Lawrenceburg Esports to Compete for State Title in Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Monday, April 24, 2023 at 1:34 PM

The state championship happens this Saturday at Ball State University.

@lhsesportstigers Twitter photo.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – Success has come quickly for the Lawrenceburg High School Esports team.

Just two years in to having an Esports program, Lawrenceburg's varsity Super Smash Bros Ultimate team will compete for a state championship on Saturday.

Ball State University will host the 2023 Indiana High School State Championship at their state-of-the-art Esports Center in the Robert Bell Building.

Competitions will be run and livestreamed by the Ball State Esports program and its students. Eighteen teams will play for nine state titles across three divisions in Rocket League, Valorant, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

Lawrenceburg will take on Ben Davis in the SSBU “A Division” State Championship.

Coach Carrie Stegemiller’s SSBU team is made up of Cynthia Garland, Benji Turcott, Marissa Moore, Tyler Dishneau, and Stevie Claydon.

This season, the five-person team has a record of 10-1-1 and is the top-ranked team in their division.

"It's absolutely amazing what these kids have been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time," said Stegemiller.

The team meets twice a week with practice every Tuesday and matches on Wednesdays. Coach Stegemiller says the students also do a lot of practice on their own and play in tournaments outside of team events. The team's success goes beyond SSBU. Lawrenceburg's League of Legends team made a run to the state semifinals earlier this season.

Aside from competing at state this Saturday, the Lawrenceburg Esports team, which consists of about 30 students, will have the opportunity to attend a virtual coaching session with Ball State players and coaches. There will also be a number of workshops for players on competing championship teams and non-competing players and teams.

Spectators are welcome at Saturday's free state championship at Ball State. For those unable to attend, the state championship matches will be streamed at: