Montezuma-Cortez High School’s esports team is building early momentum in its inaugural season, entering the spring ranked No. 41 in the state.
The program was launched this school year but “really got going” in 2026, according to coach Garth Nelson. The team has nine committed players and must adhere to the same academic eligibility standards as other school sports.
The Colorado High School Activities Association decides which games teams can play. For the spring season, Colorado teams compete in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. CHSAA uses a team and reporting platform for esports called PlayVS Scholastic.
PlayVS also works to help students who participate in esports maintain a healthy relationship with screens.
“PlayVS also has a lot of resources on how to manage screen time for those parents with hesitancy to add screen time to their student’s lives,” Montezuma-Cortez High School esports coach Garth Nelson told The Journal. “Being on an esports team has all the same benefits as being part of any other high school team: team building, leadership and new experiences.”
Practices are held three times a week in a classroom equipped with gaming consoles. Players typically specialize in one game and practice by competing against teammates or in scrimmages. One such scrimmage was a recent international matchup that included a school in Edmonton, Alberta.
“This is the fastest growing sport in the country with 200 colleges or universities that recruit and provide scholarships each year,” Nelson said. “Higher education, the gaming industry and the athletes are as serious about this sport as any other. There are a whole demographic of students that otherwise would not compete in high school sports, and this gives them the perfect opportunity to do so.”
Matches are conducted online in real time from the school, and the team would only have to travel to the Elite Eight competition in Denver.
The team has won eight of its Mario Kart races so far, which could put it in position for at least a first-round playoff appearance Thursday, April 9.
“Winning at least one match in the beginning year of a program is everything,” Nelson said. “It gives the students confidence and purpose. It tells them all that the sky is the limit. It tells them that the thing their grandparents (or parents) avoided like the plague is not only a good thing, but has a lot of potential opportunities.”
The team hopes to see continued growth over the next few years, with the goal of adding junior varsity and varsity esports teams, which would require about 20 students.
“The goal for the team this year is to simply compete and gain experience, because the kids were skeptical of it as well,” Nelson said. “Practicing and competing as a team has seen them all gain confidence and start to resemble a team by helping each other be better every day. The growth in each student has been fantastic to observe over the past few weeks.”
Initial funding for the program was provided by the LOR Foundation.
