Bison E-Sports is rather E-xciting
Published 5:14 pm Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Get ready to R-r-rrumbl-l-le! The game is on! Esports is the new competition for some Buffalo Bison students.
Just what is Esports?
Electronic Sports, also known as esports, is competitive video gaming where individuals or professional teams play against each other. The purpose of the competition can be for spectator enjoyment, prizes, and/or entertainment.
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, online streaming platforms like YouTube made it possible for game enthusiasts to play against competitors while being in distant locations from each other.
Originally video game competition was face-to-face arcade square-offs. Games like Space Wars and Space Invaders were played, and the opponents would compete for the highest score and tallies would be compared by the judges. The earliest known video game competition took place at Stanford University in 1972; they played Space Wars.
After 1978, video games popularized the use of persistent high scores for all players. Several video games in the next several years followed suit, adding the ability to track high scores with high score tables that included the players’ initials in games.
The popularity of esports grew during the 1990s with more and more in person tournaments, and later in the decade internet connectivity and the building of mass broadband networks revolutionized online gameplay.
During the 2010s, online streaming services helped the growth of online gaming and competition tournaments. The global esports audience was reported to have reached 662.6 million in 2020, and 921 million in 2022.
Classifying esports as a sport has been controversial. Where some oppose esports as a sport, calling it a “mind sport;” they argue that traditional sports require physical fitness and physical training. Proponents argue that esports is a non-traditional sport requiring careful planning, precise timing, and skillful execution.
Regardless of label, the Buffalo Bison Scholastic Esports Team is growing in numbers and pushing forward to leave their mark of recognition in the esports world.
A group needs a qualified leader
Kent Hulsey, Information Technology Instructor and Cyber Security Instructor at the Dallas County Technical Center, is the originator behind the esport program at Buffalo High School.
Hulsey grew up in Albia, Iowa. After graduating high school, he attended four years of college at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar and finished at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in education, Pre-K through eighth grade, with a minor in history. He later continued his education to achieve his Masters of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance as well as a Master’s level Certification in Career and Technical Education.
“In 2001, we moved to Nixa, and I worked in an IT support shop in Ozark. My next job was developing vision medical software for HealthMedx in Springfield. The software we developed dealt with long term care, post acute care and rehabilitation,” said Hulsey.
In 2014, the Hulseys moved to Buffalo, Carrie’s hometown, where eventually she would establish and serve as director of a non-profit family based resource center called The Haven of Rest Ministries, better known by its shorter name — The Haven. Kent Hulsey made the daily commute to Springfield to continue his work at HealthMedx, which was later bought out by Netsmart Technologies.
The Hulseys attended Calvary Chapel Church in Buffalo, and Kent used his background with soundboard technology to set up and program the church’s sound system with Tyler Boggs.
“Tyler knew I was tiring of the daily drive to work in Springfield and asked me if I would be interested in teaching the Information Technology (IT) class. The position was open at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year after the newly hired IT teacher decided not to take the job. Even though it would be a substantial paycut, I was interested,” stated Hulsey. “Donna Persell kept the program alive until all necessary actions (30-day application wait, interview, and board approval) were fulfilled. I took the helm of the IT class in November 2019.”
Then came Covid-19, and all schools across the nation were closed to quarantine.
When schools were returned to in-person attendance, Hulsey added the computer science class to his teaching duties. He began to try to figure out ways to increase the number of students in the computer science class. He had coordinated the curriculum for his classes and had worked as part of a team creating standards for computer classes across the state of Missouri. He knew about gaming competitions called esports and had a discussion with Tom Stokes, BHS Athletic Director at that time, about the possibility of adding esports as an extracurricular activity for his students. Stokes referred Hulsey to talk with Dr. Tim Ryan, and the rest is history.
