The Blinn College esports team enjoyed a night of undefeated play Wednesday.
The Buccaneers’ Overwatch squad earned victories over Western Iowa Tech and Southeast Community College, while Blinn Rocket League took down Northcentral Technical College.
Blinn Overwatch, ranked 17th by the Overwatch Collegiate Rankings Association, swept both best-of-five matches 3-0 and pushed its record to 6-0 in the NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) Central Conference.
, Haluk Tanriseven, Matthew Hutchings, Donnivan Straight, and Dhruv Pandrangi.
Overwatch is a team-based, first-person-shooter in which players select heroes with unique abilities and work together to complete objectives across multiple map modes. Each team can strategically choose its maps based on team strengths and opponent weaknesses.
Each round Wednesday included a different win condition based on the following modes:
- Control: Teams fight to capture and hold a single point. The first team to reach 100% control wins two rounds in a best-of-three format, where the loser of each round picks the next map.
- Escort: The attacking team moves a payload to its destination while defenders try to stop them. The payload moves when attackers are near it, and the attackers aim to complete the route before time runs out.
- Hybrid: Teams capture a point and then escort a payload. The match is typically one round for attackers, who must secure the point first before moving the payload.
- Push: Teams battle to control a robot and push it toward the opponent’s side. The first team to push it farther than their opponents wins, with the loser picking the next map.
- Clash: Teams capture consecutive points, with the first team to a set number of points winning.
“Against both teams, we executed with confidence and precision, showing strong coordination, clean ult usage, and excellent individual performances across the board,” said Blinn head coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto. “We controlled the pace in nearly every fight and never let our opponents get comfortable or find momentum. With the playoffs right around the corner, this is exactly the type of momentum we needed.”
Blinn’s Overwatch regular-season comes to a close with a tilt against Columbia Basin College at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2.
Also earning a victory Wednesday was the Bucs’ Rocket League team of Xavier Johnson, Braeden Pomeroy, Travis Stansberry, and Edward Tejada.
Blinn defeated Northcentral 3-2 in a best-of-five NJCAAe matchup.
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. Teams with the most goals during a five-minute match win.
The Bucs won the opening round 1-0 before falling 4-3 and 3-1 in the next two. Blinn rallied for the win with 2-1 triumphs in the final two rounds of action.
“What was expected to be a relatively straightforward series tonight turned into an intense, neck-and-neck battle,” said Murto, who also heads Blinn Rocket League. “Despite an inconsistent showing, we managed to grind out a series win, capped off by a nail-biting overtime finish. I’m proud of the team for showing resilience and bouncing back after being down in the series, and for closing things out when it mattered most. We’ll use this match as a wake-up call and make sure we clean things up heading into our final regular-season games and postseason play.”
Next up, Blinn battles Dallas College Eastfield in an NJCAAe bout at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 50 national championships since 1987.
