With a 7-1 record throughout the regular season and ranking 10th on the East Coast out of 186 teams, KO’s “Mario Kart” Black Team dominated throughout the playoffs, making a deep run.
The “Mario Kart” Black Team consisted of five players, senior Christina Mullen, freshman Aarav Mathur, junior Cloud Que, freshman Lia Prahl, and freshman Riley Mapp.
They started the Eastern Regional playoffs hot on Nov. 28, 2022, dominating against Buena Regional High School from New Jersey and scoring a nice, easy 2-0 victory. Their second game was quite similar with another impressive 2-0 victory against Ludington High School from Michigan, advancing to the round of 16. Their third game was going to be harder than the first as they were facing off against Orlando’s Cypress Creek High School ranked eighth on the East Coast.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the Wyverns got the lead early and maintained it for the rest of the match, securing an easier-than-expected victory to beat Cypress Creek 2-0. “We honestly didn’t really feel threatened until the fourth match,” Head Coach Ryan Broduer said. “The Black Team basically just took the lead and stayed in the lead the whole time.”
This win was overall great for their team spirit, and the team was ready for their upcoming match according to Coach Brodeur. “My high point in the season was after we beat the number eight team,” Mapp said. “I was just really ecstatic as I was racing with my friends, Aarav and Lia.”
The true fight came in the quarterfinals on Dec. 7, 2022, where the Wyverns squared off against Virginia’s Forest Park High School. Forest Park High School ranked second on the East Coast and finished the season undefeated. However, a twist came in at the last minute, forcing both teams to make some adjustments.
“Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” released eight brand new maps just earlier in the day before the match, which meant the Wyverns needed to practice these maps before the match. However, according to Mapp, the team spirit decreased as the match against this undefeated team approached. “Numbers are numbers,” Mathur said, “it doesn’t really define what skill is,” referring to the opponent’s undefeated record. The team remained hopeful as they headed into the game.
Forest Park High School jumped to a lead early in the first set and maintained their lead throughout, but the Wyverns fought hard and came close at one point. As the Wyverns tried to turn things around in the second set by trying out different techniques, they couldn’t catch Forest Park High School and lost 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
“We sort of just shot our shot in the final game,” Mapp said after the defeat, “and we airballed.” Coach Brodeur and Mathur also agreed with Mapp on the fourth game. “The fourth match, we just ran into a really, really good team,” Coach Brodeur said. “We just could not catch them.” Mathur was disappointed with the defeat but is ready for next year. “They just got the better of us on that day,” he said. The match capped off the end of a very successful season for the ‘Mario Kart’ Team but also for KO esports as a whole.
The Mario Kart Black Team is still ready to make a run next year with four out of five of their players returning, three of them being freshmen. However, the team is losing Mullen, who is the best on their team. Her leadership will be missed by the members of the team, however, it will be exciting to see who will take her spot and be the next leader of the team.
The team is poised to make a run next year, only improving on what they have learned this year. “We could use strategies and techniques and learn our opponents´ moves,” Mapp said when asked about what they could do for the future.
Overall, the Esports Wyverns had a fantastic season and had a great performance during the playoffs. They were able to refine their skills while connecting with their fellow team mates.
After the season ended for the Wyverns, Coach Brodeur described the season as successful for all KO Esports teams regardless of their record. “A successful season for me is one in which everybody plays, plays well and learns,” Coach Brodeur said. “It doesn’t have to be one that takes us to the playoffs.”
