Esports 3/19/2026 10:24:00 AM

Blinn Overwatch and Call of Duty teams emerge victorious in NJCAAe matchups

The Buccaneers' Overwatch team is heading to the NJCAAe postseason with a 5-0 record

Esports 3/19/2026 10:24:00 AM

Blinn Overwatch and Call of Duty teams emerge victorious in NJCAAe matchups

The Buccaneers' Overwatch team is heading to the NJCAAe postseason with a 5-0 record

The Blinn College esports program secured a pair of victories while dropping a close match in competition across Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Valorant on Wednesday.

OVERWATCH
Blinn's Overwatch squad of Joseph Mares, Donnivan Straight, Salvador Castaneda, Trey Vaughan, Jose Rios, and Charles Tomlinson combined for a dominant 3-0 victory over Salt Lake Community College in a best-of-five NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) match.

The Buccaneers concluded their regular season with a perfect 5-0 record in the NJCAAe West Conference.

Overwatch is a team-based, first-person shooter in which players select heroes with unique abilities and work together to complete objectives across multiple map modes. Each team can strategically choose its maps based on team strengths and opponent weaknesses.

Each round Wednesday featured 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 selects the next map.
Escort: The attacking team moves a payload to its destination while defenders attempt to stop them. The payload advances when attackers are nearby, and the attackers must complete the route before time expires.
Hybrid: Teams capture a point and then escort a payload. Attackers must first secure the capture point before advancing 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 opponent wins, with the loser selecting the next map.
Flashpoint: Teams fight to control capture zones that rotate to new locations after each point is secured. The first team to capture three zones wins.

Blinn head coach and Overwatch coach Kyle Murto said the Buccaneers controlled the series from the outset.

"We set the tone immediately and controlled the tempo and positioning throughout the match," Murto said. "Our coordination and communication were sharp across all three maps, and the team executed cleanly from start to finish."

Blinn opened with a 2-0 victory on Nepal (Control), followed by a flawless 3-0 showing on King's Row (Hybrid). The Buccaneers capped the sweep with a 3-1 triumph on Shambali Monastery (Escort).
Murto called the performance one of the team's most complete efforts of the season.

"We dictated nearly every phase of play and gave up very little momentum," he added. "It was a clear reflection of what this group can do when everything is clicking."

Up next, Blinn Overwatch will compete in the NJCAAe playoffs. Tournament dates, times, and matchups have yet to be determined.

CALL OF DUTY
The Buccaneers also earned a 3-0 sweep of Trinity Valley Community College in a best-of-five NJCAAe tilt.

Blinn's victorious quartet of Jaden Navarro, Aariz Ali, Semaj Howard, and Daniel Gonzalez improved to 5-0 in the NJCAAe Central Conference.

Wednesday's matchup pitted the four Bucs against the Cardinal, with the teams attempting to collect three wins across three modes of play in the first-person-shooter game:

Hardpoint: Teams secure rotating capture points, earning points for control. A team wins by reaching 250 points first.
Search and Destroy: Teams alternate attacking and defending, with the goal to plant or defuse an objective. The first team to win six rounds claims victory.
Overload: Teams placed on separate areas on a map compete to capture an Overload Device and transport it to one of two detonation zones on the opposing team's area. The match ends when either team scores eight points.

Blinn assistant coach and Call of Duty coach Ryan Lucich said the Buccaneers showed resilience in a tightly contested opening map.

"Trinity Valley pushed us late, but we were able to break a key hill and hold the next rotation to complete the comeback," Lucich said. "Jaden really took control of the series and delivered an outstanding performance."

Blinn edged the Cardinal 250-246 in Hardpoint before securing a 6-5 victory in Search and Destroy. The Buccaneers completed the sweep with a 6-3 decision in Overload.

Lucich noted the team will continue working on fundamentals despite remaining unbeaten.

"There was some rust after the break, and we need to sharpen our communication and teamwork," he said. "Still, it was encouraging to see us close out the series and stay undefeated."

Blinn resumes Call of Duty play with a Collegiate Call of Duty League (CCL) match against Southwestern Oklahoma State University at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

VALORANT
Blinn's Valorant team was unable to overcome Briar Cliff University, falling 2-1 in a best-of-three matchup in its National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) regular-season finale.

The team of Ilies Dolliazal, Milad Khorsandi, Tyler Hartman, Samuel Long, and Brian Yang represented the Buccaneers, who dropped to 2-4 in NACE play.

Valorant is a tactical, team-based, first-person shooter set in a near-future world. Teams of five players choose unique agents with distinct abilities, combining shooting skills with strategic use of each agent's toolkit. Teams alternate between attacking and defending. Attackers aim to plant a spike at one of the designated sites, while defenders try to prevent this or defuse the spike if planted. The first team to win 13 rounds claims victory. If both teams reach a tie at 12-12, overtime is triggered, and the match continues until one team wins by two rounds, with teams alternating between attacking and defending in each overtime round.

Blinn assistant coach and Valorant coach Patrick Daley said the series featured competitive stretches on all three maps.

"There were strong individual performances and good moments of team play, but we were not able to consistently close key rounds," Daley said. "Momentum swings ultimately made the difference."

The Buccaneers opened with a 13-8 victory on Haven before Briar Cliff responded with a 16-14 overtime win on Pearl. The Chargers clinched the series with a 13-9 decision on Split.

Daley added that improving late-round execution will be a focus moving forward.

"The team showed resilience and communication under pressure," he said. "Tightening up our execution and capitalizing on advantages will be important as we continue the season."

Up next, Blinn Valorant concludes its NJCAAe regular season with a match against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

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

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