Jevon Miller going for Esports touchdown

By Connor Keating / Staff writer

After securing two championship titles, the Hutchinson Community College Esports team is going in for a third.

The most likely player to do this is Partridge sophomore, Jevon Miller, who had been dominating players in “Madden NFL 23”.

Miller said he’s been playing since he was 6 or 7-years old, but doesn’t think he got good until three or four years ago.

“He has played Madden since he was young, but has a knack for the subtleties of the game, such as custom line positioning, calling audibles, and knowing the teams and their ratings in depth,” HutchCC coach Heath Hensley said.

Just like football players, Miller studies the game and watches film.

“I’m a pretty analytical person,” Miller said. “And I go back and I watch every game I play and see what I did well and what I need to work on.”

Miller has been destroying players, ending games with scores like 76-0. This has caused some of his opponents to forfeit from playing against him.

When asked how many of his opponents have forfeit, Miller said, “Probably four or five players, it happens about once every semester. It doesn’t bother me too much. Most of the forfeits occur at the very end of the season when my opponent is already out of playoff contention.”

“Forfeits have been a nasty part of esports, not just in NJCAA, but other leagues as well,” Hensley said. “It can be anything from other players forgetting, scheduling conflicts, or them not feeling they can win, so opting to just not play the match in lieu of a forfeit. It’s not perfect, but NJCAA and NACE are doing all they can to try and remedy it.”

Hensley said that Miller was in the championship finals last season, just barely losing to Suffolk County Community College. This season he’s got another good shot at taking home a win to sit next to Colton Fast’s “NBA 2K” and the “Halo” team’s national championship titles.

“I’ve been extremely proud of how far Jevon, and the entire Esports program has come,” Hensley said. “We have been a major contender since we came onto the stage in 2021, and with two national championships now, we have a lot to live up to and continue to grow.”

“I would love to bring home a national championship for the Esports program,” Miller said. “But I know that my teammates and coaches will support me regardless of the outcome.”

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