Madden legend Henry captures Kickoff Challenge title

Henry "Henry" Leverette, the winningest competitor in Madden history, began the new season by claiming another victory.

The Chicago resident beat Jonathan "JonBeast" Marquez of Hartford, Conn., 52-27 in the final of the Madden NFL 26 Championship Series' Kickoff Challenge on Wednesday at the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress in Winter Park, Fla.

Henry won the Madden Bowl when it was a team event in 2021, then captured the crown solo in 2022 and 2024. He finished as runner-up in 2023.

JonBeast lost the 2025 Madden Bowl final to Jacob "Fancy" Worthington of Frisco, Texas. Fancy fell 30-27 to "Lambo" in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Speaking about his latest championship, Henry referenced Fancy becoming the first player to win three MCS events in a season in 2024-25.

"I already said what I said before, the job ain't finished," Henry said. "We had somebody pass us for the best year ever, so it's my job to take that spot back. We got ladders literally in a few days, I'm locked back in for that. This is just another piece of the collection."

Henry got past Lambo 38-28 in the Kickoff Challenge semifinals, and JonBeast outscored Nolen "Gucci" Crumpler 42-35.

Henry opened the night by defeating Mehki "Nine" Corpening 38-31. JonBeast routed John "MrFootball88" Britt of San Diego 38-16, and Gucci recorded a 31-28 win over Drini "Drini" Gjoka of Washington, the 2019 Madden Bowl champ.

The MCS Kickoff Challenge was the first of a series of Madden NFL 26 tournaments that concludes with the Madden Bowl and features a $1.5 million prize pool.

The top 13 point-earners from the Kickoff Challenge, the Most Feared Challenge and the Zero Chill Challenge will qualify for the Madden Bowl. The final opportunity to claim a spot will be through the Last Chance Qualifier.

The Most Feared Challenge, Zero Chill Challenge and the Last Chance Qualifier will all feature live events at Full Sail University.

--Field Level Media