Titans claim State Championship in League of Legends: Earn fourth place overall as team in Esports State Tournament

The Tea Area Titans delivered an impressive performance at the 2026 SDHSAA/Fenworks Esports State Tournament, held Feb. 13-14 at Aberdeen Central High School in Aberdeen. 

Competing against top programs from across South Dakota, Tea Area finished fourth in the overall team standings with 17 points. Dakota Valley claimed the team title with 26 points, followed by Sioux Falls Roosevelt (21) and Brookings (18).

The highlight of the weekend came in the League of Legends competition, where Tea Area’s team captured the state championship with a victory in the finals. Team members included Kiarra Osterman, Vanessa Halling, Colton Rimmer, Benjamin Grunewaldt, Jaxon Johanneson and Henrik Rimmer. 

The Titans defeated Dakota Valley squad to secure the title. Sioux Falls Jefferson and Sioux Falls Lincoln rounded out the top four.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rimmer earned a runner-up finish for the Titans, placing second behind Rapid City Central’s competitor. Rimmer’s performance capped off a strong individual season and added valuable points to Tea’s team total.

Titan coach John Schmidt praised his squad’s effort and growth throughout the season.

“I am extremely proud of the players and their success over the season and at the state tournament,” Schmidt said. “They have put in so much hard work this year and leading up to it. As a program, we had 13 players qualify for the state tournament, competing in four different game titles,” said Schmidt. “It was a great end to the season, and I am excited to see how we can build off this success as a program.”

Members of the Titans state-qualifying roster included Torsten Haugen, Kiarra Osterman, Vanessa Halling, Henrik Rimmer, Zander Engel, Jaxon Johanneson, Benjamin Grunewaldt, Cael Hermanson, Dominic Bartscher, Elijah Imhoff, Korbyn Kistler, Colton Rimmer and Devon Krueger.