Northwood won the inaugural Brawl Stars Tournament hosted by the High School Youth Action Team on Dec. 6.

With around 100 participants, three teams from Northwood competed in a 3 vs. 3 bracket-style matchup against other high schoolers at the Heritage Park Community Center. Maps and battle modes were randomly selected, with eliminations conducted until only two teams remained. Northwood’s winning team received the Brawl Stars Championship Trophy as a reward, along with a premium Brawl Stars pass, a $5 In-N-Out gift card and championship pins for the other teams.

“I would definitely say that the atmosphere during the tournament was really lively,” freshman Kevin Chen said. “We were just there to have fun, so I enjoyed my time.”

Proposed by HSYAT representatives from Irvine, Beckman and University High School, the event aimed to engage teens within the community by fostering friendly competition and finding ways beyond volunteering to connect with others.

“Everyone there wasn’t coming for the volunteer hours,” University High School representative senior Sky Jafar said. “They were literally just coming to have a bunch of fun with their friends and that’s always something great.”

HSYAT hopes to host another Brawl Stars Tournament in February while improving the competition.

“I was really impressed with the turnout, and it was so cool to see so many Brawl Stars players,” Jafar said. “There’s always things we can improve on, and we want to do a losers bracket next time. I had so much fun, so I definitely want to do it again.”