Brimstone Smoke: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:32, 28 October 2026

Brimstone Smoke, also known as Team Smoke, is an American tournament paintball team associated with the Ohio and West Virginia region. Established in 2001, the team has competed nationally in five-player, seven-player and 10-player tournament formats, including events organised by the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP) and International Classic Paintball League (ICPL).[1][2]

Brimstone Smoke won the amateur five-player division at the 2002 International Amateur Open and subsequently competed in professional X-Ball and 10-man tournaments. Following a return to classic-format competition, the team won the 2021 ICPL amateur 10-man series championship and consecutive professional 10-man Classic Cup titles in 2025 and 2026.[3][19][21][22]

In 2026, Brimstone Smoke finished second in the ICPL professional 10-man season standings, six points behind Chicago Aftershock.[22]

History

Formation and early competition (2001)

According to its official history, Brimstone Smoke began in 2001 as a five-player team before joining forces with Team Centerflag to compete in national 10-man tournaments.[1]

Contemporary WARPIG reporting from the 2001 International Amateur Open described Brimstone Smoke combining its established five-player squad with players from New York to enter the 10-man competition.

The combined team finished fourth in the amateur 10-man division.[2]

Brimstone Smoke was closely associated with Milt Call, an early owner of the team and the Ultimate Air Ball inflatable bunker business.

Call was also involved in organising the Ultimate Madness tournament in Huntington, West Virginia.[5]

National tournament success (2002)

Brimstone Smoke recorded several significant results during the 2002 season.

At the PSP Las Vegas Open, the team finished second in the amateur five-player division behind ECX Factory.[6]

In August, Brimstone Smoke won the amateur five-player championship at the Diablo International Amateur Open, defeating Tippmann Effect, Boston Paintball Factory Team and Team Bam in the final round.

The team competed using Spyder paintball markers and received the tournament's Kingman-sponsored prize.[3]

Later that month, Brimstone Smoke finished second in the amateur five-player division at the NPPL Atlantic City Open.[7]

At the Aruba Pro/Am in September, the organisation entered two amateur squads, Brimstone Smoke This and Brimstone Smoke That.

Brimstone Smoke This won the amateur division, finishing three points ahead of Bushwackers in the round-robin standings.[8]

Professional competition (2003–2005)

Brimstone Smoke entered higher-level tournament competition during 2003.

At the PSP Los Angeles Open in March, the team competed in Division One X-Ball, finishing third behind Strange and Jax Worriors.[9]

At the PSP Chicago Open in June, Brimstone Smoke won the Pro-Am 10-man division, finishing ahead of Cartel, Nasty and Fusion.[10]

The team subsequently finished third in the Pro-Am 10-man division at the 2003 PSP World Cup.[11]

Brimstone Smoke continued competing in national tournaments during 2004 and 2005, including the PSP and NPPL circuits.

Its official history records appearances at the 2004 Chicago Open and 2005 Denver Open.[1]

Ultimate Madness and Ultimate Air Ball

The team maintained a close relationship with Ultimate Air Ball, the inflatable bunker manufacturer associated with team owner Milt Call.

Members of Brimstone Smoke helped officiate at Ultimate Madness, an indoor three-player tournament promoted by Call and Paul Bollenbach.

At the 2003 Ultimate Madness, the team participated in an exhibition of Arena Ball, a short-format competition using enclosed playing fields, music and spectator participation.[12]

Brimstone Smoke again appeared in an exhibition Arena Ball match during the 2004 tournament, dividing its players into Brimstone This and Brimstone That squads.[13]

Return to classic paintball and management changes (2017–2020)

Brimstone Smoke returned to national classic-format tournament competition during the late 2010s.

According to information supplied directly by the team to WikiPaintball in October 2026, Danny Manning and Anthony Call invited Paul DeZarn to become the team's coach and manager in 2017.[18]

The team identified DeZarn's appointment as an important development in its return to national competition.

Official tournament records document the team's participation in the Southern Open 10-man Classic in December 2017 and the Iron City Classic in August 2018.[4]

The team subsequently competed under the Team Smoke name in the International Classic Paintball League.

At the 2019 ICPL Florida Open, Team Smoke finished second in the amateur 10-man division.[4]

DeZarn continued in a team management role and was subsequently registered as a member of the team's tournament staff and coaching personnel.[24][25]

2021 amateur championship

The 2021 season marked an important competitive achievement in Brimstone Smoke's return to classic tournament paintball.

