Now in its third year — and fourth season — esports programs at the local high schools are continuing to grow.

At Kenai Central High School, coach Matthew Cross said Tuesday that the team has grown to around 25 players across three games — Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

This season, Alaska teams for most of the games, with the exception of Smash, are playing in regional leagues that include athletes from California and Hawaii.

Cross said that some of the teams that were among the strongest last season from Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Region aren’t playing until the Spring season. Still, he’s seen other Alaska teams springing up and making an impression.

One example was Twindly Bridge Charter School in Wasilla, which by chance ended up playing all three of Kenai’s fielded Smash teams across the first three weeks of the season. They swept Kenai 2 and 3. Kenai 1 won against Twindly last week but went all five rounds with the team.

Cross said he’s interested in seeing more in-person events as programs grow, especially between other local teams in Soldotna and Nikiski. Because games are usually played online, his players rarely get the opportunity to meet their rivals.

The program at Kenai has managed to grow season-over-season and year-over-year, despite graduating several leading seniors in May.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Kenai 1, which features Blake Gillis, Eli Castro and Kaizen Fuller, fell to Lathrop High School on Thursday, in a match that went all five rounds but ended 3-2 in the Malamutes’ favor. The Kards fall to 3-1 and second in the state, behind only Lathrop.

Kenai 2, which features Dayne Focose, Sye Stacey and Kai Adkins, swept Bethel Regional High School 3-0. The Kards are 3-1 and sixth in the state.

Kenai 3, composed of Alexander Collet, Kenneth White and Boyd Lehmberg, topped Service High School 3-2 to climb to 2-1 and 12th in the state.

Nikiski and SoHi had a bye week this week. Nikiski is 2-1 and 15th in the state. SoHi 2 is 2-2 and 11th in the state. SoHi 1 is 1-3 and 20th in the state.

Rocket League

SoHi had a bye week but sits 3-1 and eighth in the California Region.

Kenai was swept by Ascend Online, a distance-learning school in British Columbia, Canada. The Kards fall 0-4 and 28th in the California Region.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Kenai’s Castro, Alex Kahn, Gillis and Lehmberg swept Kamehameha Schools Maui High School 2-0 to climb to 3-1 and fourth in the Coastal Region.

SoHi had a bye week, but is 3-1 and seventh in the region.

Nikiski’s Levi Kimbell, Joey Nightingale, Lorelai Kimbell and Braden Brigham were swept by Kauai High School 2. The Bulldogs are 2-2 and ninth in the region.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.