Esports 3/31/2026 10:28:00 AM

Blinn's League of Legends team finishes as NJCAAe runner-up to Pratt

The Buccaneers made it to the NJCAAe League of Legends title match for the first time in program history

Esports 3/31/2026 10:28:00 AM

Blinn's League of Legends team finishes as NJCAAe runner-up to Pratt

The Buccaneers made it to the NJCAAe League of Legends title match for the first time in program history

The Blinn College esports League of Legends team fell just short of its first national championship Tuesday.

The Buccaneers faced Pratt Community College in the NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) League of Legends National Tournament final and were defeated 3-0 in a best-of-five series.

Braxton Jones, Andrew Vo, Jaoquin Quintanilla, Carlos Dickens, and Nicholas Lawless competed for Blinn.

"While it's disappointing to go out that way in the national title match, I'm super proud of this team for making it this far," Buccaneers assistant coach and League of Legends coach Ryan Lucich said. "This was our strongest showing in the NJCAAe for League of Legends and gives us something to build on for next season."

League of Legends is a five-versus-five multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) in which teams draft champions with unique abilities and work to destroy the enemy Nexus. Along the way, teams contest objectives such as turrets, inhibitors, Dragons, and Baron Nashor to gain strategic advantages.

Pratt entered the matchup as a heavy favorite and quickly demonstrated why across the three rounds.

In round one, Blinn drafted a scaling composition but was unable to withstand Pratt's early pressure. The Buccaneers fell behind as Pratt capitalized on early opportunities and closed out the round in under 20 minutes despite a solo elimination from Lawless in the top lane.

Round two saw Blinn adjust with a stronger early-game presence, and Jones provided a highlight with a solo elimination in the mid lane. However, Pratt repeatedly pressured the bottom lane to build a decisive advantage and rolled to a sub-20-minute victory with a 37-2 elimination edge.

The Buccaneers showed their best form in round three, opting for an aggressive composition. Jones and Lawless each secured solo eliminations, and Blinn found success in several early skirmishes. Pratt, however, controlled objectives and map pressure, using a structure-focused composition to end the match in under 18 minutes with a 23-8 elimination advantage.

"I'm proud of the way we competed, especially in that third round where we showed what we're capable of," Lucich said. "Pratt did a great job controlling the map and capitalizing on their opportunities."

Lucich also praised several players who competed in their final match with the program.

"I want to especially commend our captain Braxton, who played in his last match for us," Lucich added. "He's been here for several seasons and really put in the work to get our League of Legends team to this point. I also want to thank Nick, who joined us last semester and brought great enthusiasm, and Andrew, who made a big impact in the jungle role after joining this spring. I wish them all the best moving forward."

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Players Mentioned

Braxton Jones: Sophomore; League of Legends

Andrew Vo: Freshman; League of Legends

Carlos Dickens: Sophomore; League of Legends

Players Mentioned

Braxton Jones
: Sophomore; League of Legends

Andrew Vo
: Freshman; League of Legends

Carlos Dickens
: Sophomore; League of Legends