Gamers return to Kent County Cup awards platform

November 2, 2026

Kent ISD Kent County Cup BRF 1 (1) — From left, Mason Abbott, first place; Gavin Nelson, second place; Josiah Bray, third place; and Reuben Starnes, fourth place (courtesy)

Kent ISD — It was a repeat performance at Kent ISD’s biannual Kent County Cup, as all four of the 2026 winners matched the champions from the 2025 event.

The fall esports competition, featuring the game Mario Kart 8, took place Oct. 17 at the Kent Career Tech Center.

Mason Abbot, a homeschooled sophomore, was the repeat champion. Also returning to the awards platform: Caledonia High School junior Gavin Nelson, who took second; Grand Rapids Christian High School junior Josiah Bray, who took third; and East Kentwood High School junior Reuben Starnes, who took fourth.

About 27 competitors participated in the event, which was sponsored by Michigan Tech University. The next Kent ISD Kent County Cup, to feature the game Super Smash Bros., will take place in the spring.

- Sponsorship -

Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Joanne Bailey-Boorsma is a reporter covering Kent ISD, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Forest Hills and Comstock Park. The salutatorian for the Hartland Public Schools class of 1985, she changed her colors from blue and maize to green and white by attending Michigan State University, where she majored in journalism. Joanne moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1989, where she started her journalism career at the Advance Newspapers. She later became the editor for On-the-Town magazine, a local arts and entertainment publication. Her husband, Mike, works the General Motors plant in Wyoming; her oldest daughter, Kara, is a registered nurse working in Holland, and her youngest, Maggie, is studying music at Oakland University. She is a volunteer for the Van Singel Fine Arts Advisory Board and the Kent District Library. In her free time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, checking out local theater and keeping up with all the exchange students they have hosted through the years.