Danville, Ky. - The Centre Esports teams are entering the 2026-27 with high hopes and lofty goals. Three of the four teams have begun their quest for more championships in both the PBC and NECC. Here's how the Colonels have fared in the early going:

Marvel Rivals vs Lander University (9/12): Loss 3-0 (PBC Regular Season Opener)
This game was nothing if not a learning experience for Centre College as Lander used bizarre character selections in order to catch them with their guard down. When Centre tried to respond with their own left field plays it got them a lot of leverage, but Lander was able to adapt faster than Centre in every way. In the final round, Centre used everything they had learned to put Lander on their heels by sticking together with an overly defensive team composition. In the end, Lander made a handful of decisions that would cripple Centre's support lineup and cause them to lose the game in overtime.

Rocket League vs Kennesaw State (9/13): Loss 3-0 (2-3, 1-5, 2-3) (PBC Regular Season Opener)
Centre began their season taking on PBC top seed Kennesaw State. This team contains two former professionals and is one of the top programs in collegiate Rocket League. Despite this, the Colonels managed two games that were determined by a single goal—one of which went into overtime. The standout play was a pass and bump from Duroxy (Eddie Mora) creating the perfect opening for ACKess (Adam Kessinger) to force overtime with just 6 seconds left in game 1. Game 2 was a little more one-sided, but still the Colonels were not shut out. In the final 30 seconds of game 3 Sush (Grant Walker) weaved in and out of opponents to find Centre's second goal and brought them within striking distance of a second overtime, but they yet again fell one goal short. With such a strong showing against the #1 seed, Centre is feeling confident going into the rest of the season.

Marvel Rivals vs Columbus State (9/20): Loss 3-0
CSU and Centre faced off in a brutal match of head-to-head gamplay. The entire match was about adapting to the other team's attempts to break formation before persisting in a team-wide brawl. Nate "Nog" Hall was the enduring frontline as CSU pushed and pushed at Centre's ranks. Centre was trying to use that frontline to keep CSU at arms length as most fight losses began with allowing one of CSU's players to break rank. Centre would change shape and ideas to meet CSU's changing composition, but was always reacting and never able to make the tide shifting plays they wanted. Centre's attempts to push beyond the brawl often were short lived as they kept being forced onto their heels until their loss.

Valorant vs Husson (9/21): Win 1-0 (13-7) (NECC Placement Tourney)
Centre Valorant started their Fall NECC season with a bang, winning both of their first placement matches. In the first match against Husson, Centre started strong, taking the first six rounds on Lotus and creating a massive 6–0 lead by consistently hitting C site. Husson took a timeout and regained some momentum, taking two rounds back, but Nobelph (Ryan Li) answered with an ace to bring the momentum back to Centre. From there, Centre stayed in control and won the map, 13–7.

Valorant vs New England Institute of Technology (9/21): Win 1-0 (14-12) (NECC Placement Tourney)
The second match against NEIT Yellow had a much rougher start despite being on the same map, with Centre losing their first six rounds. An amazing 2K utility play from Drag (Briggs Cook) gave Centre the momentum they needed, helping them end the first half at 8–4. The second half gave Centre some more trouble, getting pushed back to 11–5, but the team fought back and tied the game 12–12 to force overtime. Centre then took two rounds back-to-back to complete the comeback and secure victory.

The season is just getting rolling. League of Legends is on the verge of starting its season as well with most games on Thursday nights. Valorant is scheduled for most Mondays during the fall into November. Marvel Rivals is set for most Sundays. Rocket League will pull double duty, playing on Sundays and Wednesdays. Stay tuned to centrecolonels.com for all schedule updates.