The evolution of BHS Esports so far
The Dallas County Tech Center relocated to its new building on the BHS campus in 2021. Hulsey began a campaign to obtain gaming computers for the class lab. (A gaming computer includes a dedicated graphics card (GPU) and high-end hardware designed to handle heavy processing and intense visuals.) The technology class has accumulated 18 gaming computers accessorized with 300-hour battery wireless headphones and attached microphones. They are customized with Bison Esports logos on the case and matched to 32-inch monitors.
“They were purchased with Covid grants, but they were a little hard to acquire as Covid had closed a lot of manufacturing companies and supplies were low,” informed Hulsey, “and they haven’t been upgraded or replaced in five years since they were purchased.” Also, the DCTC tech students do all repairs on the DCR-1’s chromebooks.
Instructor Hulsey is currently serving as a Grad Assistant for Dr. Gichamba, assisting with a hybrid PhD in the Cybersecurity program, and he is contemplating a PhD in Cybersecurity, pending financing options. He is the current president of MTTA (Missouri Trade and Technical Association). He will serve as the 26-27 President Elect and 27-28 President for MoACTE. MoACTE is the state organization for Career and Technical Educators, but he says his students are the most important part of his teaching career.
The Bison Esports team has grown in members since it was started five years ago. The first year had seven to 10 students on a regular basis and last year a total of 25-plus. So far this year, the total is 24 students, but more students are likely to join throughout the year. There is also a Buffalo Prairie Middle School Esports team.
Bronson Matthews, a BHS junior, remarked, “I have been part of Bison Esports for three years. I had just played as a single player at home. I had never played in competition until I joined. I have been a team captain for all three years.”
To become a Bison Esports team member, students must fill out a form and get a parent’s permission signature. They will be given a complete handbook and be added to a communications platform called Discord, a cyber-secure group chat available to only esport members nationwide. Discord was built with one solution in mind — how to talk to friends while gaming with them. The students are only identified with gamer tags and not their real identities.
The Bison Esports is part of the Missouri Scholastic Esports Federation (MOSEF). MOSEF exists to support the growth of scholastic esports by providing schools with education about esports and equitable access for students to competitive leagues while promoting a safe and fun experience. Hulsey is the current vice president of MOSEF.
The Bison Esports team competes during the school year and practices during summer. They are currently in the process of adding fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network and Make-A-Wish Foundation to their competitions. Some of the Bison Esports members have placed fourth and fifth in state competition.
BHS junior, Mari Sewell, had this to say about being a Bison Esports Team member, “I’ve been a part of this for two-and-a-half years. It is a good place for students who feel like outcasts to get to know other students and make new friends. We enjoy being competitive but are courteous in our sportsmanship. I will absolutely be involved my junior and senior years.”
The Bison Esports Team is looking forward to their next big event, Community Game Night, Nov. 6. It will be a night of food, fun, friends socializing and, of course, competition. Follow the Bison Esports on the Dallas County Tech Center’s Facebook page and watch this “sport” continue to grow in popularity.
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PHOTOS BY STEVE JOHNSON
Kent Hulsey:
Kent Hulsey is the founder, director, and coach of the Bison Esports program.
Bison Esports Team:
Members of the Bison Esports Team include, from left, front row: Kent Hulsey (coach), Tysen Gladu, Bailey Matthews, Caleb Presley, Mari Sewell, Russell Sewell (asst. Coach), Jacob Fletcher (asst. Coach); middle row: Bronson Matthews, Mach Sewell, Dominic Godwin, Caleb Compton; back row: Julius Rambo, James Davey and Jacob Netroy. Not pictured are: Josh Fleetwood, Matt Fleetwood, Jaydon Morrow, Trey Miller, Dominic Kates, Michael Barrett, Devin Morgans, Mason Callicott, Drake Grundon and Nicolas Freeman.
Mach Sewell:
BHS junior Mach Sewell participates in a heated esports online game with distant opponents.
Surrounded by computers:
Computer Technology instructor Kent Hulsey spends two hours, Monday through Friday, with his Bison Esports Team, supervising and watching their progress.
