Blinn College esports program opens inaugural season with win

Blinn beats Brewton-Parker 3-0 in Overwatch

September 30, 2020

The Blinn College esports team kicked off its inaugural season Monday, winning an Overwatch match with Brewton-Parker College of Georgia.

Blinn’s team of Jacob Barnes (Bryan), Juan Cantu (Cedar Hill, Texas), Carter Haber (Aledo, Texas), Andrew Magourik (Bryan), Ayden Rodriguez (College Station), and Caleb Sheffield (Austin) won the match 3-0.

“The team performed very well, only giving up one point across the three maps,” said esports Coach Aaron Kapiko.

Blinn is one of only a few community colleges in the region offering esports scholarships.

Monday’s match kicked off the National Association of College Esports (NACE) league play. In NACE competition, Blinn is matched against two-year colleges and four-year universities. Blinn also has NACE teams competing in Rocket League and Valorant.

Overwatch matches are held Mondays and Thursdays, Valorant matches are on Wednesdays, and Rocket League matches are being held Tuesdays. Competition in League of Legends and Smash Brothers Ultimate will begin in the next few weeks.

Rocket League kicks off its season Tuesday, Sept. 29, with matches against Mid-America Christian University and Park University. The Valorant season begins Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Postseason play will begin in late November or early December. Teams will be seeded and placed in a single- or double-elimination playoff bracket, depending on the game.

“We’ve got some really strong teams,” said Kapiko. “It’s going to be a fun season.”

For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/esports.