Esports 11/20/2025 12:31:00 PM

Blinn Overwatch falls to Columbia Basin in NJCAAe Overwatch East Regional

The Buccaneers will take on Bryant & Stratton in the opening round of the national tournament Dec. 3

Esports 11/20/2025 12:31:00 PM

Blinn Overwatch falls to Columbia Basin in NJCAAe Overwatch East Regional

The Buccaneers will take on Bryant & Stratton in the opening round of the national tournament Dec. 3

The Blinn College esports Overwatch team fell to Columbia Basin College 3-0 in a best-of-three NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) Overwatch East Regional Playoffs third-place match Thursday.

The Buccaneers are still alive in postseason play, as they will enter the NJCAA Esports Overwatch National Tournament as the fourth seed. Blinn will face Bryant & Stratton College in the semifinal round of the four-team bracket at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Competing for Blinn on Thursday was the team of Joseph Mares, Donnivan Straight, Donovan Hernandez, Trey Vaughan, and Jose Rios.

Each round Wednesday included a different win condition based on the following modes:

Control: Teams fight to capture and hold a single point. The first team to reach 100% control wins two rounds in a best-of-three format, where the loser of each round picks the next map.
Escort: The attacking team moves a payload to its destination while defenders try to stop them. The payload moves when attackers are near it, and the attackers aim to complete the route before time runs out.
Hybrid: Teams capture a point and then escort a payload. The match is typically one round for attackers, who must secure the point first before moving the payload.
Push: Teams battle to control a robot and push it toward the opponent's side. The first team to push it farther than their opponents wins, with the loser picking the next map.

Flashpoint: Two teams fight to control capture zones that keep moving to new locations on the map once a point has been captured. The goal is to capture each point until one side has captured three zones.

Wednesday's matches were contested in the Control, Hybrid, Escort, and Push game modes.

"It's important to take a step back and recognize what this team has accomplished, as coming into the semester, we had lost almost our entire roster from the year before and rebuilt from the ground up. Many doubted if we'd even make it back to nationals and yet, here we are," Blinn head coach and Overwatch coach Kyle Murto said. "We've proven that Blinn remains one of the best programs in NJCAAe, and while tonight wasn't our best performance, it doesn't erase the progress and resilience this group has shown all season. We'll regroup, reset, and get ready for the national stage."

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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Players Mentioned

Donovan Hernandez: Freshman; Overwatch

Joseph Mares: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Rios: Sophomore; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight: Sophomore; Overwatch

Players Mentioned

Donovan Hernandez
: Freshman; Overwatch

Joseph Mares
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Rios
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight
: Sophomore; Overwatch