Hershberger ‘Smashes’ his way to a scholarship
Hiland senior Ethan Hershberger recently became the first Holmes County student to be offered a college scholarship in the new world of eSports. Hershberger’s play at several Malone University tournaments was enough to draw the attention of the eSports coaching staff there.
Not long ago going to college and sitting in the dorm room with joystick in hand and gaming was a fantastic hobby that took students’ minds off of the rigorous study routine.
In today’s world students are now being given scholarships to do what young adults have been doing for decades, and recently, Hiland senior Ethan Hershberger became the first Holmes County student to be offered an eSports scholarship.
Hershberger has been instrumental in helping to bring the world of competitive high school gaming to Hiland, and in the school’s inaugural year last year, he and his teammates helped create a fervor to compete in an athletic realm unlike any seen before.
Hershberger has continued to hone his craft and attends tournaments around the state, and this year he took his game to the Malone University eSports Tournament for high school students on March 25. It included Rocket League and Super Smash Bros., Hershberger’s specialty.
His performance there caught the eye of the MU eSports coaches, who liked his game style.
However, more importantly, they liked the way he conducted himself, and his effort there paved the way for MU to offer him the highest possible scholarship to attend the university on an eSports scholarship.
“I am incredibly honored to be offered anything at all,” Hershberger said. “The coach from Malone contacted me through Discord, which is how gamers connect, and made the offer. I’ve actually played in a few of their tournaments, and they said they really liked the way I played, but they also liked the way I handled myself when I lost and how I carried myself.”
They invited him up for a campus visit, and he toured both the school and the eSports facility. When they were done, Hershberger was shocked when they offered him the highest possible sports scholarship.
“I was blown away,” Hershberger said. “I was humbled and honored. I never expected anything like this, and it took me aback.”
For a young man who wasn’t seriously considering college, that option became a much greater possibility.
He said the option has given him pause for thought and he is contemplating his options now.
As for helping to usher in e-Sports to Hiland, he said it was a thrilling step, and getting a chance to entice others to join the eSports team and take gaming seriously was fun for him.
“I have always relished the idea of being a leader and helping others, so it was exciting for me to step into this role here at Hiland and help create an eSports team,” Hershberger said. “I feel like I’m definitely a mentor for the young kids coming in because I know more about the games and how they work from a competition standpoint.”
Hershberger isn’t alone when gaming because he always has his PC (Player Character) Zero Suit Samus (originally from the game Metroid) as his character inside the Super Smash Bros. world. When competing, he pays attention to minute details, deciphering his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and possible winning tactics. It is a serious and disciplined effort that like any sport takes endless practice to excel in.
While he plays competitively and is serious in doing so, he also knows when to turn off the competitive level and kick back and have some fun.
“There has to be a difference between playing competitively and casually,” Hershberger said. “When you play competitively, you’re focused in on the tiniest details. When I’m playing casually, I’m messing around going for all these crazy moves and we end up laughing a lot. That’s kind of when you end up finding some interesting options we can use while competing.”
The Hawks currently sit at 4-1 on the season and are in the midst of a second straight successful campaign. The fall season consists of just Smash Bros., but the district recently received funding to purchase PCs that will allow the team to introduce Overwatch and Fortnite.
Also involved in music and theater, Hershberger enjoys being in the spotlight of the stage, and this is simply another area where he can relish that.
His coaches, Chad Hochstetler and Carrie Jones, both said Hershberger’s talent is secondary to the maturity and character he exudes.
“Ethan is very dedicated to his craft, but that’s just one layer of who he is,” Jones said. “He’s a smart, kind, moral person who exhibits traits that any parent would want to have in their child. He’s kind of a Renaissance man in a sense. He’s very passionate about the game, but at the same time, he is about so much more.”
“Integrity and leadership come to mind,” Hochstetler said of Hershberger. “He leads these guys in a very positive way. He’s always so encouraging and isn’t a yeller. He’s more of a lead by example.”
As eSports continues to make inroads into both the college realm and high school level, it has brought a new world into the sports realm that offers a new type of athlete the ability to gain a college scholarship.
For Hershberger, what was once just a myth is now reality, and he loves being a trendsetter into the new world, or in this case worlds, of gaming.