The Blinn College esports program continued its postseason run over the weekend with matches in Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Rocket League.
On Friday, the Buccaneer Rocket League squad of Xavier Johnson, Bradyn Cox, and Jabria Price dropped a 3-1 decision to Montgomery County Community College, putting an end to Blinn’s run in the NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) East Super Regional tournament.
The Bucs ended the double-elimination competition with a 2-2 record.
“Throughout the semester, we defied expectations and surpassed initial projections as underdogs in our league,” Blinn assistant coach and Rocket League manager Kyle Murto said. “From the outset, we faced tough opponents and navigated a competitive regular season to secure a spot in the playoffs. We also eliminated two other teams during our run in the playoffs, showing how far we have come as individuals and as a team. Every member of the team contributed tirelessly, putting in the effort and dedication required to compete at a high level, and while the result may not have gone our way in this tournament, I am immensely proud of the progress and growth demonstrated by each player throughout the semester.”
Blinn’s Overwatch team, which is also coached by Murto, split a pair of matches Saturday in Overwatch Collegiate Championship Series-Swiss Stage play.
Haluk Tanriseven, Matthew Hutchings, Dhruv Pandrangi, Donnivan Straight, and Jaden Cornett dropped a 2-1 matchup to Boise State University to begin play, but bounced back with a 2-0 win over New York University. Both tilts were played under a best-of-three format.
Blinn is vying for a top seed in the next round of the Collegiate Championship Series, which will pit the top 64 teams from the Swiss Stage round against each other.
Also Saturday, Blinn’s Call of Duty team of Logan Rivera, Isaias Nieto, Michael Allen, and Tanner Gore fell 3-1 to Central Community College in the championship of the NJCAA Esports Call of Duty Regional Playoffs.
“Today was just not our day, especially on hardpoint,” Blinn assistant coach and Call of Duty manager Ryan Lucich said. “We also lost our best search and destroy map, which gave Central all they needed to win. We were not shooting well and also didn’t play with the confidence that we normally do. We will use this series to prepare and study to be ready again for the national bracket next week.”
Despite the setback, the Bucs qualified for the NJCAA Esports Call of Duty National Tournament and will look to repeat as national champions after winning their first Call of Duty title during the fall 2020 season.
The Bucs will enter the four-team national tournament as the number two seed and will battle Brookdale Community College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
