Esports 11/12/2026 10:50:00 AM

Blinn teams pick up pair of victories

Overwatch and Call of Duty earn sweeps while Valorant falls to Stony Brook

Esports 11/12/2026 10:50:00 AM

Blinn teams pick up pair of victories

Overwatch and Call of Duty earn sweeps while Valorant falls to Stony Brook

The Blinn College esports program split its Wednesday night matches, with Overwatch sweeping Collin College 3-0 in NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) competition and Call of Duty earning a 3-0 victory over George Mason University in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). Valorant fell 2-0 to Stony Brook University in NACE competition.

The Overwatch team completed an undefeated NJCAAe regular season at 7-0 and secured a spot in the Tier I Playoffs. Call of Duty picked up its first NACE victory of the season, while Valorant moved to 3-2 in NACE play.

OVERWATCH
Ranked No. 11 nationally by the Overwatch Collegiate Ranking Association (OWCRA), the Buccaneers controlled Wednesday's series against Collin College from start to finish.

Blinn's lineup featured Donnivan Straight, Jose Soliz, Antony Luna, Dylan Wiley, Salvador Castaneda, Carter Lenahan and Charles Tomlinson.

Overwatch is a team-based, first-person hero shooter in which teams of five use characters with unique abilities to complete objectives. Competitive maps feature different game types, including Control, where teams fight to capture and maintain designated areas, and Hybrid, which combines capturing an objective with escorting a payload.

The Bucs opened on Lijiang Tower, taking the Control map 2-0. Blinn followed with a 3-0 victory on Hollywood, a Hybrid map, before closing out the sweep with a 1-0 win on the final map.

The match also provided valuable playing time for Lenahan and Tomlinson, who have continued working hard in practice. Head coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said the opportunity allowed both players to gain meaningful experience while contributing to the team's success and showcased the depth of the roster.

With the victory, Blinn finished NJCAAe regular-season play with a perfect 7-0 record and officially qualified for the Tier I Playoffs. The Bucs are expected to enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed.

Blinn will return to competition Wednesday, Nov. 18, against Belmont University in its final Overwatch Collegiate League Swiss Stage match at 7:30 p.m.

CALL OF DUTY
Blinn's Call of Duty team earned its first NACE victory of the season, sweeping George Mason University 3-0.

The Bucs improved to 1-1 in NACE competition.

Blinn's lineup included Jaden Navarro, Joshua Simme, Pablo Tarazaga and Daniel Gonzalez.

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter in which teams compete across different maps and objective-based game modes. Success requires a combination of accuracy, strategy, communication and teamwork, with players working together to control objectives and outscore their opponents.

The Bucs opened the series slowly on the first map, falling behind 80-30 before settling into their rotations and working their way back into the match. Blinn eventually tied the score at 150-150 before taking control down the stretch for a 250-201 victory.

Navarro led the way with 39 eliminations, helping spark the comeback and giving the Bucs momentum heading into the second map.

On Rooftops in Search and Destroy, Blinn jumped out to a 4-1 lead behind several strong opening eliminations. George Mason responded by winning four consecutive rounds to take a 5-4 advantage, but the Bucs rallied to claim the final two rounds and secure a 6-5 victory.

Blinn completed the sweep on Hijack Lithium. George Mason opened with two quick device captures to build a 52-0 lead, but the Bucs answered with several strong sequences, including captures by Navarro and Gonzalez. Blinn took a 78-72 advantage into halftime before locking down defensively in the second half to preserve the victory.

Assistant coach and Call of Duty manager Ryan Lucich was pleased with the team's first NACE win but said the Bucs still have areas to improve. He noted that the team will need to clean up some sloppy plays as it prepares for next week's matchups.

The Bucs will face Bellevue University in a NACE matchup Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m.

VALORANT
Blinn's Valorant team suffered a 2-0 loss to Stony Brook University in NACE Swiss Stage/Regular Season competition.

The Bucs moved to 3-2 in NACE play.

Blinn's lineup featured Michael Pint, Ahnaf Khan, Tyler Hartman, Samuel Long and Brian Yang.

Valorant is a tactical, team-based first-person shooter in which teams of five compete as attackers and defenders. The attacking team attempts to plant a device called the Spike at designated sites, while the defending team works to prevent the plant or defuse the Spike. Teams alternate sides, with each round emphasizing strategy, communication, accuracy and coordinated execution.

Stony Brook dominated the opening map, Lotus, shutting out the Bucs 13-0. Blinn struggled to win individual engagements, establish map control and coordinate its attacks and defensive positioning.

The Bucs regrouped before the second map, Haven, and delivered a much more competitive performance. Improved communication and coordination helped Blinn find success in its engagements and execute more effectively on offense.

However, Stony Brook's explosive site attacks continued to challenge the Bucs defensively, forcing them into difficult retake situations. The opponent eventually secured a 13-8 victory to complete the sweep.

Assistant coach and Valorant manager Patrick Daley said the opening-map performance was among the team's most disappointing of the season. He was encouraged by the improvement on Haven but emphasized that Blinn must bring that level of communication and execution from the beginning of its matches.

Blinn's next match is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in a NACE Swiss Stage matchup against an opponent to be announced.

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

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Players Mentioned

Pablo Tarazaga: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Jaden Navarro: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Daniel Gonzalez: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Charles Tomlinson: Sophomore; Overwatch

Dylan Wiley: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz: Freshman; Overwatch

Carter Lenahan: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda: Freshman; Overwatch

Antony Luna: Freshman; Overwatch

Players Mentioned

Pablo Tarazaga
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Jaden Navarro
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Daniel Gonzalez
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Charles Tomlinson
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Dylan Wiley
: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz
: Freshman; Overwatch

Carter Lenahan
: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda
: Freshman; Overwatch

Antony Luna
: Freshman; Overwatch