Esports 11/4/2026 3:07:00 PM

Blinn teams earn split results in busy night of competition

Rocket League splits four matches, Call of Duty sweeps Meridian in NJCAAe play

Esports 11/4/2026 3:07:00 PM

Blinn teams earn split results in busy night of competition

Rocket League splits four matches, Call of Duty sweeps Meridian in NJCAAe play

Blinn College Rocket League battled through four matches Tuesday, earning a pair of victories while Call of Duty delivered a dominant sweep in NJCAA Esports competition.

The Rocket League team finished 2-2 on the night, splitting its NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) matches before closing with a split in National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) play. The Call of Duty team, meanwhile, swept Meridian Community College, improving to 3-2 in NJCAAe competition.

ROCKET LEAGUE
Blinn opened Tuesday with a five-game NJCAAe series against Moberly Area Community College. After dropping two of the first three games, Blinn rallied to win the final two and secure a 3-2 series victory.
The Buccaneers followed with another five-game battle against Ozarks Technical Community College. Blinn won Games 2 and 4 to force a deciding fifth game but suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 series loss after an own goal with one second remaining sent the final game into overtime.

The team bounced back in NACE competition with a convincing 3-0 sweep of Benedictine University-Lisle, winning the three games by scores of 4-0, 5-0 and 3-1.

Blinn closed the night against Idaho State University. Despite falling behind 1-0 in the series, the Bucs responded with a dominant 6-0 victory and took a 2-1 series lead. Idaho State rallied to win the final two games, handing Blinn another narrow 3-2 defeat.

The Bucs' lineup featured Moises Arb, Cooper Bullinger, Andrew Corley, and Jared Kissee.

Blinn is now 7-4 in NJCAAe play and 1-4 in NACE competition, including a 1-2 mark in the West-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, with the team scoring the most goals in a five-minute game winning.

"Today was a rollercoaster for our Rocket League program," head coach and Rocket League manager Kyle Murto said. "The final record of 2-2 does not fully tell the story, as this was a day filled with missed opportunities, heartbreaking finishes, and some of the best Rocket League we've played all season."

Murto said the team showed it could compete with high-level opponents, particularly against Idaho State, but emphasized the need for greater consistency and fewer self-inflicted mistakes.

The Bucs will return to action Tuesday, Nov. 10, with a pair of NJCAAe matches at home. Blinn faces the University of South Carolina-Lancaster at 6 p.m. before taking on Wake Technical Community College at 7 p.m. The team will then compete in a NACE Swiss Stage match at 7:30 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.

CALL OF DUTY
The Bucs delivered a dominant performance in their NJCAAe Week 5 matchup against Meridian Community College on Oct. 27, sweeping the series 3-0.
Blinn is now 3-2 in NJCAAe competition.

The Bucs' lineup featured Jaden Navarro, Joshua Simme, Pablo Tarazaga, Marcus Simon, and Daniel Gonzalez.

Call of Duty features several competitive game modes. In Hardpoint, teams fight to control designated areas of the map and score points, with the first team to 250 points winning. Search and Destroy features alternating attacking and defending rounds, with the first team to win six rounds claiming the map. Overload challenges teams to control objectives and score by delivering a device into designated zones.

Blinn opened with a commanding 250-10 victory on Den in Hardpoint before blanking Meridian 6-0 in Search and Destroy. The Bucs completed the sweep with an 8-0 victory on Scar in Overload.

Assistant coach and Call of Duty manager Ryan Lucich said the team entered the matchup confident and proved why it was favored, while also highlighting the opportunity to get Tarazaga playing time in the lineup.

The Bucs will return to competition Wednesday with a NACE matchup against Keiser University Sarasota at 7:30 p.m.

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

Marcus Simon: Freshman; Call of Duty

Jaden Navarro: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Daniel Gonzalez: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Cooper Bullinger: Freshman; Rocket League

Jared Kissee: Freshman; Rocket League

Moises Arb: Freshman; Rocket League

Andrew Corley: Sophomore; Rocket League

Players Mentioned

Pablo Tarazaga
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Marcus Simon
: Freshman; Call of Duty

Jaden Navarro
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Daniel Gonzalez
: Sophomore; Call of Duty

Cooper Bullinger
: Freshman; Rocket League

Jared Kissee
: Freshman; Rocket League

Moises Arb
: Freshman; Rocket League

Andrew Corley
: Sophomore; Rocket League