Congratulations to QHS student Quendarrius Davis who is the 2024 Spring NBA 2K Esports state champion! Playing 2K is something Quendarrius has been doing for about 10 years, but when he played it at the state championship, it took on a whole new meaning. It became more than a game…it became the activity that earned him a state championship title.
Quitman High School began offering Esports in the fall of 2023. They offer a fall and spring season. Esports is a fairly new program for schools and it is a MHSAA regulated sport. Ms. Kay Thornburg is the head coach and she is assisted by Mrs. Rachael Albritton. The coaches are incredibly proud of Quendarrius and his accomplishments. Mrs. Thornburg was hesitant to take the coaching position when asked because she was the parent who didn’t allow gaming in her house. However, she took it and is glad she did. When asked about coaching Quendarrius, she said, “I am his coach. The skill is his.” She went on to say that her coaching style is that the players know the game and her job is to be the encourager. She learned that coaching is not just knowing the game, but knowing how to motivate the players.
Quendarrius was all smiles when he became the state champion. He is a junior at Quitman High School who played in the fall season and again in the spring season. When asked how he felt when he won, he said “It felt great! I had been wanting to play again and I finally won.”
When he heard that QHS was offering Esports this year he was excited. He said he was hoping they would offer 2K and of course they did! The season consisted of playing a season against other schools, just as any other sport would do, and then players qualify for the playoffs. He was successful in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and then traveled to the University of Southern Mississippi to play in the finals. He was successful there and moved on to the final game against Tishomingo County and came out on top!
Congratulations to Quendarrius Davis for achieving his goal and being the 2024 Spring NBA 2K Esports state champion.