PlayVS Cup Has Opened Doors for Brophy Overwatch
Trophies, Scholarships, and Friendships Were Won in the PlayVS Cup
When Brophy esports won the Spring 2022 Overwatch finals in Arizona, it was a massive source of not only pride, but vindication for the team. In the previous season, Brophy, the Phoenix-based team made it to the Fall 2021 finals before being knocked out of contention, just shy of the top prize. Determined to push themselves even further, the team buckled down and trained hard for their next season.
After winning the Spring 2022 Pacific Regional Championship,the Brophy Overwatch team was ecstatic, but their journey wasn’t over yet. With the gold medal under their belt, Brophy qualified to participate in the PlayVS Cup, facing other Regional Overwatch champs from across the country for the title of top Overwatch team in the US.
“We have had pretty much the same team members for two years, and the entire vibe and environment has been amazing since the beginning,” says Jonathan Mena, who goes by ‘Jman’ in-game. Mena credits Brophy’s consistency in roster – and the resulting honing of their teamwork – as a major factor in their success.
“After the season ended and we were preparing for the PlayVS Cup, we focused even more and started to practice a lot more. This was great because we all were improving and honestly, it was the most fun I had ever had playing Overwatch.”
The practice paid off. After hours of fierce competition, Brophy Overwatch clinched the win at the PlayVS Cup. Wesley ‘Symbo1e’ Fulton says the experience brought the team closer together than ever.
“My experience with the PlayVS Cup was overall very positive. It was fun to improve our game as a team, and especially to be able to win the championship at the end.”
“It was fun grinding with the team and I made some really great friends while doing it,” adds Rohan ‘Mandalorian’ Godha. “I also learned a lot about Overwatch and how to play better.”
“It was the most fun I had ever had playing Overwatch.” - Jonathan Mena, PlayVS Cup Champion
By getting into sync and improving their comps and communication, the players of Brophy Overwatch deepened their appreciation of the game itself. The team had so much fun pushing themselves to be the best that they gladly dedicated their free time to extended practice.
“We would scrimmage at least 3 times a week, scheduling extra time if the team was available,” explains Jacob ‘Rare’ Sesate. “We would review our gameplay as a team and everyone did their best to improve as individual players and as a cohesive unit. We learned to communicate well and adjust to anything that was thrown at us on the fly.”
Austin ‘Ark’ Kerr concurs. As a relatively new arrival to Brophy esports - the Fall 2021 season was his first time competing with them - Kerr says that the relationships he formed with his fellow players and coaches were rewards in themselves.
“This was my first year to participate on the Overwatch team and I can say that I had an amazing experience. Walking onto the team with some great guys, grinding scrims and competing was motivating and extremely entertaining.”
“We learned to communicate well and adjust to anything that was thrown at us on the fly.” - Jacob Sesate, PlayVS Cup Champion
“I hope that others can enjoy the league just as much as I had,” says Holden ‘Scylla’ Huber. “It was so much fun to compete with equally-skilled opponents. It helped all teams improve, and I am truly grateful for that and for PlayVS as a whole.”
Brophy’s Coach Uriel Anderson is understandably proud of his team’s accomplishments.
“The team has shown so much potential since I began working with them. They were all highly motivated and always wanted to improve and go the extra mile. It was an amazing season with them all and I couldn’t have asked for more from this wonderful group of gentlemen.”
Anderson’s team has a lot to celebrate. In addition to clinching the title, each of the players on the team received college scholarships for winning the PlayVS cup. Mena, Huber, and Kerr, who graduated from high school this year, are all going to Arizona State University in the Fall thanks to the proceeds from the prize pool.
For the rest, university is still on the horizon. Until then, they have a title to defend - an honor they’ll have a blast fighting for.
Check out their PlayVS Cup Championship run:
https://youtu.be/TyF2iiUZKH4