Esports Team Plays with Confidence, Cruises to 'Valorant' Victory

The Midwood A team faces off against Staten Island Tech in the semi-finals of the Fall Invitational. Photo: Sarah Diouri

By JUSTIN CEN

Midwood’s Valorant A Team cruised past the competition to win the Fall Invitational at Long Island University on December 9 and 10. They bested Staten Island Tech in the semi-finals and Stuyvesant in the grand finals, winning 2-1 over SIT and 2-0 over Stuyvesant. 

The bracket started with Staten Island Tech vs. Francis Lewis in the quarterfinals, with Midwood playing the winner of that series. The other side of the bracket was Brooklyn Tech vs. Stuyvesant in the quarter-finals, with Bronx Science in the semis. Midwood and Bronx Science qualified for the semi-finals because of their regular season record. 

In the semis, Midwood started out down 0-4, getting stomped by Staten Island Tech’s defense, but in the 5th round Jason Huang ‘24 caught SIT’s Anthony Tan ‘26 off guard and finished the round, eliminating three of SIT’s players (a 3k) to get the Hornets their first round of the map. 

“There weren’t any nerves going into the game,” said Huang. “We were confident that we were going to win despite being down by a bit. Our mental [focus] was still on top and we knew what we were doing wrong, so we fixed and adapted.”

With the game competitive again at 10-10, Simmon Vuong ‘25 took down three SIT players, grabbing the lead for Midwood and eventually the map. 

Their confidence oozing, the team went on to the second map split, where they lost 13-10. SIT’s Tan was huge, getting three multi-kill rounds to take the split and even the series 1-1. 

“I felt like the vibes were still up and we were still confident that we were going to win,” Vice President Ryan Chan ‘24 said. “We only lost the second map because we were trolling and having too much fun.”

“After the Map 2 loss against SIT, we understood we needed to play more calmly and collected, as during the match it was evident that our team was playing too aggressively and throwing easy rounds,” President and IGL (In-Game Leader) Michael Wong ‘24 said.  

After making some adjustments, Midwood went on the attack, ending the half 9-3 and essentially taking the series with a 13-6 map win.  

“In most of our games, we decided to play more slowly and methodically on the defensive side, and if we were on the attack side we decided to play more aggressively and explosively,” said Wong. 

“With Simmon having a slow game, we set him up in more aggressive spots, using his abilities and his aggressive playstyle to take more space and open up the map for our team to scale up and fight the defenders,” Wong added. “In the end, he came up huge and won us the map.” 

That win advanced the team to the grand finals against Stuyvesant, where Map 1 of split was a truly gritty match. Both teams went back and forth until Stuy was up 12-11. One more round and they would seize the win, but Chan had other plans, pushing through the smoke and getting three kills, finishing the round with a 4k to send the game to overtime. 

The game then went back and forth, landing on a 14-14 tie. After getting the bomb down, Midwood pushed into Stuyvesant’s spawn where Huang got four big kills to take the lead for the Hornets, who would eventually close out the game 16-14 with a flawless last round. 

“After the first map in the grand finals, we felt confident and were sure we were going to win,” said Wong. “We understood what we needed to do to beat Stuyvesant. We were just losing simple fights to simple mistakes.”

On the second map on Sunset, the game remained competitive, with Stuyvesant again out to an early 7-5 lead. However, on Midwood’s defense half, the team closed out the game with heroics from Anson Chu ‘25, only dropping two rounds after the side switch, taking the series, and coming out as the victors of the Fall Invitational.

“Winning the EZ Esports invitational tournament was a very fun experience and a very competitive one,” said Wong.

“It felt good to win,” said Chu. “It proved to the league that Midwood is still a team to look out for.”

With that win, the A Team has cemented themselves as the team to beat. However, the B Team has also improved, adding a valuable new player to the roster in Frank Zhu ‘26. 

“The B team looks great right now,” Benny Zhang ‘25 said. “Frank has improved multiple team compositions and flexibility by having a positive attitude in our scrimmages.”

“Frank has been a great teammate,” said Hei Yeung Lau ‘25. “He is consistent, fulfills his role very well, and has helped the team win many scrims. Since he is easy to work with, everyone on the team performs better with his assistance and firepower.” 

Coach Yongxuan Wu ‘27 said, “Having Zhu on the team has allowed the roster to play the roles they’re most comfortable with, and with him, I think we can bring this team to the next level as he is very reliable when it comes to making a play to swing the game in our favor.”

As the midpoint of the season is approaching, the A Team stands at a 5-0 record and the B Team stands at 4-1. With both teams playing well and being in top form, advisor Sarah Diouri ‘24 has been full of pride. 

“I feel both teams are only improving,” said Diouri. “I think the A Team most definitely has a chance of winning the league, and I would like to commend the B Team on how far they’ve come. Not only has their gameplay improved, but the team’s chemistry is great. The teams are both super determined to win and I am confident they’ll go far. Regardless, I’ll be super proud of all the players.”

As the season progresses to its playoff stage, Midwood’s A Team is the first seed in its division, and the B Team is second behind Brooklyn Tech. But with both teams rolling, the competition needs to be prepared to go against these Hornets. 

“To the other schools out there: you should not underestimate us,” Chan said. “Watch out, because we’re coming for both divisions.”