Herriman High Gamers Excited for Sanctioning of High School Esports

By Justin Adams

Earlier this month, it was announced that the Utah High School Activities Association has decided to include esports as a sanctioned high school activity starting in the 2025-2026 school year. That’s some exciting news for the dozens of students at Herriman High School who participate in the school’s esports club.

They were very excited about the announcement. They understand that it can bring some legitimacy to the sport,” said Brian Burke, the club’s faculty advisor.

The club started in 2016 when a group of students approached Burke with the idea of starting a club based around playing ‘Super Smash Brothers,’ a popular fighting game featuring characters from a variety of Nintendo franchises.

“The kids wanted to start a club and they needed a sponsor. I had the room to have the TV’s and they came and asked. So I said, okay let’s get together and play Smash once a week. And it’s just grown from there,” Burke said.

Now the club has over 30 students who informally represent their school as both individuals and teams competing in games like Valorant, Rocket League, Apex Legends and Super Smash Brothers.

To some, the idea of playing video games for one’s high school, just like playing football or basketball, might sound preposterous. Burke acknowledges that he still sees a lot of that old-fashioned mindset of “video games being for nerds who never leave their parents’ basement.” In fact, one of the biggest obstacles for the club’s growth has been convincing the students’ parents that it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Esports is already a multi-billion dollar industry, with viewership numbers for top esports events are starting to rival that of traditional sports. The growth in interest (and revenue) at the professional level has already filtered down to the collegiate level, with many universities offering scholarships to attract players to their esports programs.

In fact, one of the original members of Herriman High’s club is now a senior at the University of Utah, playing for the school’s Rocket League team on a scholarship. There are also three current members of the club who recently won a regional Super Smash Brothers tournament so impressively that they were each offered scholarships on the spot.

Herriman Esports Club advisor Brian Burke shows off his club's display case, which houses some of their trophies and club history.

“That was one of my big goals from the beginning - using video games as a way to open up opportunities for these kids after high school,” Burke said. “And that doesn’t necessarily mean ‘going pro’ as an esports player because, just like is the case for highschool basketball or football players, the odds of that happening are very low. But you can earn a scholarship or maybe it leads to an interest in video game design and coding or streaming and media production.”

So, what will sanctioned high school esports in Utah look like? A lot of the details still need to be ironed out, according to Burke. For example, even the basic question of which games will be played could potentially be a tricky one. Some schools and districts might be opposed to their students competing in “shooter” games for example. Will teams compete against one another online, or in-person?

“I see a lot of things that still need to be worked out,” Burke said. “Like with anything, there’s going to be some good parts and bad parts.”

As for Herriman, they will certainly be “ahead of the game” compared to most other high schools in Utah. Thanks to the support of Jordan School District and Principal Todd Quarnberg, the school’s club has already been operating at a level of professionalism on-par with their peers who are competing in traditional sports. They have their own custom-made uniforms and players are held to the same academic standards as other sports. If their GPA falls below a certain mark, they don’t get to play. The club even has a designated display case in the school, showcasing some of their trophies and accolades, one that will likely include some UHSAA State Championships in the coming years.

More News from South Jordan

• Daybreak Pride Event to Celebrate Love With Music, Dance, Food and Games This year's Pride event will be the biggest yet!
• Resident Spotlight: “Fresh King Benjamin” Bringing Comedy to Daybreak Ben Brown had no idea that stand-up comedy was a thing that existed, let alone something that a person could do for a career, until he was about 22 years old.