Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
“And we are live in 3… 2…
“Welcome to Grand Canyon University, coming to you live from Phoenix, Arizona. It’s a wonderful day for GCU Esports,” broadcast host Melodi Hankins announced.
It was a wonderful day indeed for the campus's esports program, which made its Mountain West Conference debut, dominating San Jose State in a three-game Rocket League matchup. In the video game, opponents battle for a trophy by hitting a ball with rocket-powered vehicles into each other’s goals.
The GCU Esports Arena was bursting with high energy and over-the-top student fans when Jordan “NightmareRally” Larson scored the final goal of game three, earning GCU its first MW win and starting the season with exhilarating energy.
“I am so excited, my heart is pumping,” Larson said. “To be honest, I was calling the pass to Nando (senior Fernando Campa), and it just so happened to go in the net. Super exciting feeling when I saw the clock, it was zero seconds and we just won.”
Team captain Campa set a winning tone for the evening when he scored the first goal within a minute of the game’s starting time.
“I have been with (GCU) Esports since my freshman year,” Campa said. “I have seen every single team and every single thing changed, so I was really excited when I found out we are in the Mountain West. I like playing in front of big crowds, and I love facing other schools.”
His aggressive determination and strategic gaming put him on a roll as he drove the second goal into the net. After scoring the third goal, Campa pointed to the crowd to raise the excitement in the room. In return, he was hit with “NANDO, NANDO, NANDO!” from the roaring crowd.
SJSU tried to fight back with its first goal in the last 40 seconds, but Korbin “Beanboy” Pelchat drove the winning goal, eliminating all chances for SJSU to win the ball back.
Game 1: Goes to the Lopes.
“Coming in freshman year, we had nothing on this big of a scale,” Pelchat said. “We never had this many people in the arena ready to watch. The growth has been tremendous.”
Students swarmed the esports arena as soon as its doors opened an hour before the game, immediately filling the front-row seats to get the best view in the house of the greatness ready to unfold.
The first 22 students who arrived to the pregame party received a free box combo from Raising Canes, one of the GCU Esports program's sponsors. And everyone received “Jay bucks,” printed coupons with Director of Esports Operations Jay DeShong’s face on a dollar bill, good for a free hour of gaming in the arena.
It wouldn’t be a GCU event if “T-shirt time” didn’t get students off their feet and jumping to catch school swag thrown into the crowd. But it was a gaming chair giveaway that got students most excited at the pregame party.
“I need you guys to turn up and be active,” GCU Esports Supervisor Tyler Galvin said as he pumped up the crowd. “Get another Rockstar or two or three because when that clock hits zero, we are starting the first GCU Esports watch party.”
The evening was documented on several livestream platforms, including the MW Network, CAM PLAY, Twitch, TikTok and YouTube. GCU fans can be heard in the background of each video, proudly cheering on the Lopes.
SJSU started the second game with an immediate comeback, making its first goal within seconds. But Larson closed the small gap in no time, quickly driving the ball in SJSU’s net. Students watching were on the edge of their seats as the ball and the score went back and forth between the teams. The tension and anticipation were high when the game went into overtime, but when Campa took his winning shot, the room shook with chants.
“LET’S GO LOPES! LET’S GO LOPES!”
Game 2: Goes to the Lopes.
“This is a dream come true,” DeShong said. “This is exactly what I pictured when I joined the program, the physical fandom, a broadcast, a team that cares. We are excited about the success we will have because of the preparation we put in. The biggest thing here is just marrying student interests with sports traditions and what we think esports should look like.”
Across the hall from the arena, audio engineer and technical director Andy Zulla operated behind the scenes in the campus’s new broadcast studio and control room, built by Zulla over summer.
Roughly 50 monitors lined the walls and tables where Zulla and his student team launched the livestream, synchronized camera feeds and audio, ran cues and put on a real-time show for those watching from afar.
Meanwhile, broadcast hosts Hankins and Dani Reta and commentators Solomon-Idryis Reynolds and Jacob Sampson stayed in front of the cameras all night in the broadcast studio, reporting live from the field and entertaining the online fandom.
“I love how esports brings the best of College of Arts and Media together,” Dean Dr. Craig Detweiler said. “From film and broadcast, to theatre, social media and graphic design, it shows that we need everybody to put on this show.”
SJSU attempted another comeback with back-to-back goals in the third game, but GCU refused to go down without a fight. The Lopes unleashed a new level of aggression that drove Campa to score two goals, putting the teams neck-to-neck. Adrenaline pumping as the time starts running out pushed Larson to score the winning goal in the final second of the game.
Game 3: Goes to the Lopes
GCU Esports will face the University of Hawai'i Monoa at 8 p.m. Monday, GCU Esports Arena. Livestream
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
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