The Valorant team secured a huge win on May 9. Having won their semifinal match against Woodbury High School, the team makes its way to Stockton University in New Jersey to compete against Mercer County Technical High School on May 18.

The Bronx River Valorant Team is composed of Carlos Cruz Jr, Rinaldo Castillo, Ruben Santiago, Michael Vega, and Jayden Sanchez as the starters. Braderid Rivera Jr. Alexis Santos and Savana Colon, a student from Lehman, typically play as substitutes for the team. Valorant follows a ranking system, so each member of the team has his own hard-earned rank, gained from playing on the competitive mode.

Garden State Esports, a non-profit organization founded in New Jersey, holds these Scholastic competitions around the New Jersey area, but has invited both Bronx River high School and Community Health Academy of the Heights to join. So far, Bronx River has had 7 wins and 2 losses throughout the entire competition.

Monique Paes, the gaming club advisor, is incredibly proud of how far the Valorant team has come in all the years they’ve been together and learned to be respectful, inclusive teammates. “It’s been four years in the making to get here. We started receiving professional coaching, but ran into budgeting issues and had to rely on our own skills,” she said. “This will be our first year competing in person against our opponents of four years. We are so excited to represent the Bronx in the best way possible.”

Carlos Cruz Jr, a senior and the captain of the team has high hopes. “I feel like my team is the best form of themselves and I hope the future teams will understand that this is not just a team but a family as well.’’

He feels great about the upcoming game on Saturday.  “It still doesn’t even feel real to me,” he said. “If the team wins, they plan on celebrating by having pizza together and chilling. Being the captain of this team has changed me by making me feel comfortable to express myself to other people because of the amount of people who enjoy the same thing that I do,” he said. “My plans for gaming after high school is to support others in gaming competitively and participating in any team with whatever opportunity I get.’’