Kent County Cup Esports Tournament Champion Wins Second Title
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Mason “Apple King” Abbott, a homeschooled 10th grade student, won the Kent County Cup esports tournament for the second time on Saturday, October 17.
Abbott competed against more than 20 students from area high schools in the Kent County Cup Mario Kart 8 esports tournament at Kent Career Tech Center. The competition concluded with four winners, each receiving a medal. The first-place winner, Abbott, also received a trophy. Additional winners included:
- 2nd – Gavin “asynyne” Nelson, 11th grade, Caledonia High School
- 3rd – Josiah “J9” Bray, 11th grade, Grand Rapids Christian High School
- 4th – Reuben “Redbølt” Starnes, 11th grade, East Kentwood High School
Students also had the opportunity to try “shoutcasting,” or providing play-by-play commentary during the tournament's livestream, alongside Jason Truskowski, applications engineer at Steelcase and the event's lead shoutcaster. Truskowski has also served as the lead shoutcaster for Kent County Cup Super Smash Bros tournaments and has volunteered at multiple Kent County Cup events. Berkeley Nelson, an 11th grade student at Caledonia High School, served as the shoutcaster for the final round. Livestreaming and content creation are also potential career pathways for esports enthusiasts.
Former Kent County Cup participants returned to the event as volunteers, helping with concessions and running the competition alongside esports consultant Will Wolf. John DeBlaay, who competed for two years, is now a student at Grand Rapids Community College. Henry Wierenga, the 2026 Super Smash Bros champion, is now a college student competing in esports at Western Michigan University.
Representatives from Davenport University, Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University and the Michigan Council for Women in Technology attended the event.
The Kent County Cup was created by Kent ISD with guidance from Wolf. The event was sponsored by Michigan Technological University.
