Esports: Cherry Creek Wins Second League of Legends State Title in Three Years

LAKEWOOD – The Cherry Creek League of Legends esports team has been crowned state champions again after defeating Centaurus’ CHS LoL Varsity, 2-0, in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Esports State Championships at Localhost on Tuesday.

This marks Cherry Creek’s second League of Legends state title, as it also won in 2023.

“I think sophomore year, the team overall was more completed,” said senior Allen Kang, who also won a League of Legends state title with Cherry Creek in 2023. “We had really good seniors leading the team and we were already number one at the beginning of the playoffs. But senior year, we lost the first game and we had more to put together… and I think that process was more fun and more collaborative, which makes this one way more meaningful.”

A year ago, Creek was knocked out of the playoffs in the quarterfinal round. This year, though, the group of Jonah Cooksley, Kang, Joey Liang, Carlos Mamille, Jayden Shi and Noe Coronel (sub) came together to lift the trophy once again.

“It’s been a fun experience,” said Cooksley, a sophomore team captain. “We came to state last year and we lost in the quarterfinals. But beyond that, it was just a bunch of fun, and I loved doing it.”

Prior to the start of the games, Creek’s coach, Alexandra Bak, was awarded with her 2024-25 NFHS Coach of the Year for Esports in Colorado certificate. Bak has led Cherry Creek to three overall state titles; two in League of Legends (2023 and 2025) and one in Rocket League (2022).

“It’s been really special to watch this team come together,” Bak said of this year’s League of Legends group. “I’ve known a lot of them for many years, and this team has been kind of a dream we’ve been working towards for a while. We managed to get just the right mixture of people, and they had a ton of success this season. So, it was really a fun to watch.”

The group entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, and knocked off LP LoL Orange from Lewis Palmer, 2-0, in the first round and Iron 4 Life from Highlands Ranch, 2-1, in the semifinals to make its way back to the finals stage.

“I’ve been looking at that stage ever since I was 14 years old,” Mamille said, a senior who has been a member of Cherry Creek’s esports program the last four years. “Last year, I thought that we were going to finally play on it, but we didn’t because we lost in the semifinals. Now, playing on it – and winning on it – is really important for me. It means a lot.”

Centaurus advanced to the finals by upsetting No. 1 Cherokee Trail Varsity from Cherokee Trail, 2-0, in the semifinals. It also defeated No. 5 eSailors League of Legends from Steamboat Springs, 2-1, in the first round.