Clinching a spot in the title game, the Barton Community College eSports Rainbow 6 Siege squad completed the defense tour after four-plus hours Wednesday evening claiming the NJCAAE Spring National Championship with a 3-1 victory over Northeast Alabama Community College.
Here is the recap from April 19:
Claiming the third R6 title and the program’s fifth National Championship, the five-pack of Joel DuBose from Collinsville, Oklahoma; Ashton Ensly from Great Bend; Eli Friedli from Topeka; Jacob Fullingim from Athens, Texas; and Jared McFadden from Larned concluded their second consecutive perfect season at 9-0 while extending the winning streak to 19 straight and winners in 39 of their last 40 matches. The squad also joins elite company becoming the third team in NJCAAE history to win three Championships in four seasons.
When asked about his R6 clan Head Coach Curtis Rose stated, “I’m just proud of their determination and laser focus over these past four seasons. When you complete one undefeated season and then do it again against everyone’s best night in and night out it shows how gritty these guys are while setting the bar high for our program.”
Starting the evening off at Oregon, a classic map for all known players, the Cougars attacking stage was even at 3-3. In for a dogfight and battling on the defensive side, Northeast Alabama took advantage of the lost attention in the right areas sending the game into overtime at 3 apiece. In the overtime, Barton was able to break through on the attacking round while clearing things up on the defensive side to claim the opening map 8-6 and leap out to a 1-0 match lead in the best-of-five series.
Focused and regrouped out of the 10-minute map break, Head Coach Curtis Rose and clan structured a different attacking and defensive approach in the second map gaining a 5-1 lead before taking two of the final three resulting in a 7-2 victory to grasp a 2-0 match lead heading into the third map at Chalet.
Facing elimination Northeast Alabama Community College answered the challenge jumping out front of Barton 4-2 with the Cougars forced to play a much more conventional playstyle to keep the map within reach. Able to claw within one at 5-4, NACC pulled away with the final three rounds claiming the third 7-4 and slicing the match to 2-1.
Battling at Skyscraper in map four which the Cougars had yet to lose on, Barton would choose to defend on the defensive end. Knowing if they could hold a 4-2 line on the protection side, they’d be in good shape and Barton did just that taking it a step above grasping a 5-1 lead. Returning to the normal game plan on the attack, Northeast Alabama would not be finished taking the next three rounds. Sensing momentum on the opposite side, Coach Rose burned his timeout going back to the drawing board and structuring a new tactic with the Cougars organizing two of the next three rounds perfectly to seize back-to-back Championships.
Barton’s NJCAAE Playoffs will continue Friday as the Overwatch 2 squad will take on seventh-seeded Missouri State University of West Plains with the winner advancing to the Semifinal later Friday evening.
