PirateQ 
Brandon Putt
Pensacola State College Athletics just added another championship to its 2023 resume.
Three members of the College’s eSports team won the NJCAAE Call of Duty: Warzone Premiere Series Fall 2023 Championship. Jackson Clyde, Cheyenne “Brandon” Putt and JR Welch defeated the Mineral Area College team from Park Hills, Missouri.
The host server competition was held Dec. 8 in the eSports Dome on the Pensacola campus.
“We won our championship finals with a score of 2-0, with the other team conceding after two losses in a row,” said Jeremy Sommers, head coach of the College’s eSports team. “The NJCAAE is going to send us our trophy and recognition.”
Clyde attributed the eSports team’s victory to preparation.
JR Welch
“We practice together every day,” said Clyde, who has been an eSports team member since its inception in 2022. “It made me feel great to win. I graduate next Sunday, so it’s a great way to end my time at PSC.”
Clyde, a psychology major, served four years in the U.S. Army. He will start classes at the University of West Florida on Jan. 8.
“This is years in the future, but I plan to become a clinical psychiatrist eventually,” he said.
Asked if he had any advice for other eSports team members, Clyde, who has been playing Call of Duty: Warzone for several years stressed teamwork.
“You can only do it as a team,” he said.
Welch reiterated that sentiment.
“It’s a lot of working together and understanding how each player plays the game,” Welch explained. “We combined our skills and weaknesses to make a great team. It was a really a ton of fun.”
Jeremy Sommers and Jackson Clyde
Majoring in advanced manufacturing and mechanical design and fabrication, Welch plans to graduate in 2025 with two associate degrees. In the meantime, Welch, who joined the eSports Team during the Spring semester, intends to remain an active member.
Putt had a hunch that the PSC team would do well.
“I had a strong feeling since we were so prepared for the championship match. It was a new game with new mechanics, movement and weapons,” he said. “The keys to our team’s success were adapting to the new game, communicating, and playing together. We knew we needed to stick together, and that would lead us to victory.”
Putt is an HVAC major who will graduate in August 2024 but plans to enroll in the Carpentry Program afterward.
“I plan to remain on the eSports team and hopefully bring home another championship,” said the U.S. Army veteran who came to PSC at the urging of his brother.
“My brother, Dallas Patterson, completed the HVAC Program in 2022. He had nothing but great things to say about the program. The instructor, Mr. Bobby Marsh, is a great guy. He’s very understanding and supportive.”
Sommers said he is ecstatic and excited for the eSports team’s accomplishment.
“I know our team put in the time, effort, and dedication to make this happen,” he said. “This win means a lot to us all, and I couldn’t ask for a more engaging and fun team. I am hoping for success in future seasons as well.”
PSC eSports Team Fall 2023 Record
Round 1: PSC lost 0-2 to Missouri State University
Round 2: PSC lost 1-2 to Mineral State College
Round 3: PSC won 2-0 to Loisburg College
Round 4: PSC won 0-0 Eastern Arizona College due to a forfeit
Round 5: PSC won 2-0 against Guilford Technical Community College
Round 6: PSC won 2-0 against Missouri State University – West Plains
Round 7: PSC lost 0-2 to Mineral Area College
Semifinals: PSC won 3-1 against Mineral Area College
Regional Finals: PSC won 3-2 against Missouri State University – West Plains
National Finals: PSC won 2-0 against Mineral Area College