Esports 4/22/2026 10:28:00 AM

Blinn esports continues postseason surge, Call of Duty claims regional title

The Buccaneers' Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Rocket League teams have each qualified for nationals

Esports 4/22/2026 10:28:00 AM

Blinn esports continues postseason surge, Call of Duty claims regional title

The Buccaneers' Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Rocket League teams have each qualified for nationals

The Blinn College esports teams continued their run in the NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) postseason Tuesday, highlighted by a Central Regional championship for the Buccaneers' Call of Duty squad.

CALL OF DUTY
Blinn's team of Jaden Navarro, Aariz Ali, Daniel Gonzalez, and Pablo Tarazaga defeated Trinity Valley Community College 3-0 in a best-of-five matchup to win the NJCAAe Central Regional Tournament title.

The Buccaneers advance to the national championship as the No. 2 seed and will receive a first-round bye before competing at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29.

Tuesday's matchup saw Blinn and Trinity Valley 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 controlled the series from the outset, jumping out to an early advantage in Hardpoint before fending off a Trinity Valley surge to secure a 250-181 win.

"On the first map, we started off hot and built a lead early, and even when they made a push, we regrouped and closed it out," Blinn assistant coach and Call of Duty coach Ryan Lucich said.

The Buccaneers followed with a 6-2 victory in Search and Destroy, highlighted by a clutch play from Gonzalez and a key late-round defuse from Navarro.

"After the opening round, we really took control," Lucich added. "We had some big-time moments that helped swing momentum fully in our favor."

Blinn capped the sweep with an 8-3 win in Overload, overcoming an early deficit before dominating the second half.

"We didn't start the third map the way we wanted, but the team refocused and brought the energy back," Lucich said. "From there, we took over."

Navarro and Ali led the way with standout performances throughout the series.

SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE
Blinn's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team was represented by Braeyelyn Mitchell, who won two matches in the NJCAAe Central Group 3 Regional Tournament to secure a berth in the national tournament.

Mitchell opened with a forfeit victory over Collin College before defeating an undefeated opponent from Collin 4-3 in a best-of-seven grand finals clash.

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.

"Braeyelyn put together one of the most impressive performances of the season," Blinn assistant coach and SSBU Patrick Daley said. "To beat an undefeated player in a seven-game set shows a lot of composure and confidence."

After receiving a 4-0 forfeit in the bracket reset, Mitchell faced Collin's previously unbeaten Samus player in a tightly contested finals set. Sticking with Bayonetta throughout, he battled through momentum swings to force a decisive round seven.

With the opponent switching characters late in the set, Mitchell seized control and dominated the final round to clinch the series.

"He controlled the pace and closed it out when it mattered most," Daley added.

Gage Cole placed in the top four in the Central Group 1 Regional Tournament and will join Mitchell at nationals.

Dates, times, and matchups for the NJCAAe Super Smash Bros. Ultimate National Tournament have yet to be announced.

ROCKET LEAGUE
Blinn's Rocket League trio of Edward Tejada, Aaron Konen, and Vallentino Rossi went 1-1 to conclude play in the NJCAAe East Regional Tournament.

The Buccaneers advanced through the consolation bracket with a 3-2 win over Brookdale Community College in a best-of-five series before falling to Daytona State College 4-0 in the best-of-seven grand finals.

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.

"In the lower finals, we had to make some adjustments, but once we did, we were able to take control late in the series," Blinn head coach and Rocket League coach Kyle Murto said. "It was a back-and-forth match, but we closed it out strong."

Blinn then faced one of the nation's top teams in Daytona State in the finals, with several tightly contested matches despite the final score.

"The series was much closer than it looks," Murto said. "We played some of our best Rocket League of the season, but a few mistakes in key moments made the difference."

Blinn will move on to the NJCAAe Rocket League National Tournament, which begins next week. Opponents and match times have yet to be announced.

"With regionals complete, our focus shifts to nationals," Murto added. "We've already started preparing, and the team is confident heading into the next stage."

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

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