Esports 2/22/2025 10:51:00 PM

Blinn Rocket League drops two matches to begin NJCAAe season

The Buccaneers will look to bounce back against Wichita State Tech on Feb. 28

Esports 2/22/2025 10:51:00 PM

Blinn Rocket League drops two matches to begin NJCAAe season

The Buccaneers will look to bounce back against Wichita State Tech on Feb. 28

The Blinn College esports Rocket League team came up short in a pair of NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) matchups Friday.

The Buccaneers fell to Southeast Community College 3-0 and Heartland Community College 3-2 in best-of-three play.

Competing for Blinn were Xavier Johnson, Braeden Pomeroy, Travis Stansberry, and Edward Tejada.

The Bucs moved to 0-2 in the NJCAAe Central Conference.

Rocket League combines elements of soccer with fast-paced car mechanics. Teams of three players use rocket-powered vehicles to hit a ball into the opponent's goal. Teams with the most goals during a five-minute match win.

In its opener against Southeast, Blinn fell 4-2, 5-4, and 2-1 in the three rounds of action. Against Heartland, the Bucs won the opening round 3-2, but dropped rounds two and three 4-1 and 6-1, respectively, before evening the series with a 6-3 triumph. Heartland took the deciding round 4-3 in overtime.

"While we came up short in both matchups, there were plenty of positives to take away from our first official matches with our new roster," Blinn head coach and Rocket League manager Kyle Murto said. "While losing both matches isn't the start we wanted, it's important to note this was our first official match with this roster, and both Travis and Edward's first time competing. Nerves were high, and while we lacked consistency and panicked a bit on defense, these are things we can refine over time. Communication was solid, and everyone showed flashes of great play, we just need to build on that."

Up next, Blinn takes on Wichita State University Tech in an NJCAAe clash at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 50 NJCAA national championships since 1987.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Xavier Johnson: Sophomore; Rocket League

Braeden Pomeroy: Sophomore; Rocket League

Travis Stansberry: Sophomore; Call of Duty, Rocket League

Players Mentioned

Xavier Johnson
: Sophomore; Rocket League

Braeden Pomeroy
: Sophomore; Rocket League

Travis Stansberry
: Sophomore; Call of Duty, Rocket League