Esports 10/20/2026 11:22:00 PM

Blinn picks up Rocket League win during competitive night of play

The Buccaneers competed in three Rocket League matches and one Call of Duty tilt

Esports 10/20/2026 11:22:00 PM

Blinn picks up Rocket League win during competitive night of play

The Buccaneers competed in three Rocket League matches and one Call of Duty tilt

The Blinn College esports team competed in four matches Tuesday across Rocket League and Call of Duty, earning a victory in NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) Rocket League competition before dropping its second NJCAAe Call of Duty match of the season.

The Buccaneers' Rocket League team went 1-2 on the day, falling to Daytona State College and the University of Texas at Arlington while earning a sweep of Hutchinson Community College. Blinn also fell to UTA in its first National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) West-Central Conference matchup.

In Call of Duty, Blinn fell 3-1 to Collin College in NJCAAe competition, dropping to 1-1 on the season.

ROCKET LEAGUE
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, with the team scoring the most goals during a five-minute match earning the victory.

Blinn opened the day against Daytona State College, falling 3-0 in the series. The Bucs lost the opening game 2-1 before dropping the next two games, 4-1 and 4-1.

Daytona State controlled much of the series, keeping Blinn on the defensive and limiting its opportunities to move the ball upfield. Inconsistent rotations also contributed to the Bucs' struggles.

Blinn responded in its second NJCAAe match against Hutchinson Community College, earning a convincing 3-0 sweep. The Bucs won the opening game 7-1, claimed a 4-3 overtime victory in the second game, and closed out the series with a 6-2 win.

The team also used the matchup to give Moises Arb additional playing time, substituting him into the lineup for Cooper Bullinger.

Blinn's toughest test came against UTA in its first NACE conference match of the season. The Bucs dropped the first two games, 6-1 and 5-0, before rallying for a 2-1 overtime victory in the third game.

UTA regained control in the fourth game, winning 7-0 to secure the 3-1 series victory.

Despite the loss, Blinn showed its potential in the third game, playing with greater confidence and controlling the pace to extend the series.

Head coach and Rocket League manager Kyle Murto said the team's biggest areas for improvement are its rotations, positioning, communication, and consistency.

Murto noted that many of the Bucs' mistakes were self-inflicted and fixable. The team plans to review film and replays to identify breakdowns and return to the disciplined, team-oriented play that has contributed to its success.

Blinn moved to 5-2 in NJCAAe play and 0-2 in NACE competition, including an 0-1 mark in conference play.

The Bucs' Rocket League roster features Arb, Bullinger, Andrew Corley, and Jared Kissee.

Up next for Blinn Rocket League is an NJCAAe matchup against Laramie County Community College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

CALL OF DUTY
Blinn entered its second NJCAAe match of the season against Collin College feeling confident but was forced to make emergency substitutions that affected its lineup throughout the series.

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter that challenges teams to secure objectives and outplay opponents across multiple game modes. In the matchup against Collin College, the teams competed across three modes:

Hardpoint: Teams capture rotating control points to earn points, with the first team to reach 250 winning the map.
Search and Destroy: Teams alternate between attacking and defending an objective, with the first team to win six rounds claiming the map.
Control: Teams attack and defend two capture points, with limited lives adding an elimination element. The first team to win three rounds takes the map.

The Bucs' Call of Duty roster for Tuesday's match featured Jaden Navarro, Joshua Simme, Pablo Tarazaga, Marcus Simon, and Hunter Kinsley.

The Bucs opened strong in Hacienda Hardpoint, with Tarazaga making the start from his usual reserve role. Simme delivered one of his strongest starts of the season, complementing the slaying power of Simon and Navarro as Blinn maintained its lead and secured a 250-209 victory.

Blinn made another substitution in the second map, Den Search and Destroy, bringing in Kinsley for Tarazaga. Strong plays from Simon helped the Bucs get off to a promising start, but Collin rallied to tie the score at 3-3 before edging out several close rounds to claim a 6-3 victory.

Collin took control in the third map, Overload on Scar, using effective spawn traps to build a 4-1 halftime lead before closing out an 8-1 win.

The fourth map, Colossus Hardpoint, proved difficult for Blinn as well. Despite strong performances from Navarro and Simon, the Bucs fell 250-112, giving Collin the 3-1 series victory.

Assistant coach and Call of Duty manager Ryan Lucich said the late substitutions created a difficult situation for the team but praised Kinsley for stepping in when needed.

Blinn will look to rebound against NJCAAe foe Trinity Valley Community College at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Pablo Tarazaga: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Marcus Simon: Freshman; Call of Duty

Jaden Navarro: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Cooper Bullinger: Freshman; Rocket League

Jared Kissee: Freshman; Rocket League

Moises Arb: Freshman; Rocket League

Andrew Corley: Sophomore; Rocket League

Hunter Kinsley: Freshman; Call of Duty

Players Mentioned

Pablo Tarazaga
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Marcus Simon
: Freshman; Call of Duty

Jaden Navarro
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Cooper Bullinger
: Freshman; Rocket League

Jared Kissee
: Freshman; Rocket League

Moises Arb
: Freshman; Rocket League

Andrew Corley
: Sophomore; Rocket League

Hunter Kinsley
: Freshman; Call of Duty