's Parkersburg High School. The time spent in the match queue waiting was an unexpected bonus , as Mario Kart Black Team sub, Splatoon Black Team starter, and co-captain Drake Fernald '25 got the start in place of an ill teammate. Fernald's gamesmanship and composure merged well with the experienced Black Team, and was complimented by excellent driving from stream-featured Raphael Blocher, '27. The Wyverns took an early lead in the match and never looked back, regularly finding themselves taking the top four finishes in almost every race. A convincing win behind them, Kart's Black Team looks to Week 3 and the KET on October 14.

KO Mario Kart Red (1-0) vs. Ridge Christian Academy (W, 2-0)

Finding themselves in an uncommon situation on their Thursday match day, KO's Mario Kart Red Team found themselves starting their Week 2 match against South Carolina's Ridge Christian Academy early, with the flag dropping at 3:50 PM. Though they had an abridged warmup, the Red Team hit the track confidently to take an easy blowout in the first set of the match. A surging RCA team in the early and middle races of the second set couldn't catch the Wyverns, who held on to their lead behind strong play from junior Ray Chen, '25. A 2-0 Wyvern win gave the Red Team extra time to process their match and settle back in for additonal practice as they look ahead to Week 3 and the KET on October 14.

9/26

KO Splatoon Black (0-0) @ Washingtonville Senior High School (L, 0-3)

The Wyvern Inklings launched their regular season on September 26th against the Wizards from New York's Washingtonville Senior High School. A fresh-faced KO team Alexa Prahl '23 (C) Esther Arimoro '23, Drake Fernald '24 (C), Kayla Buttaro '24, and Patrick Ozga '26 ran into a very experienced opponent and took a tough 0-3 loss in their opening match. Despite the disappointing result, the team found some positives to focus on during VOD review and look to bring those lessons into next week.

9/28

KO Mario Kart Black (0-0) @ Global Impact Academy (W, 2-0)

The players from KO's Mario Kart Black team faced off against the Robees of Fairburn, Georgia's Global Impact Academy. Cloud Que '24, Hannah Bateson '26, Lia Prahl '26, and Raphael Blocher '27 all put in strong performances. The first six-race set was a nailbiter, with the Wyverns clinging to single-digit leads until they clinched it in the last race. The Robees folded in the second set, seemingly deflated from the tough loss in the opener. Hannah Bateson '26 had a notable performance, maintaining steady placement under high pressure and keeping her focus in several key spots to regain momentum and net key points that helped the Wyverns win.

KO Mario Kart Red (0-0) @ Richland Two Institute of Innovation (W, 2-0)

The drivers of KO Mario Kart Red Team opened their season with a win against the R2 Karters of Columbia, South Carolina's Richland Two Institute of Innovation. Ryan Zheng '24, Donovan Thomas, 27, Riley Mapp '26, and Duncan Burd '27 all put in strong showings to handily beat their week 1 opponents. All racers contributed to the win, but a strong showing from Kart rookie Burd helped the Wyverns maintain a steady lead throughout both sets of the match.