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San Andreas Continuation High School senior Daniel Delarosa sits in a small, dark room adorned with dim blue lights and a lighted sign that reads “Gaming zone.”
Though normally the room is full with students during lunch and after school, the 17-year-old sits alone, focused on one of six screens that the county’s first school e-sport team uses for practices and matches.
In its early stages, a squad made up of Delarosa and 16-year-old junior Eiden Ramos is only competing in Fortnite, in which a team of two battles other teams in various settings to be the last one standing.
Despite losing the first two matches, Delarosa said it’s been a good experience.
“It’s just really fun to be a part of the team,” he said. “I enjoy it a lot.”
Ramos said he was surprised San Andreas and Santa Ana Opportunity School were the first schools in the county to form a team because Hollister High School has a lot more students and offers extracurricular activities to its students.
“For them [the San Benito County Office of Education] to do this is pretty cool,” Ramos said. “I think it helps the community.”
According to the California Department of Education, during the 2024-25 school year, there were 106 students enrolled in the two schools, compared to 3,316 at Hollister High.
Ramos said having an e-sports program provides an outlet for students to be part of a team and also serves as an incentive to be engaged in school. He said the ability to play games and be part of a team at school allows students to deal with any stress they may feel.
“It just helps focus on other things, relieve stress,” Ramos said. “I think that’s what games are meant for because whenever we’re stressing or going through something we usually tend to play a game or listen to music.”
Delarosa and Ramos are two of 11 members of the inaugural team and the only ones who have competed so far. The team includes students from San Andreas and Santa Ana Opportunity School, the latter of which serves seventh and eighth graders under the County Office of Education.
“This historic step brings students into the rapidly growing world of academic and competitive gaming, providing new opportunities for teamwork, leadership and scholarships,” the school said in a news release.
Delarosa said he began playing about six years ago after his older brother introduced him to Fortnite and was pleased to learn the school was putting together a team.
“I was excited,” he said. “I was probably the first one to sign up.”
Co-coach and high school teacher Rolan Resendiz, who also serves on the Hollister City Council, said he already sees the culture of sports bringing kids together, where the players show off their skills and their fellow students cheer them on.
Delarosa said being supported and cheered on by classmates gives him a feeling of accomplishment.
Matches are set up in three rounds, which are won by the team that gets to 10 wins. The team that wins two rounds is victorious in the match.
While San Andreas does not have an interscholastic sports program, Resendiz said e-sports, like traditional sports, allows the students to learn teamwork and gives them an additional incentive to be engaged in school.
“E-sports opens doors for our students,” Resendiz said. “Not only for recreation, but for future
opportunities in higher education, scholarships, and careers. We are excited to show the community the talent and dedication of our students.”
Resendiz said the last two school years he taught physical education for San Andreas students at McCarthy Park, which is adjacent to the school campus. He said the kids played football or basketball. However, that class is not offered this year.
For the students, being part of the team is fun and games with a side of healthy competition. Delarosa and Ramos said they found some players who were very skilled.
“I learned that there is better competition out there,” Ramos said.
In order to get better, both Ramos and Delarosa say they practice almost daily after school for about an hour.
During the training sessions, Ramos said the team members give each other pointers on how to improve.
The team’s next match is scheduled against a team from John F. Kennedy High School on Oct. 14.
The team is part of the California region league and the two matches have been against schools in the Los Angeles area.
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