Esports Shines in Week 3 of NJCAAE Competition
October 12, 2025 - - The Lorain County Community College Esports program continued to demonstrate its growing strength in National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE) competition this week, earning several victories across multiple titles and divisions. Competing in both team-based and individual formats, notably in Valorant, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Hearthstone, Madden NFL 25, Call of Duty: Gunfight, and Chess.
Division I & II Recap
The Rainbow Six Siege – Division I roster of Jacob Kyer (Elyria, Ohio/Keystone HS), Noah Duncan (Walnut Cove, N.C./North Ridgeville HS), Anthony Moore (Columbus, Ohio/Graduation Alliance HS), Steven Robbins (Amherst, Ohio/Avon HS), and Lucas Hurley (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone HS) earned a convincing 2–0 victory over Red Lands Community College, marking the team's first win of the season.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Division I, Jerron Warner (Avon, Ohio/Avon HS) continued to lead by example, earning a 3–0 win over Joshua Smith of Bryant & Stratton College (Virginia Beach) to rebound from an early loss to Albert Davis of Daytona State College.
In Division II competition, Austin Lukachko (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS) and Traceton Bell (Oberlin, Ohio/Oberlin HS) battled through tough matchups, falling in both matches they played in Tuesday's competitions.
Division III Recap
LCCC's Valorant squad remained unbeaten in Week 3, securing consecutive victories over Rhodes State College (2–0) and Crowder College (2–1). The team of Austin Lukachko (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS), Brody Taylor (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS), Tyler Misconish (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville HS), Braylon Zeman (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS), and Kylie Zeman (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS) improved to 4–0 on the season. In Thursday's matches, Lukachko, Taylor, and K. Zeman picked up aces (eliminating all opponents in the round) in the win.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 1v1 – Division III, Jerron Warner (Avon, Ohio/Avon HS) extended his winning streak with two victories, defeating Evelyn Newman of Richard Bland College (3–1) and Jack Schlichte of Marshalltown Community College (3–0). Gabriel Beckstrom (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview HS) added another win for LCCC, sweeping Alister Newsome of Southwestern Community College 3–0.
In team play, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Crew Battle lineup of Warner, Beckstrom, and Christopher Gonet (Lorain, Ohio/LCCC Early College HS) split their Week 3 matches, falling to Heartland Community College (2–0) before bouncing back to defeat the same opponent (2–0) in a decisive rematch later that evening.
Xander Taylor (Elyria, Ohio/Huron HS) continued his steady play in Hearthstone – Division III, recording three match victories including a 3–1 win over Rylan Roach of Three Rivers College and a 3–0 shutout against Kenna Hitzemann of Des Moines Area Community College. Veronica Gibson (Sandusky, Ohio/Trinity HS) picked up a win against Asa McKaig on Finger Lakes Community College, 3-2.
In Madden NFL 26, Brandon Ross (Elyria, Ohio/Early College HS) remained unbeaten after a 2–0 sweep of Clan Bennett from Alvin Community College, improving to 3–0 on the season.
Rounding out the week, Call of Duty: Gunfight duo Anthony Moore (Columbus, Ohio/Graduation Alliance HS) and Gwen King (Elyria, Ohio/Oberlin HS) Lost 3–0 win over Seward County Community College.
About CommodoreEsports:
LCCC's Esports team competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), which is divided into three competition divisions:
Division 1: The highest level of NJCAAE competition, featuring teams composed of eligible students.
Division 2: The mid-level competition, also for teams of eligible students.
Division 3: The most accessible level, open to participants who do not have to meet student eligibility requirements but must be associated with LCCC.
The NJCAAE has two seasons: fall (September–December) and spring (February–April). Both seasons last seven weeks before the postseason begins. LCCC has players competing across all three divisions, and full-time students can choose to participate in any tier.
Games LCCC Esports Competes or has competed in:
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – A fighting game featuring characters from the Nintendo universe, played on the Nintendo Switch. Players can compete in 1v1 best-of-five matches or Crew Battle, a 3v3 elimination-style format.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – A racing game featuring Nintendo characters, also played on the Nintendo Switch.
Valorant – A PC first-person shooter where teams of five compete in a best-of-three format. One team attempts to plant and detonate a spike, while the opposing team tries to defuse it.
Overwatch 2 – Another first-person shooter, in which teams compete using unique hero characters.
Fortnite – LCCC began competing in this battle royale game in 2024.
Marvel Rivals – A 6v6 third-person shooter featuring characters from the Marvel Universe, with LCCC set to begin competition in spring 2025.
Rainbow 6 Siege - a tactical, online multiplayer shooter where two teams of five compete in high-stakes scenarios like hostage rescues and bomb defusals. The game features intense, close-quarters combat within highly destructible indoor environments, forcing players to strategize using specialized "Operators" with unique skills and gadgets.
Madden – A football simulation game.
Tekken & Street Fighter – Both hand-to-hand combat fighting games.
Hearthstone - Building upon the existing lore of the Warcraft series, a turn-based card game between two opponents, using constructed decks of 30 cards along with a selected hero with a unique power.
Call of Duty: Warzone - Battle royale style first-person shooter game
Chess - The classic strategy board game for two players, who each move 16 pieces of six different types across a 64-square checkered board. The objective is to checkmate the opponent's king, which occurs when the king is under attack and has no legal move to escape.