Two wins, one of them by a single point
Robert “Sebatron” Brustein entered the Madden Championship Series Pro League as the outsider of the eight. He left the opening round as the only player at 2-0.
The qualifier beat Jalen “Astro” Morrow-Reynolds 34-28 on Tuesday, then edged Noah “Noah” Snipes 43-42 in a game he had spent most of the fourth quarter losing. He was down 14 points without possession before clawing it back one drive at a time, and the win earned him Player of the Day.
“People say I got lucky, but I was down 14 without ball in the fourth quarter. That’s fight right there, nothing but fight,” Sebatron said. “Madden’s a long game and you’re not going to win on one play.”
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The road in was harder than the league itself
Sebatron, 22, received no invitation. He went through open qualifying, then through a 256-player double-elimination bracket that produced only four seats at the table. The other four belonged to established names, and their resumes explain why opening day counted as an upset.
Drini “Drini” Gjoka is the reigning Madden Bowl champion, having beaten Astro in the February final seven years after his first title in 2019. Henry “Henry” Leverette owns individual championship belts from 2022 and 2024 plus a share of the winning three-man team in 2021. Jonathan “JonBeast” Marquez finished runner-up in 2025.
The seeding did not survive contact with the bracket. Drini lost twice, 35-30 to fellow qualifier Wesley “Wes” Gittens and 31-27 to Astro. JonBeast also went 0-2, beaten 33-29 by Henry and then 50-37 by Jeremy “Chosen” Murphy. Noah handled Chosen 47-35 in the all-qualifier meeting before running into Sebatron.
What the format demands next
Eight players, one round-robin regular season, four playoff spots. The standings after the “Game Time” round put Sebatron alone on top, Henry and Wes at 1-0, three players bunched at 1-1, and the two 0-2 records against the names of a Madden Bowl champion and a Madden Bowl finalist.
Three events remain before the playoff field is settled: “Breakouts” on Oct. 6, “Most Feared” on Nov. 11 and “Zero Chill” on Dec. 15. Wes has now beaten the reigning champion once, which is one more than he managed in two Madden Bowl finals against Henry, in 2022 and 2024. A round-robin hands him several more chances to rewrite that record.
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