This weekend, that giant could wake up.
Friday through Sunday, April 21-23, the Buccaneers will compete for national championships in three games – Overwatch, Super Smash Bros, and Valorant – giving the third-year program three opportunities to secure its first national titles.
“This has always been what we wanted when we began three years ago,” said Kapiko, who helped launch the program in the fall of 2020. “We wanted to establish ourselves as a top-tier program and knew from the beginning that we had the coaches and the talent. Then we kept recruiting high-quality players and kept getting closer to our goal. We’re right there now.”
On Friday, Kapiko’s Valorant team of Bruce Nguyen, Hayden Whitaker, Austin Ray, Teague Morgan, and Adam Laamoumi will compete in the NJCAA Esports Valorant national championship match against Northern Virginia Community College at 5 p.m.
“It’s great to get to the championship, but getting over that hump would be a great feeling for both the players and coaches,” Kapiko added. “It would validate the hard work put in by our coaches and players and to cement ourselves at the top would be great.”
Whitaker, a freshman, said Blinn Valorant is calm, cool, and collected entering the championship match, and went on to say his teammates expected to be in this spot when the spring campaign began.
“I think we’re in a good headspace. We’re not nervous. We hold ourselves highly, so we expect to be here,” Whitaker said. “There have been some fun moments, some serious moments, but with the caliber of our team, we’ve been able to take care of things. We know what it takes to turn it on and get it done. We’re confident.”
(Pictured: The Blinn College Overwatch team, back row from left: William Bowman, Gabriel Lopez and Jake Langridge. Front row from left Ezekiel Bernheim, Matthew Hutchings, and Nicholas Behney).
Following Blinn Valorant will be Blinn’s Overwatch squad, which will battle Bryant & Stratton College for the NJCAA Esports championship at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Behind Blinn assistant coach and team manager Kyle Murto, the Bucs are in the Valorant championship bout for the second consecutive season and return a handful of players who placed second in 2022. Gabriel Lopez, William Bowman, Jake Langridge, Matthew Hutchings, and Nicholas Behney will vie for the title.
“It’s fantastic to be back in this position, but there is definitely some caution going in,” said Lopez, who was a part of last season’s squad. “We remember what happened last year, but we’ve grown and we’re going to throw all of our chips in and throw everything we’ve got at this. Winning would mean that all of the work has been worth it … every practice, every success and failure, it’s paid off. We want to end our story at Blinn on a solid note.”
Sunday will end with sophomore Jaydon Flores battling an opponent from Heartland Community College for the NJCAA Esports Super Smash Bros title.
Coached by Murto, Flores earned a 3-1 win over his Heartland foe in the semifinal round on April 16, but that opponent has since journeyed through the consolation bracket to set up the championship match.
Flores competes with a notable character from the Kirby video game franchise known as King DeDeDe, and believes his familiarity with both his character and opponent will pave the way to success.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore Jaydon Flores)
“I’m going up against a tough matchup, but I’m calm and I’m staying positive,” said Flores. “I have experience against my opponent and they have experience against me. I know he will be better prepared, but I know my character and I’m comfortable with him, so I’m ready. I’ve wanted to do my best since the very beginning of this season, so getting this far and knowing a championship is right in front of me … I’m pumped.”
The idea of capturing one championship – let alone three – has Kapiko excited for the future of his program and the coach believes Blinn’s representation in three different games will make his program a college esports destination.
“Getting that first one starts the trend,” the coach said. “If we can bring home national championships and build a legacy of championships and winning, it will keep us on the path of becoming a powerhouse. We’re not just trying to build one successful team; we want a program that can be successful across the board. That can become more of a reality this weekend.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 43 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
