ESSEF Tour Momentum Cup and Groundbreak: Middletown High School hosts Liberty High School

The Washingtonville Wizards returned to Middletown High School on March 27, 2026, for the Momentum Cup, where two Super 25 nationally ranked programs collided in an electric slate of competition. The event featured explosive matchups in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Splatoon 3, Rocket League, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with standout performances, intense rivalries, and plenty of momentum swings throughout the day.

In Smash Solos, Tabpol, the Fall State Champion and an astounding 48–1 in solos over the past three seasons, showed exactly why he entered as the top seed. Piloting his unstoppable R.O.B., he delivered a dominant clean sweep for the Wizards. Middletown’s Alex, meanwhile, put together an impressive run through winners, using a sharp and clinical Inkling to defeat Washingtonville’s Jigglypuff specialist Jayke and push deep into the bracket. His performance made it clear that he remains one of the most dangerous players in the region.

Tabpol’s biggest mark on the event may have come in the Smash Crew Battle. Washingtonville sent its ace into the opening round, and he nearly tore through the entire Middletown lineup by himself. Tabpol claimed 11 stocks and eliminated three of Middletown’s four crew members before finally being taken out. Reflecting on the performance afterward, he said, “I definitely felt the pressure after taking out McGee. Alex being next up, despite having no stocks left to lose, did not help much.” Wizards teammate Gemini closed the door from there, taking the final stock and securing the crew battle victory for Washingtonville.

In Rocket League, Middletown’s relentless squad proved too much for the recently reformed Wizards roster. Even without FadeRL in the lineup, Middletown controlled the series from start to finish and rolled to a 4–0 win. Their pressure, coordination, and pace were simply too much for Washingtonville to answer on the day.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe delivered one of the closest contests of the event. After Washingtonville struck first with an early Game 1 win, Middletown answered with stronger coordination and map control, using a key performance on Cloudtop Kingdom to shift the series. The teams battled all the way into a tiebreaker circuit, but Middletown ultimately came out on top in a dramatic finish.

A major highlight of the day came in Splatoon 3, where the Wizards’ Bait and Tackle squad, ranked No. 5 in the Eastern Region, delivered a statement performance against their No. 3-ranked rivals, the Middletown Splatoon Platoon. Washingtonville completed the sweep in emphatic fashion, showing poise, discipline, and high-level team coordination in one of the event’s most anticipated matchups.

GroundBreak

A strong community-building event, coaches Amanda Jackson and Keysy Mendez brought the Liberty RedHawks to Washingtonville for their first-ever LAN event. Rocket League opened the day with an official Week 7 league matchup, while Smash Bros. players competed in an Arcadian-style tournament. Marvel Rivals teams rounded things out with 3v3 and collaborative play designed to strengthen culture and connection between the programs.

Zombie_Forever, a middle school player elevated to varsity as a Grand Champ II, led the Wizards in scoring during a hard-fought 3–0 Rocket League victory. In Smash, SharkC captured his first tournament title, earning a first-place finish for Washingtonville, while teammate Artful followed closely behind in second.

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