Student competing in the 2025 PSEL Esports Tournament at the Chester County Intermediate Unit.
Over 40 educators and coaches, along with 25 students and 12 sponsors, gathered on Monday, June 2, for the inaugural Pennsylvania Scholastic Esports League (PSEL) Esports Expo at the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU). The event featured a Rocket League tournament and offered a full day of exploration into the dynamic world of scholastic esports.
The event provided participants with opportunities to witness competitive gameplay, explore cutting-edge esports solutions, and build valuable connections in the esports education space. The tournament ran bracket style with top teams competing in the final competition.
“We were thrilled to welcome so many of our scholastic esports colleagues from Pennsylvania and beyond to our first PSEL Esports Expo,” said Kammas Kersch, director of the PSEL Esports League. “As an educator-led league, it is important to us to continue to foster learning opportunities for both students and educators. One of the highlights of the day was getting to spend time networking with our PSEL community!”
Kersch, who is also the CCIU STEM services coordinator, opened the event with a welcome and introduction that focused on key pillars for setting up an esports program in schools.
Several sponsors hosted engaging spotlight sessions designed specifically for educators, offering valuable insights, tools, and resources to help support successful scholastic esports teams.
The Rocket League finals saw an exciting playoff between West Chester Henderson High School and Chichester High School, with both teams showcasing impressive skill and teamwork. In a thrilling finish, Henderson High School emerged as the tournament champions.
Matt Swan, CCIU STEM innovation specialist, emphasized, “The Rocket League matches were full of great highlight plays, and in the end West Chester Henderson walked away as the champions without losing a single game!”
Swan continued, “We want to congratulate the players from West Chester Henderson on their phenomenal performance and also recognize the players from Chichester High School & 21st Century Cyber Charter School. We look forward to our next chance to showcase the skills of these amazing student competitors!”
Karen Ruggles, DeSales University varsity esports program director, closed the event with a talk that channeled the day’s excitement into a reflection on the future of esports—encouraging attendees to recognize how gaming, competition, and community can fuel personal and professional growth, while inspiring them to embrace their individual potential to shape a thriving, positive future for the industry.
The event received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, sponsors, and students alike. Educators and parents praised the organization and valuable insights shared, sponsors appreciated the meaningful engagement, and students were energized by the high-level competition and community-centered atmosphere.
The CCIU Events Team and PSEL Esports Team is already planning for the next event and looks forward to bringing esports colleagues together again soon.
