West Fork Esports’ state title hopes fall short due to tiebreakers

It could have went either way for the West Fork Esports team, but it was the small things that kept the Warhawks from coming home with a Iowa High School Esports Association championship in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Team Competition.

Despite pushing top-ranked Linn-Mar to their limits, the Warhawks came up short due to a tiebreaker based on first place finished at the IAHSEA State Championship, held on June 1.

Both teams tied for points, the championship bout had to be resolved via first place finishes. Scoring-wise, the Warhawks fell to the Lions in a close 110-106 battle.

The third-ranked Warhawks had a fantastic run to the state title match, starting with a 62-58 victory over Mount Vernon in the state quarterfinals on May 18 and taking down Newman Catholic with a 116-110 win in the state semifinals on May 25.

Going into the state tournament, West Fork accumulated 671 points, behind eventual state champion Linn-Mar (789 points) and Nevada (773 points).