Treutlen County High School Holds Ring Ceremony for Esports Team

The Treutlen County High School held a ring ceremony for three members of its esports team on Sept. 18 in the school cafeteria, following the team’s second state championship win.

During the ceremony, coach Dillion Price presented rings to the three players who played in the championship, including Terry Stevens, known in-game as Slixx; Ray Rodriguez, known in-game as HelloitsRay; and Joshua “Alex” Rawlins, known in-game as Harmonic.

Price also showed footage of the Georgia High School Association championship match to students, showcasing the performing a reverse sweep, the first in the tournament’s history.

The Treutlen County team defeated Fayetteville’s Whitewater High School 4-3, following their win of the 2023-2024 season against Swainsboro 4-0. The team also competed in the national championship, placing in the top 16.

“Last season definitely showed us, hey, we’re here, we’re able, we’re confident,” said Price, referring to the 2023-2024 season. “We have just as good a strategy, just as good players as any other school.”

The team initially began as a club in the fall of 2023 after Price was approached by a student about creating an esports team.

“He came to me and was like, ‘Hey, coach Price, esports is happening in other school systems, and I would like for us to start it here,’” said Price. 

The team was built around playing the game Rocket League, in which two teams of three play a soccer-style match inside customized vehicles and with exaggerated physics. Whichever team accrues the most points within the time limit is declared the winner.

According to Price, coaching and practicing for the game is similar to a physical sport, with players practicing their communication skills and strategy. The players will use strategies developed for soccer to enhance their game play in addition to game-exclusive strategies such as “air dribbling”, where a player will keep the ball balanced on their car in the air without touching the ground.

The main difference, aside from the medium, is players and coaches are not always practicing in the same location, rather playing from home and communicating via messaging platform Discord.

“Most people don’t see this as a sport still,” said Price. “I mean, I completely understand, because traditionally it was football, it was baseball, it was –, but this is an opportunity for these students who probably would have never done anything walking in the halls for Treutlen County High School, to be able to showcase what they’re able to do outside of a classroom.”

While players can practice using their home computers, the team uses the school’s library computers for tournament play. Matches are scheduled through the Epic Games store platform.

The team began the 2025-2026 season on Sept. 18, with Tristan Graham, known in-game as Lxght, replacing Rawlins, as he has since graduated.