Rogers Captures Tier 1 East 2 Region Championship For Super Smash Bros. and O’Reilly Clinches Postseason Spot in Tier 2 Mario Kart
April 10, 2025 - - Robert Rogers (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview HS) of the Lorain County Community College Esports team already has a Tier 2 national championship in Mario Kart in his storied career with LCCC, but next week he will continue his march toward a national title in Tier 1, the highest level of competition in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), after winning the East 2 Regional Championship in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Thursday.
Rogers, the No. 2 seed in the double-elimination tournament and boasting an 18-1 record this spring, faced off against Muskegon Community College in a match for the East 2 Regional Championship. He earned a spot in the regional final—as well as in the national tournament next week—after defeating No. 1 seeded Brookdale Community College on Tuesday in the winner's bracket semifinal.
On Thursday, after taking the first round in the initial regional finals match, Rogers dropped three consecutive rounds, setting up a dramatic winner-take-all rematch for the title.
Rising to the occasion, Rogers came out swinging—winning the first two rounds, dropping the third, and then sealing the victory in the fourth to secure a 3-1 win. With the East 2 crown in hand, he now advances to the NJCAAE Tier 1 National Tournament, set for Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
Meanwhile, in Mario Kart 8 – Tier 2, James O'Reilly (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS) delivered a dominant 4-0 sweep over Luzerne County Community College. The win capped off a resilient spring season for O'Reilly, who bounced back from a two-match skid to finish with a 4-3 record. His strong finish secured him a spot in the Tier 2 playoffs, where he'll look to carry his momentum into the postseason.
In Tier 3 Mario Kart action, Collin Zielinski (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted HS) ended his night on a high note with a 4-3 win over Rose State Community College after dropping his first two matches against Luzerne County Community College and SUNY Onondaga Community College.
Next Up:
#CommodoreEsports will be back in action on Friday to wrap up the NJCAAE regular season with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 3v3 Crew Battle. LCCC's live stream of the events begins at 6 p.m. at athletics.lorainccc.edu.
About CommodoreEsports:
LCCC's Esports team competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), which is divided into three competition tiers:
Tier 1 – Premier Series (PS): The highest level of NJCAAE competition, featuring teams composed of eligible students.
Tier 2 – Contender Series (CS): The mid-level competition, also for teams of eligible students.
Tier 3 – Open Series (OS): 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 tiers, 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.
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