Esports 4/14/2026 9:19:00 PM

Blinn esports teams produce strong results across multiple regional tournament events

The Buccaneers competed in NJCAA Esports Call of Duty, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate matches

Esports 4/14/2026 9:19:00 PM

Blinn esports teams produce strong results across multiple regional tournament events

The Buccaneers competed in NJCAA Esports Call of Duty, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate matches

The Blinn College esports Call of Duty, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Valorant teams were in postseason action this week and combined for a series of strong performances across NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) regional and national competitions.

CALL OF DUTY
Blinn opened its NJCAAe Central Regional Tournament run with a 3-0 sweep of Alvin Community College in a best-of-five semifinal Tuesday.

The Buccaneers, represented by Jaden Navarro, Aariz Ali, Daniel Gonzalez, and Pablo Tarazaga, advanced to the tournament finals.

Tuesday's matchup saw the two 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 overcame an early deficit in Hardpoint before taking control behind a standout effort from Navarro, who totaled 48 eliminations in a 250-149 victory. The Buccaneers then rallied from a 2-0 deficit in Search and Destroy to win 6-3 before closing the sweep with a 2-0 decision in Overload.

"We started a little slow, but once we settled in, the momentum completely shifted," assistant coach and Call of Duty coach Ryan Lucich said. "I'm happy with how the team responded and handled business to set the tone for our playoff run."

Blinn will face the winner of Central Community College and Trinity Valley Community College in the regional finals at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21.

ROCKET LEAGUE
Blinn's Rocket League team went 2-1 in NJCAAe East Regional Tournament play to secure a berth in the NJCAAe National Tournament.

The Buccaneers, represented by Edward Tejada, Aaron Konen, and Vallentino Rossi, opened with a 3-0 sweep of Onondaga Community College before defeating Bluegrass Community and Technical College 3-1 in the semifinals. Blinn then fell 3-0 to Daytona State College in the upper bracket championship.

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. The team with the most goals during a five-minute round wins.

"We came out fast and controlled the tempo early in the tournament," Blinn head coach and Rocket League coach Kyle Murto said. "We showed strong chemistry and proved we can compete deep into the bracket."

Blinn will face Brookdale Community College in the lower bracket finals at 5 p.m. on April 21, with the winner advancing to face Daytona State for the regional championship.

SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE
Blinn's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team competed across multiple brackets in the NJCAAe Regional Tournament on Tuesday.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a crossover fighting game in which players aim to knock opponents off the stage by increasing their damage percentage, making them more vulnerable to launch. In singles play, competitors battle with a set number of lives, or "stocks," and the match is won by reducing the opponent's stocks to zero. Series are commonly played in best-of-three or best-of-five formats.

James Rinehart went 1-2 in Central Group 1 play, earning a 3-1 win over Northcentral Technical College after opening with a loss to Jefferson College. He later fell to teammate Gage Cole in an in-house matchup.

Cole finished 2-2 on the day, highlighted by a 3-2 win over Donnelly College and a 3-0 victory over Rinehart. He also pushed Jefferson College and Dallas College Mountain View to tightly contested five-game sets.

Braeyelyn delivered one of Blinn's top performances, going 2-1 in Central Group 3 play with back-to-back 3-0 sweeps of Eastern Arizona College and Northcentral Technical College before falling to Collin College. He advances to next week's lower bracket final with a chance to reach the grand finals. He will battle Northcentral Technical in a rematch at 6 p.m. on April 21.

"Our players showed a lot of resilience and growth, especially in high-pressure, game-five situations," assistant coach and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate coach Patrick Daley said. "We're proud of how they competed and excited to see Braeyelyn continue his run."

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