LAKE WALES, FL - October 1st, 2024. The Warner Royals SSBU team arrives at the arena ready for their second match of the season. Hungry for a win against Florida Tech after a great series last week against Winthrop University, last years reigning national champions.

A well studied team ready to compete and prove themselves as a new roster on the scene. Game 1 begins and Florida Tech takes the lead in the first set early on by two lives. Michael Barnes is tagged in next and is able to equalize the playing field for the Royals. He then leaves the match off to Luis Burgos to finish off the game. Luis a new Freshman takes down the remaining two players by himself to guarantee Game 1 in the Royals favor. 

Going into the second game both teams are familiar with the character picks. It is a matter of who can read the other team better. Michael Barnes has another stellar performance in game two showcasing his talent and wide range of character picks. His Marth again sets the stage for the hand off to Luis. Burgos goes in for a mirror match-up against the Florida Tech Captain, he performs well and is able to give us a 3-1 lead heading into the last set. Hector Jimenez a rising star in the Super Smash Bros. community finishes the match off and the Royals take home the victory. 


Post Game Interview:
Broc Kinley and Horiam Santiago our esports commentators interviewed Head Coach John Merritt after the game on our live stream. Broc Kinley asked, "What is your synopsis of our teams performance tonight?" Coach Merritt responded, "These guys have thousands of hours honing their craft. After seeing how Michael and Luis were playing tonight I didn't have a doubt in my mind that we were going to take home the W. I am just super thankful for these guys, I am really excited for our roster that has come together here at the start of our program. It is just awesome to see the talent here locally and in the area. Seeing the brotherhood of all of these guys has been really inspiring and really encouraging."  Horiam Santiago asked, "I wanted to ask you, how was the environment in the room? Was it a lot of cheerfulness or serious?" Coach Merritt responded. "There were moments whenever Luis only had two stocks in the first game and took their Link down who had three stocks, the hype was there, the energy was there. We were so dialed in tonight and everyone was focused, I didn't want to drop a pen. I wanted to make sure we took home the win."

Coach Merritt asks for prayer building the new program. That the Lord's spirit would be present in the building of his rosters and that students from all backgrounds would find biblical community at Warner University.  

Match Details:
Date: October 1, 2024 
Time: 8:00 PM  
Final Score: Florida Tech 0, Warner Royals 2