
Coaching Staff
- Head Coach - Drake Deal
- Marvel Rivals Coach - Elijah Moten
- Assistant Coach/Head of Production - Rylan Cruz
- Valorant Coach - Aidan Autry
Head Coach - Drake Deal

Drake Deal
Head Coach
Hello, my name is Drake Deal. I have been involved with the High School Esports since 2020. I have been involved at every level, from helping schools start their programs, designing and constructing labs/arenas, and coaching. I coached Rocket League for two seasons at Darlington County School District. Video games have always been a part of my life, and now that I have the opportunity to mentor kids and help them develop inside and outside the classroom, being excited is an understatement! I look forward to growing Esports in South Carolina and, even more, helping grow F1S Esports as a whole.
ddeal@fsd1.org
Marvel Rivals Coach - Elijah Moten
Assistant Coach/Head of Production - Rylan Cruz
Valorant Coach - Aidan Autry
Athletes
Rocket League
Valorant
- Nathaniel Carey - Senior (12th) West Florence High School
- Li "James" Longxin - Senior (12th) Wilson High School
- Caleb Lanier - West Florence High School
- Connor Cox - Sophomore (10th) South Florence High School
- Carson White - Junior (11th) West Florence High School
- Tristan Alexander - Junior (11th) South Florence High School
- Erika "Oz" Smith - Junior (11th) West Florence High School
- Kaeden Fludd - Sophomore (10th) South Florence High School
- Mashiro "Mashi" Kawai - (10th) Sophomore Wilson High School
- Guo "Evan" Xulong - (12th) Senior Wilson High School
- Patel Harsh - Freshman (9th) Wilson High School
Marvel Rivals
- Austin Cummings - Junior (11th) West Florence High School
- Camden Scipio - Junior (11th) West Florence High School
- Mi'kael "Matt" - Junior (11th) Wilson High School
- Reigan Lane - Junior (11th) Wilson High School
- Akeem McDaneil - Freshman (9th) Wilson High School
- Daniel Weatherford - Senior (12th) Wilson High School
- Sara Gannon - Senior (12th) South Florence High School
- Cynthia Resendiz - Senior (12th) West Florence High School
- Alivia Lane - Freshman (9th) Wilson High School
- Alexander Smith - Freshman (9th) West Florence High School
Livestream
Why eSports?
- How is this a "Sport"?
- Why are we dedicating resources to kids playing video games?
- How is this educational?
- My Child is playing games at home, how is this any different?
- You mentioned Scholarships?
How is this a "Sport"?
The dictionary definition of "Sport" is "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.". We would argue that eSports is exactly that, a team operates in a competitive environment involving highly trained reflexes and reaction times for their own, and the crowds entertainment. Professional eSports players can practice up to 12 hours a day 7 days a week to master their sport, far more hours than any that participate in traditional sports. It's easy to dismiss Video Games as something done purely as a pass-time based on games of the past, but we challenge you to watch the dedication, commitment, and mastery that Competitive players show.
Why are we dedicating resources to kids playing video games?
Video Gaming is a very large category, there are certainly some games that exist to just sink time into and you have certainly seen someone in your life play those types of games. However, eSports gaming is an entirely different type of game. It requires significant skill, coordination, teamwork, and communication. If you compare it to something more traditional like Football each player has an opportunity to learn the skills that you would often attribute there like leadership, dedication, team cohesion. However in an eSports League you will see an entirely different type of student engage and succeed that wouldn't often participate in traditional sports.
How is this educational?
Beyond the life skills that students will learn while participating there is a vast array of educational fields that they will come in contact with. Some of these fields include Digital Media Design, Broadcasting, Game Theory and Design, Event Management, Video Production, Networking, and much more. We intend to expand the program to include accredited courses involving Game Design, 3D Design, Sound Design, Programming, and Cyber Security.
My Child is playing games at home, how is this any different?
An eSports League allows for competitive and organized team play that they likely aren't participating in at home. Furthermore, this provides them the opportunity to succeed among their peers, earn Scholarships, and participate in local, regional, national, and international tournaments for prize pools. All of this, and we facilitate life skill growth that comes with working as a team in a competitive environment.
You mentioned Scholarships?
Yes! there are many schools nationally that offer Scholarships for eSports, some statistics report as much as 20 Million Dollars being offered explicitly for eSports Scholarships. Locally, University of South Carolina Sumter, Coker College, and Savannah College of Art and Design offer Scholarships to their eSports Teams. This number is growing every year and having experience with an organized team and a resume of tournament matches will go a long way towards getting one of those Scholarships!
Calendar
Calendar & Category Legend:
- eSports Calendar eSports Calendar