Competing as Team Smoke, the organisation finished second at the ICPL Old Bay Classic before winning the amateur 10-man division at the Windy City Classic in Chicago.

The team finished first in the 2021 ICPL amateur 10-man season standings with 196.4 ranking points, ahead of ThunderHorse on 179.5 points.[19]

The Windy City Classic victory secured both the event championship and the overall amateur season title.

The ICPL had identified the 2021 amateur championship as providing an opportunity for promotion to the professional division in 2022.[20]

Team Smoke subsequently competed in the ICPL professional 10-man division.

At the 2022 Sunshine Classic, the team finished second in the professional division.[4]

Continued classic competition (2023–2024)

Brimstone Smoke continued participating in ICPL professional tournaments during 2023 and 2024.

The team's official tournament records document professional 10-man participation under the Team Smoke name.[4]

At the 2024 NXL World Cup in Florida, the team entered both classic 10-man and seven-player competition.

Its own tournament report documented a third-place finish in the 10-man event.[14]

Consecutive Classic Cup championships (2025–2026)

Brimstone Smoke achieved consecutive professional 10-man championships at the ICPL Classic Cup in 2025 and 2026.

At the 2025 Classic Cup, held from 3 to 5 October at Thunder Valley Paintball Park in Seffner, Florida, Team Smoke won the professional 10-man division ahead of Image and Chicago Aftershock.[15][29]

The victory came after the team finished the preliminary round with seven wins from eight games.

The team finished fourth in the overall 2025 ICPL professional 10-man standings with 265 ranking points.[21]

Brimstone Smoke returned to the Classic Cup on 16–18 October 2026 at Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City in Maryland.

The team again won the professional 10-man division, finishing ahead of Chicago Aftershock and the All Americans in the official event rankings.[23][30]

The victory represented the team's second consecutive ICPL Classic Cup professional championship.

In the overall 2026 ICPL professional 10-man standings, Brimstone Smoke finished second with 286 ranking points.

Chicago Aftershock won the season championship with 292 points, finishing six points ahead of Brimstone Smoke. The All Americans also recorded 286 points but were placed third in the official standings.[22]

The season rankings counted each team's three highest-scoring tournament results.

Brimstone Smoke's counted results were:

Windy City Classic – 4th place, 90 points.
Pittsburgh Open Classic – 2nd place, 96 points.
Classic Cup – 1st place, 100 points.

The team's fifth-place finish at the Golden State Classic was excluded under the league's three-result scoring system.[22]

Ownership and management

Brimstone Smoke has been associated with several owners and team managers during its history.

Milt Call was involved in the team's early development and its relationship with Ultimate Air Ball.[5]

Anthony Call was subsequently involved in the organisation's ownership and management. The team's official player profiles identify him as one of its original owners.[31]

According to a statement supplied directly by the team to WikiPaintball in October 2026, Anthony Call recruited Paul DeZarn as coach and manager in 2017.

The same statement identified Paul DeZarn as the team's current active owner as of October 2026.[18]

DeZarn's coaching involvement is independently documented in official PBLeagues registrations, including the 2025 Classic Cup and 2026 Windy City Classic.[24][25]

Notable players and personnel

Players and personnel documented in contemporary reports, tournament records and the team's own history include:

Milt Call – Early team owner and paintball industry entrepreneur associated with Ultimate Air Ball and Ultimate Madness.
Anthony Call – Original co-owner, player and team organiser.
Jonathon Call – Original co-owner, player who won the one-on-one competition at the 2003 Mardi Gras Open.
Paul DeZarn – Coach and manager from 2017, and active owner as reported by the team in October 2026.
Danny Manning – Player associated with the team's later professional classic competition, including its 2025 Classic Cup campaign.

Rocky Cagnoni – Professional player associated with the team's early national tournament period.
Ronnie Simpkins – Former professional player whose Brimstone Smoke participation is documented in ICPL competition.
Matthew (Matt) Askren – Player registered with Team Smoke in professional ICPL competition.
Colton Doll – Player on the team's 2026 ICPL Windy City Classic roster.
Aidan Chasman – Player on the team's 2026 ICPL Windy City Classic roster.
Carl Markowski – Player documented on Team Smoke's ICPL professional roster.
Mark (Marky) Ireland – Former Miami Rage professional player identified with Team Smoke during its 2021 amateur championship campaign.

