Jacob Crowder, the Esports coach at Cumberland County High School, was probably as surprised as anybody that members of his team qualified to compete in the recent Tennessee Esports State Championship.
Just getting to the state contest is an accomplishment, however; Jacob Hamby and Greg Williams surprised everyone in Jet Nation by advancing to the second rount in Fortnite.
Hamby and Williams won the first round of the tournament, but dropped a narrow decision to one of the top teams in the state in their second contest.
“Before the season started, I had no idea we might be able to put a team in the state finals,” Crowder said. “Creating the team was a last minute thing. Our athletic director, Blake Allen, came to me the day before school started and asked if I would start up an Esports program? and I was like, ‘Oh, OK. I’m a new teacher.”
Esports, the abbreviation for electronic sports, are competitive video gaming tournaments. There are professional competitions, but it is also very popular at the amateur level such as high schools and colleges. Typical games include League of Legends, Fortnite, Smash Brothers, and Counter-Strike.
Cumberland County opened the state championship with a 2-0 victory over Dyersburg. However, in the next round the Jets lost 2-0 to Valor Collegiate Academy of Knoxville.
Hamby and Williams, sophomores, have had a stellar season playing Fortnite together in 2025.
“They’re actually best friends, so it’s kind of a cool thing. They play together online all the time,” Crowder said. “They’re really good and they work well together.”
The CCHS duo play a game called Fortnite. It is a third-person shooter game where contestants try to build a fort, while also trying to beat opponents in combat. Crowder said Fortnite is extremely difficult. “It is really insane,” he said.
“That’s the gist of the game,” Crowder said. “I may be building the fort, while my teammate is fighting. Or, we both could be trying to build and fight at the same time. Your brain has to be able to do both things at the same time and that’s a challenge. You have to have a whole lot of muscle memory in your fingers.”
Crowder said Hamby and Williams’ biggest asset is they are such good friends. He said they’ve played the game for so long they know each other and what each other can and can’t do.
Fortnite is a game where contestants score points and the game is concluded with the first one to 10. Crowder said Hamby and Williams lost 10-2 in the first match with Valor, but rallied in the second contest and lost by a narrow 10-9 decision.
“There’s a stigma associated with Esports and it’s kind of like the nerdy kids, only the nerdy kids do it,” said Crowder. “After this, I think I’m gonna have a lot more interest from the students for next year.”
CCHS also had Will Cross, Jacob Rutherford and Kaden Ellis representing the blue and gold at the state championship. The trio lost in the first round of Fortnite. In Super Smash Brothers, Connor Braybin, Cross, Williams and Rutherford did not make the state tourney finals.