Esports 4/29/2026 10:34:00 PM

Blinn esports teams compete at NJCAAe national tournaments

Buccaneers reach final four in Call of Duty, post top-six Rocket League finish

Esports 4/29/2026 10:34:00 PM

Blinn esports teams compete at NJCAAe national tournaments

Buccaneers reach final four in Call of Duty, post top-six Rocket League finish

The Blinn College esports teams competed across three titles at the NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) national tournaments Tuesday, highlighted by a semifinal appearance in Call of Duty and a top-six national finish in Rocket League.

CALL OF DUTY
Blinn's team of Jaden Navarro, Aariz Ali, Daniel Gonzalez, and Pablo Tarazaga fell 3-0 to Brookdale Community College in a best-of-five semifinal matchup in the NJCAAe Call of Duty National Tournament.

With the loss, the Buccaneers moved to the third-place match, where they will face the loser of the University of South Carolina-Sumter–Trinity Valley Community College semifinal at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5.

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 assistant coach and Call of Duty coach Ryan Lucich said the Buccaneers showed early promise before Brookdale seized control of the series.

"We started off hot on map one and won the first two hills before Brookdale found a groove," Lucich said. "They built a big lead and maintained it."

Blinn dropped the opening Hardpoint map 250-127 before battling back in Search and Destroy.

"We made some adjustments and fought back to 5-4 after falling behind early," Lucich added, "but ultimately couldn't close it out."

In the final map (Overload), Blinn narrowed the gap in the second half before Brookdale secured an 8-3 victory to complete the sweep. Navarro led all players with 50 eliminations in the finale.

"This wasn't the result we wanted, but Brookdale is a great team," Lucich said. "I'm proud of how our players pushed through challenges this semester and still reached the final four."

ROCKET LEAGUE
Blinn's Rocket League team went 1-2 at the NJCAAe Rocket League National Tournament to earn a top-six finish nationally.

Edward Tejada, Aaron Konen, and Vallentino Rossi represented the Buccaneers.

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 during a five-minute match earning the victory.

Blinn opened the bracket with a narrow 3-2 loss to WSU-Tech.

"We were the favorites on paper, but we looked off from the start," Blinn esports head coach Kyle Murto said. "Nerves played a factor, and small mechanical mistakes cost us in key moments."

The Buccaneers rebounded with a 3-0 sweep of Bluegrass Community and Technical College to stay alive in the bracket.

"We showed resilience coming from behind in a couple of those games," Murto said. "But our composure and consistency still weren't where they needed to be."

Blinn's run ended with a 3-0 loss to Heartland Community College.

"The same issues continued — missed opportunities and giveaways," Murto added. "At the national level, those mistakes get punished."

Despite the result, Murto emphasized the team's progress.

"This was our deepest Rocket League run in several years," he said. "The growth this roster showed was tremendous, and I'm proud of what they accomplished."

Murto also praised team captain Edward Tejada, who competed in his final match with the Buccaneers.

"He's been the bedrock of our program," Murto said. "We wouldn't have made it this far without him."

SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE
Gage Cole and Braeyelyn Mitchell competed in singles play int the NJCAAe Super Smash Bros. Ultimate National Tournament, with both Buccaneers seeing their seasons come to a close.

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.

Blinn assistant coach Patrick Daley said the tournament provided a strong test against elite competition.

"The matches were competitive throughout, and while the results weren't what we hoped for, there were solid moments and valuable experience gained," Daley said.

Cole opened with a 3-1 win over Northcentral Technical College before falling in his next matchup to East Georgia State College and later in consolation play to Collin College to end his tournament run.

"Gage showed strong awareness early and had some really good moments," Daley said. "He kept matches competitive but couldn't quite build enough momentum late."

Mitchell also faced a challenging bracket, dropping his opening match to Salt Lake Community College before falling 3-1 to Brookdale in the consolation bracket.

"Braeyelyn stayed composed and had stretches where he found opportunities," Daley said, "but ultimately faced tough opponents who capitalized consistently."

Daley added that both players will benefit from the experience moving forward.

"This was a valuable opportunity against some of the best players in the country," he said. "Both competitors gained experience and are excited for what's ahead."

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