(Left to right) Coach Adam Paul, East High School esports teammates Will Turner, Austin Green, Jacob Malek and Coach Nolan Taylor.

It’s finals week at Denver’s East High School and the hallways are busy with students getting to class. Three students are taking time to step into the spotlight instead. They’re members of the team that became state champions in esports.

It’s the first year an East team took part in an organized electronic in person gaming competition, and the first school championship in the sport.

“I’ve been saying it’s incredibly easy to make fun of a kid for playing video games, but in this environment, after we won, especially, support has been unbelievable,” team member Austin Green told the crowd gathered for the celebration.

On December 10, Green, along with teammates Jacob Malek and William Turner, won the championship match of Rocket League, an online game featuring “arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem,” with a last-minute goal against Valor Christian.

The Angels are one of 18 Denver Public Schools high schools that are actively participating in esports, along with four middle schools and 17 elementary schools in the district. The sport is sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association.

East Principal Terita Walker says the team started years ago as a video gaming club that organized themselves because of their love for video games. The team now has more than 40 members.

As the holiday-dressed school choir bounds down the steps nearby, Green talks about the inclusive community at East. “Everyone plays video games. The jock on the football team, the basketball players—everybody plays video games. And so, I’m super glad that there’s a place that is inclusive for people in the school.”

Green and teammate Jacob Malek are seniors. Malek says the esports team is a “great way to make friends and connections, and maybe, find little activities to do outside of school, to kind of de-stress.”

Freshman Will Turner says he joined the team “because my parents made me join a club.” His parents, he says, weren’t really thinking about playing video games as a club activity at the time, but when the team ended up in the playoffs, they saw the team’s determination.

The East community supports the team too. Walker says she asked for donations of gaming consoles and supplies in her weekly newsletter. “The response from people who were super excited to hear about what was happening was outstanding.” She says a lot of people were also watching the championship online, sending messages of support.

Walker is also quick to applaud the team’s coaches: Noah Taylor, a science teacher, and Adam Paul, a social worker. She says they’re doing something they love to do and give back to the school community.