Lancaster High School’s Xavier Passmore, Felix Talavera, Alessandro Acevedo, and George Sandoval, Palmdale High School’s Diego Munoz Diaz, and SOAR High School’s Steven Rivera, Jayden Cheun, Neithen Navarro, Eduardo Murillo Reyes, and Jayden Pamanes traveled to Kansas City this past weekend to compete in the High School eSports League (HSEL) National Championship for Brawlhalla and Midwest Fest for Apex Legends!

40 teams from just under 20 states arrived to compete, with the AVUHSD having 3 of the qualifying teams! The AVUHSD was the only school district with multiple teams represented, way to go AVUHSD gamers!

Xavier Passmore from Lancaster made it to the grand finals of the HSEL Brawlhalla competition, becoming the nation’s number two ranked player! Xavier, having entered the tournament as the west’s number one ranked player, improved upon his 4th place finish at the HSEL Nationals last year. With the finalist placement, Xavier earned a scholarship from the Video Games and eSports Foundation!

SOAR’s Neithen Navarro, Eduardo Murillo Reyes, and Jayden Pamanes finished 5th in the Midwest Fest’s Open APEX Legends tournament, while Lancaster’s Felix Talavera, Alessandro Acevedo, and George Sandoval finished 9th despite drawing a match against a pro team in round one. SOAR made some noise late in the tournament by putting together a run in the elimination bracket, just falling towards the end of the double elimination bracket. Both teams had to compete against college or pro teams, proving their qualifying placement and showing that they are two of the best high school teams in the nation!

Palmdale’s Diego Munoz made it to the quarterfinals in Brawlhalla, just missing the final four. Diego was a feared player in the competition that fought back through an early loss to the eventual champion. Diego and Xavier were the only players who took a game away from the eventual National Champion!

Additionally, Eduardo Murillo from SOAR was nominated for the HSEL Honor award, a HSEL-wide award for academics, which also came with a scholarship from the Video Games and eSports Foundation!

The long weekend proved successful for our AVUHSD’s eSports programs! When asked about our AVUHSD’s multiple teams’ strong showing, the Director of the HSEL stated “It’s not normal. Something good is happening in the Antelope Valley!” Way to go and congratulations to all of our phenomenal AVUHSD’s eSports teams! Your recognition, scholarships, and awards are much deserved!