Danny Manning and Ronnie Simpkins were identified among Team Smoke's players in contemporary coverage of the 2025 Classic Cup.[28]

Official tournament rosters separately document Askren, Doll, Chasman, Markowski, Simpkins and DeZarn.[24][25][26]

The ICPL's 2021 Windy City Classic preview identified Mark Ireland as part of the team's amateur championship roster.[27]

The individuals listed represent selected historical associations rather than a complete roster for any particular season.

Selected tournament results

Year	Competition	Division	Result
2001	International Amateur Open	Amateur 10-man	4th
2002	PSP Las Vegas Open	Amateur 5-man	2nd
2002	International Amateur Open	Amateur 5-man	1st
2002	NPPL Atlantic City Open	Amateur 5-man	2nd
2002	Aruba Pro/Am	Amateur	1st (Smoke This)
2003	PSP Los Angeles Open	Division One X-Ball	3rd
2003	PSP Chicago Open	Pro-Am 10-man	1st
2003	PSP World Cup	Pro-Am 10-man	3rd
2021	ICPL Windy City Classic	Amateur 10-man	1st
2021	ICPL season championship	Amateur 10-man	1st
2022	ICPL Sunshine Classic	Professional 10-man	2nd
2024	NXL World Cup	Classic 10-man	3rd
2025	ICPL Classic Cup	Professional 10-man	1st
2025	ICPL season standings	Professional 10-man	4th
2026	ICPL Pittsburgh Open Classic	Professional 10-man	2nd
2026	ICPL Classic Cup	Professional 10-man	1st
2026	ICPL season standings	Professional 10-man	2nd

The table lists selected documented results rather than the team's complete tournament history.

References

Team Smoke Paintball – About Us. Official team history.
WARPIG – 2001 International Amateur Open.
WARPIG – 2002 Diablo International Amateur Open.
PBLeagues – Brimstone Smoke. Historical tournament results.
WARPIG – 2003 Mardi Gras Open. 20–23 February 2003.
WARPIG – 2002 PSP Las Vegas Open.
WARPIG – 2002 NPPL Atlantic City Open.
WARPIG – 2002 Aruba Pro/Am.
WARPIG – 2003 PSP Los Angeles Open.
WARPIG – 2003 PSP Chicago Open 10-Man Results.
PBLeagues – Brimstone Smoke Historical Results.
WARPIG – Ultimate Madness III.
WARPIG – Ultimate Madness IV.
Team Smoke Paintball – World Cup 2024. Official team tournament report.
Paintball Dirt – Team Smoke Wins ICPL Classic Cup. Brandon Olson, 6 October 2025.
Paintball Dirt – ICPL Pittsburgh Open Classic Results. Brandon Olson, 3 August 2026.
Paintball Nerd – Fun Five Interview with Rocky Cagnoni. 23 December 2022.
Team Smoke, direct Instagram correspondence with WikiPaintball, 21 October 2026. Unpublished primary-source statement concerning Paul DeZarn's appointment and ownership.
PBLeagues – 2021 ICPL Season Rankings. Official amateur 10-man championship standings.
ICPL – Battle at the Badlandz: The 2021 ICPL Windy City Classic. Quinn Nadu, 27 September 2021.
PBLeagues – 2025 ICPL Season Rankings.
PBLeagues – 2026 ICPL Season Rankings.
PBLeagues – 2026 ICPL Classic Cup Official Rankings. 16–18 October 2026.
PBLeagues – Team Smoke, 2025 Classic Cup Roster. Identifies Paul DeZarn as coach.
PBLeagues – Brimstone Smoke, 2026 Windy City Classic Roster. Documents DeZarn, Doll, Chasman and Simpkins.
PBLeagues – Team Smoke, Windy City Classic Roster. Documents Carl Markowski.
ICPL – 2021 Windy City Classic Preview. Identifies Mark Ireland among Team Smoke's players.
Paintball Media Magazine – 2025 ICPL Classic Cup Coverage. November 2025, p. 35. Identifies Danny Manning and other Team Smoke players.
PBLeagues – 2025 ICPL Classic Cup Event Information. Official dates and venue.
PBLeagues – 2026 ICPL Classic Cup Event Information. Official dates and venue.
Team Smoke Paintball – Player Profiles. Official information on Anthony Call, Paul DeZarn and individual players.

External links