National Association of Esports Coaches & Directors All-American & Player of the Year 2021

Gretna High School, Gretna, Nebraska – 

The National Association of Esports Coaches & Directors is the primary professional organization for competitive esports coaches and directors at all levels of competitive play. Each year, coaches and directors are able to nominate one student from their school for the Player of the Month. These students are nominated by their coach as student-athletes who demonstrate a balance of athletic achievement, sportsmanship, and citizenship. This award is aimed at recognizing the overall impact the student has made. 

Of each of these students nominated to represent their school, only six are selected from the country for the All-American award.  This honor is given to student-athletes who are the best at their game, position, and within their level of participation. Of those six All-American award recipients, only one is selected for the Player of the Year award. This prestigious award is given to one high school student every year. This award was given to Gretna High School student, Jared Nicholas. 

Jared’s coach had this to say about him, “It takes a very dedicated, very organized person to keep a schedule like his while also doing a good job in school. Jared is quick to help others and instantly befriends anyone and everyone around him. He has made a huge difference in our esports program. His enthusiasm for helping others and making them feel welcome has greatly benefited our program. Jared is not just a member of our top Overwatch team, he is the Captain. When it came to decisions, this was the easiest decision I made this year. Jared is the perfect captain. He is just the kind of person we need to lead our team. Jared does not demand from his teammates, he leads by example. He practices outside of the team practice sessions, he researches strategies and patch updates, listens to his teammates, welcomes their opinions and ideas, strategizes for upcoming matches, plans his teammates’ practices/scrims, etc. He is very well respected by the other students on his team as well as students on the other teams.”

Congratulations Jared! We are so proud of what you have accomplished!

Prairie STEM 

Jared and his esports coach, Kim Beck

Kim Beck is Jared’s esports coach and Computer Science teacher at Gretna High School. She is also Prairie STEM’s Director of Esports. Congratulations to both Jared and Kim!

Prairie STEM accelerates learning and impacts underrepresented communities (urban, suburban, and rural) focusing on soft skills as well as hard skills to provide pathways for success by addressing challenges in diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.

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