Esports: Canton Classics set to compete for Simulation Football League Championship

The eyes of many esports football fans will turn toward Stark County this weekend. That is because the Canton Classics play the Florida Storm in the Simulation Football League Championship Game on Saturday evening.

The Classics went a perfect 12-0 during the SFL regular season to earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. They then defeated the five-time league champion Baltimore Vultures in the quarterfinals and the DC Dragons in the semifinals

"We are playing the defending champions in this game," Canton Classics co-owner Kristian Aleixo said. "The game will be viewable on the SFL YouTube Channel. The league has professional commentators and a pregame show will begin at 5:30 p.m. The game itself will begin at 6:30 p.m."

When the action begins, viewers will watch players compete on personal computers on a heavily modified version of the NFL 2K4 video game. The Canton Classics features 29 players from across the country. One of them is Bob Lung, founder of the Fantasy Football Expo that takes place every year at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village. The Canton resident plays as a wide receiver for the Classics.

"It was very important for us to have a player from the Canton on the team," Aleixo said. "We want to be as authentic as possible when it comes to representing the area."

There is perhaps no better story on the team than Van Lacey of Texas. Lacey, a defensive back in the game, plays in honor of his son, Evan, who was the victim of an unsolved murder in 2019.

"His father discovered the SFL as part of the healing process," Aleixo said. "He decided to play the game in honor of Evan. His player model in the game is based on his (son's) likeness and he plays as Evan during the games. Whenever he makes an interception you will hear the announcers yell about a great play being made by Evan Lacey. That's something that Van has told me just means the world to him."

Aleixo, who is pro race car driver, co-owns the team along with country music singer Adam Chance. Chance is a member of the group Home Free, which won Season 4 of NBC's "The Sing-Off."

The players behind the keyboards are also under the guidance of a former NFL player. Super Bowl winner Ray Donaldson is the head coach of the Classics. Donaldson was a six-time Pro Bowl selection as a center during his NFL career.

"He was drafted by the Colts in 1980," Aleixo said. "He went on to play 17 years. That included a couple of years in Seattle and he also won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s. He has been around the game his whole life and has been to the top of the sport. He was really excited about the opportunity to work with the team."

Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton Classics esports football team to compete for SFL championship