Esports

Esports: Semifinalists Secured for In-Person Mario Kart State Championship Set

AURORA - The four semifinalists have clinched their spots in the championship bracket for the in-person portion of the CHSAA Esports State Championships for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as teams from Brighton, Denver North, Highlands Ranch and Rocky Mountain will continue their quest for a state title.  

The in-person semifinals and finals will be played on Thursday, April 24 at Localhost in Lakewood. Play will begin with the semifinal round at 2 p.m., followed by the finals at 5 p.m.

This will mark the third year of an esports state championship in Mario Kart. Rocky Mountain and Pueblo West have swept the trophies the past two years, with Rocky Mountain capturing the inaugural title in 2023 and Pueblo West finishing runner-up. The two teams swapped positions last year, with Pueblo West winning the title and Rocky Mountain taking second. 

Throughout the tournament so far, there was one first-round upset, with No. 19 The Smokin Wheels from Conifer knocking out No. 14 Hoehne Farmers 1 from Hoehne. Conifer was unable to keep it going though, as the lone Round 2 upset was between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, with ninth-seeded Fossil Ridge Mario Kart (Fossil Ridge) getting past eighth-seeded Falcon Awesome Kart (Highlands Ranch). 

Round 3 featured upsets though, as two of the first three games resulted in the lower seed winning, as No. 6 RMHS Lobos Varsity (Rocky Mountain) knocked off No. 3 Thunderstorm (ThunderRidge), and No. 5 North Kart (Denver North) got past No. 4 THUNDERHKZ (Ellicott). 

The Esports State Championships for Unified Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will also take place at Localhost on April 24. The inaugural unified championship will be played at 10:30 a.m., while the third-annual Super Smash Bros. Ultimate championship will be at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Trophy and awards presentations will take place after each individual final.

On overall esports state titles across all five games, Cherry Creek, Grandview and Rocky Mountain have all won two, while Cherokee Trail, Denver East, Mountain Vista, Pueblo West and Valor Christian have one apiece. No team has won the same title more than once. 

Results and matchups for each round can be found on PlayVS. Team rosters can be found on the qualifiers story. 

Semifinal Matchups
  • No. 1 HRHS Falcon Karts (Highlands Ranch) vs. No. 5 North Kart (Denver North)
  • No. 2 BHS Bulldogs Deluxe (Brighton) vs. No. 6 RMHS Lobos Varsity (Rocky Mountain)
Round 3 Results
  • No. 1 HRHS Falcon Karts (Highlands Ranch) def. No. 9 Fossil Ridge Mario Kart (Fossil Ridge), 2-0
  • No. 2 BHS Bulldogs Deluxe (Brighton) def. No. 7 LEGEND ROYAL (Legend), 2-0
  • No. 6 RMHS Lobos Varsity (Rocky Mountain) def. No. 3 Thunderstorm (ThunderRidge), 2-0
  • No. 5 North Kart (Denver North) def. No. 4 THUNDERHKZ (Ellicott), 2-1 
Round 2 Results
  • No. 1 HRHS Falcon Karts (Highlands Ranch) def. No. 16 STEM HR Mario Kart Gold Team (STEM School Highlands Ranch), 2-0
  • No. 2 BHS Bulldogs Deluxe (Brighton) def. No. 15 Pueblo West Mario Kart Varsity (Pueblo West), 2-0
  • No. 3 Thunderstorm (ThunderRidge) def. No. 19 The Smokin Wheels (Conifer), 2-0
  • No. 4 THUNDERHKZ (Ellicott) def. No. 13 Wray Eagles (Wray), 2-0
  • No. 5 North Kart (Denver North) def. No. 12 PCHS_01_Kart (Pine Creek), 2-0
  • No. 6 RMHS Lobos Varsity (Rocky Mountain) def. No. 11 University Mario Kart 1 (University), 2-0
  • No. 7 LEGEND ROYAL (Legend) def. No. 10 RMHS Lobos JV (Rocky Mountain), 2-0
  • No. 9 Fossil Ridge Mario Kart (Fossil Ridge) def. No. 8 Falcon Awesome Kart (Highlands Ranch), 2-0
Round 1 Results
  • No. 1 HRHS Falcon Karts (Highlands Ranch) def. No. 32 EHS Holy Rollers (Denver East), 2-0
  • No. 2 BHS Bulldogs Deluxe (Brighton) def. No. 31 PHS Impalas Mario Kart (Poudre), 2-0
  • No. 3 Thunderstorm (ThunderRidge) def. No. 30 Cherokee Trail Varsity (Cherokee Trail), 2-0
  • No. 4 THUNDERHKZ (Ellicott) def. No. 29 Here Comes The Red Shells (Sterling), 2-1
  • No. 5 North Kart (Denver North) def. No. 28 Mountain Lions (Mountain View)
  • No. 6 RMHS Lobos Varsity (Rocky Mountain) def. No. 27 Stallions Kart (Sierra), 2-0
  • No. 7 LEGEND ROYAL (Legend) def. No. 26 Creek Kart Beep Beep (Cherry Creek), 2-0
  • No. 8 Falcon Awesome Kart (Highlands Ranch) def. No. 25 La Bomba Kart (Falcon), 2-0
  • No. 9 Fossil Ridge Mario Kart (Fossil Ridge) def. No. 24 Nighthawks Kart (Northfield), 2-0
  • No. 10 RMHS Lobos JV (Rocky Mountain) def. No. 23 Dayspring Eagles (Dayspring Christian), 2-0
  • No. 11 University Mario Kart 1 (University) def. No. 22 PVHS Broncos (Platte Valley), 2-0
  • No. 12 PCHS_01_Kart (Pine Creek) def. No. 21 Mario Kart Varsity (Vista PEAK Prep), 2-0
  • No. 13 Wray Eagles (Wray) def. No. 20 WarriorKart (Poudre Community Academy)
  • No. 15 Pueblo West Mario Kart Varsity (Pueblo West) def. No. 18 Chaparral Mario Kart Varsity (Chaparral), 2-0
  • No. 16 STEM HR Mario Kart Gold Team (STEM School Highlands Ranch) def. No. 17 Creek Kart Vroom Vroom (Cherry Creek), 2-1
  • No. 19 The Smokin Wheels (Conifer) def. No. 14 Hoehne Farmers 1 (Hoehne), 2-1