LUDOWICI -- The Long County Blue Tide Super Smash Bros. Esports team has now won three straight games and looks to be firmly on the path to the postseason. Splash Smash defeated Forsyth Central on Wednesday, March 16 5-3.

In the first game, Patrick McClennon took the sticks and continued to show his diversity, using King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong franchise to take on Kazuya from Tekken.

McClennon won a close first game 1-0, narrowly avoiding defeat in the last second. However, the previously undefeated freshman showed he was human when he lost 1-0 in the second game, losing with Kazuya having 127 percent damage in the final stock.

Splash Smash suffered a defeat in the first set as McClennon’s opponent switched to using Joker from the Persona 5 franchise.

With an early one set deficit, junior Jimmy Barreto jumped on and looked to continue his win streak. He used his main Isabelle to take on Inkling from Splatoon.

He took an early 1-0 lead with a 1-0 victory in Game 1. The game was close with Barreto going down two stocks early. He made a comeback and took the win.

In the second game, Barreto dropped the win to Inkling, who made use of his ink bombs to score the win. In an all-important Game 3, Barreto again went down 2-1, but was able to just sneak back and get the win force a third set for the first time this season.

Ben Stokes jumped on for his first official game of the year and knew he needed to win to earn the match victory. Using Steve from Minecraft, Stokes dominated the first game against Greninja from Pokemon.

He recorded Splash Smash’s first three stock victory of the season. Facing Wolf from the Star Fox franchise, Stokes recorded two zero deaths in a row and took the definitive Game 2 to give Splash Smash the 5-3 win.

With the win, Splash Smash is now 3-1 on the year and ranked in the top 50 in the state. They need to be in the top 64 to make the postseason.

The Long County Blue Tide Madden team is finally in the win column after a rocky start to the season. BT Madden player Peyton Pilon is 2-2 on the year, but one of those victories is a forfeit, after winning his games 28-0 and 29-27 against Richmond Academy on Thursday, March 17.

Using the Cincinnati Bengals, Pilon dominated the first game after his opponent, using the Los Angeles Rams in a Super Bowl 56 showdown, turned the ball over on downs on the first possession.

Pilon got a big 33-yard gain on a screen from quarterback Joe Burrow to running back Joe Mixon. The first quarter came to an end, but Pilon scored early in the second as Burrow hit receiver Tyler Boyd on a nine-yard pass.

The Bengals were back on the board just seconds later as they recovered a fumble on the kickoff and returned it 11 yards for the 14-0 lead.

The Rams picked up a key fourth down conversion at the Bengals’ 16, but it was the Bengals who got the last laugh. Peyton, using Chidobe Awuzie, intercepted a pass and returned it 80 yards for the 21-0 lead.

On the very next offensive play for the Rams, Awuzie got another interception and returned it 20 yards for the score before the first half was over. Pilon’s opponent conceded the first game as he took a 1-0 lead.

The second game was much closer as the Rams learned from their mistakes and drove down the field to kick a 52-yard field goal and take a 3-0 lead. Burrow hit Boyd for a 25-yard pickup to the 50 and again for another 12 yards to the 38.

Burrow then Tee Higgins for 36 yards to the two as Mixon scored on the next play to put the Bengals up 7-3 with less than a minute left in the first quarter.

The Rams picked up a fourth and two at its own 38 as the first quarter ended. After another two-minute drive, quarterback Matthew Stafford hit a wide-open Cam Akers for a 54-yard touchdown.

A two-point conversion gave the Rams an 11-7 lead with less than three minutes left before halftime.

Burrow opened the next drive with a 30-yard gain to tight end C.J. Uzomah to the 45. He then found Boyd to the eight before Mixon scored to put the Bengals up 15-11.

The Rams wasted little time getting on the board before halftime as Stafford found Cooper Kupp for a 40-yard score.

Down 19-15, Pilon took to the air again as Burrow hit Uzomah for 33 and 19-yard gains before connecting on a field goal to make the score 19-18 at the half.

Burrow hit Uzomah with a big gain to the 38 to open the second half, but Pilon made his first mistake of the game, throwing an interception, which was returned to the Rams’ 38.

Eddie Pratt came up on a big sack for a seven-yard loss and another stop on a screen to set up a fourth and long before a turnover on downs near midfield.

The Rams’ defense came up with a few stops on an Eddie Jones sack and forcing a fourth and long for the Bengals. A turnover on downs gave the Rams a chance to extend their lead.

They did just that as Stafford hit tight end Brycen Hopkins from 11 yards out to make the score 27-18 with 11 seconds in the third quarter.

Burrow hit Higgins with a big 52-yard gain to the Rams’ 34 before hitting Higgins from 36 yards out to make the score 27-26 with 3:44 left in the game.

The luck of the Irish was on Pilon’s side as his opponent seemingly forgot how to play Madden and decided to not run the clock out and try to extend his lead with three minutes to go.

He went for it on fourth and 11 at his own 18 and gained just eight yards before turning it over at the 26. Burrow hit Uzomah for a 21-yard gain to the five at the two-minute warning.

The Bengals ran the clock down with just over a minute left before hitting a field goal to go up 29-27. The Rams took over from their own 22 with a minute left in the game.

The clock ran out as Pilon got his second win on the game.

BT Madden is now 2-2 on the year and ranked in the top 50. They will take on Saint Francis next Thursday, March 24.