04/23/2026
Congratulations, Mac!
AHSAA E Sports Spotlight presented by Scout Program Management - scoutpm.com
AHSAAâs 2026 Spring Competition held at Huntingdon College
Dunkerley helps Bob Jones claim its 13th Straight AHSAA Rocket League E-Sports State Crown
MONTGOMERY â The search for the âbestâ e-Sports player in AHSAA history must include Bob Jones High School senior Mac Dunkerley â especially in E-sports competition.
Bob Jones, coached by Aubree Bond, won its 13th consecutive Rocket League Game AHSAA E-sports title Wednesday at Huntingdon College as the spring competition concluded. Dunkerley has played a key role in 11 of those Rocket League titles, including Wednesdayâs 4-0 victory over Lee-Huntsville.
The Patriots won the Rocket League best-of-seven competition winning 3-0, 6-4, 9-1 and 3-1 to sweep the E-sports battle. The three-member team for the Patriots consisted of Dunkerly, Rylan Barden (captain), and Noah Serafin. Leeâs squad, coached Zach Rominske, included Matthew Yelder (captain), Hunter Wooten, and Jason Emerson.
The AHSAA 2026 Spring E-sports Championships also included competition in Splatoon 3; Mario Cart; Super Smash Brothers; and Madden Football. Other winners included:
SPLATOON 3 (BEST-OF-5): Columbia High School won all three matches to sweep Spain Park High School 3-0. It was the Eaglesâ third straight state title in this event. Columbiaâs team, coached by DeâMeiko Merriwether, included Brandon Barber, Sean Banks, captain Jaidon Bailey, and Jeremiah Dale. Spain Parkâs team featured Ansh Nair, Maddox Bowen (captain), Frank Doss, and Colin McCay with Cameron McKinley and Paula Dill serving as the Jaguarsâ coaches.
MARIO KART (BEST-OF-3, 6 RACES PER CIRCUIT): Auburn emerged as the champion beating Madisonâs James Clemens High School 2-1. The Jets, coached by Pamela Paquette, won the first circuit 123-110. The Tigers, coached by Jeff Parnell and Tiffany Clark, won the last two circuits, 118-116 and 126-108, to claim the title. Auburnâs team was made up of Race Harden, Seoyoon Lee, Callan Rainer, and Sophia Kennedy. James Clemensâ team included Gavin Perkins, Will Wade, Sophia Rogers, and Embree Conyers. The victory was the third state title for Auburn in the Mario Kart competition, winning in also winning in the spring of 2025 and fall of 2024.
SUPER SMASH BROTHERS (BEST-of-5): Hoover High School beat Mobileâs Davidson High School 3-1 with the Bucs taking the first, second and fourth games while the Warriors won the third game. Hooverâs team, winning its third state title in the Super Smash competition, consisted of captain Rehan Jiwani, Kingston Boatman, and Chase Gaston with Hunter Curtis serving as the Bucsâ coach. Davidsonâs team, coached by Aimee Tucker, included captain Aaron Smith, Isaiah McNulty, and Hayden Epler.
MADDEN FOOTBALL (BEST-of-1): Huffman High Schoolâs Carlos Smith, Jr., scored a final touchdown with less than a minute left to play as Birminghamâs Huffman Vikings edged Sheffield 49-42 for the victory. Smith, who used the Philadelphia Eagles as his team, was coached by Justin Hackett. Sheffieldâs Maximus Murrah, coached by Brenda Garrett and Kasey Isbell, chose the Baltimore Ravens as his team. The championship was Huffmanâs first in school history.
E-sports competition in the AHSAA introduced in the spring of 2019 and has been held twice a year every year but 2020, when all sports competition was interrupted by the Covid pandemic.
Bob Jones High Schoolâs Max Dunkerley, left, and Patriots Esports Coach Aubree Bond proudly display the schoolâs 13th consecutive Rocket League State Championship Plaque won Wednesday
(AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtford)
Bob Jones High School