Senior-led WB squad takes second in League of Legends at esports state finals

WEST BLOOMFILD — As exciting as the spring season was for West Bloomfield esports head coach Francis “Buddy” Muylaert and his program, it’s bittersweet for the school’s highly touted League of Legends squad.

Featuring a team of all seniors, the League of Legends team not only carried an array of veterans, but also leaders who were influential in the creation of the esports program at West Bloomfield.

“My heart breaks this year losing these guys,” Muylaert said. “Not only were they instrumental in helping get the esports up and running, but they’re one of my better teams.”

On April 30, West Bloomfield’s League of Legends team, named the “Grievous Gators,” earned second at the Michigan High School Esports League State Championship, falling to No. 1 ranked East Kentwood High School.

For those unfamiliar with the popular video game, League of Legends is a 5v5 game where players fight for control of different areas in efforts to get an advantage over their opponent. Throughout the game, players can collect minions, remove turrets from the enemy, and eliminate their opponent’s characters. Players can then power up their character and take control of their enemy’s territory, destroying their base to secure the win.

Throughout the season, and for the past few years, West Bloomfield has been interchangeable between the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked spot in League of Legends, but East Kentwood continued to be the thorn in their side.

“It would just have to be from a skill level, I would say,” senior Ryan Doroslovac said. “They’re (East Kentwood) very synchronized, and they have a lot of unity through their team. They go in with a game plan and they execute it very well.”

Doroslovac, who earned all-state honors this year, was the founder of the League of Legends team three years ago after a conversation with Muylaert during class.

The West Bloomfield esports program began with only two teams in League of Legends and Mario Kart, but with the recruiting power and advertising leadership of Doroslovac and others, West Bloomfield now features six-seven teams a season.

“I played it before the esports team was formed, and it was just something that I did for fun and I loved,” Doroslovac said. “I was just sitting in class one day and Mr. Muylaert was talking about how an esports team was formed. I think he mentioned League of Legends, and my little head perked up and I said, ‘Oh, I’d do that.’ I talked with him and just helped initiate esports, did some advertising work with some posters, and we came up with a team. The first year it was just me and my buddy Promise (Duru), and it was three other seniors. The second year, we incorporated some players that me and Promise knew better, and that’s really when the team unity came to be.”

With experienced players such as Doroslovac, Duru, and senior Kram Jamal, who have all been playing the video game for five-six years, West Bloomfield jump started an elite-level team that did not miss the playoffs in all three years of its existence.

Alongside the three, seniors Jevron Macalino, Steven Tran and Ryan Norred were key contributors to the state runner-up squad, leading West Bloomfield to a bye as the No. 2 seed and taking down Grandville High School in the semifinals.

In a game where every player relies on each other in efforts to lead the team to victory, Doroslovac said their chemistry was the difference maker this season.

“The first year we were just hitting the ground running and trying to find out what was the best way to set up stuff and communicate with our team,” Doroslovac said. “The second year was really applying what we learned from the first year, which was team skills, team communication and team synchronization. This last season we did was our best season by far.”

Anytime you lose a team that was banded together from day one, it’s impossible to just replace their production with the push of a button.

Luckily, the esports program’s success only continues to keep numbers steady as esports as a whole has grown rapidly throughout the state.

It brings a new meaning to what a high school experience is all about, and it also forms friendships in the process.

“It’s a fun thing to do with your buddies,” Jamal said. “It’s very cool, and something you guys share in common. Even outside of esports, we play for fun every now and then.”