KENOSHA – After a productive offseason, Carthage's "Red" Rocket League team swerves into action for its fourth competitive season. The Spring 2025 National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) season commences on Feb 6. Carthage Red will compete in Division II's West Central B stage, playing against teams such as; Davenport University, Indiana Hoosiers, Indiana Tech, Kansas State University, Mount Union, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, University of Houston, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
During Spring 2024, the Firebirds' main squad finished the NECC regular season 4-1 Overall, winning 67% of their games played within a Best-of-5 series format. Red competed in the Champion Division's Midwest A stage, finishing second, behind 5-0 Mizzou Esports. Freshman Miller Hoeksema [Scy], junior Alex Vaile [Vaile], and senior Bryce Nolan [Datsun.] posted team statistics of 32 Goals, 22 Assists, 59 Saves, and 98 Shots, and 32.6% shooting throughout the regular season and playoffs.
In Round one of the Midwest Playoffs, Carthage Red defeated Indiana Hoosiers 3-0 on March 22, 2024. Round two was a win against Lebanon Valley College 4-0 on April 5, 2024. Lastly, Carthage faced off against stage rival Mizzou Esports in the NECC Midwest Championship on April 12, 2024. The Firebirds fell short 4-2 in an entertaining six-game series. Despite leaving empty-handed, Alexander, Bryce, and Miller made a NECC Nationals appearance, beating the University of California–Santa Barbara (UCSB), but coming up short against Robert Morris University in the Quarterfinals.
Heading into Spring 2025, Carthage Red's Roster has been shuffled like a deck of cards. The starting lineup will be freshman Armando Hernandez [Mando], sophomore Penn Gilchrist [Pixlr], and junior Alexander Vaile [Vaile]. Armando enters his first-ever NECC Rocket League season, adding a new piece to the puzzle. Penn was elevated from Carthage Black to Red, providing more leadership. Alexander returns for a third season on the main Rocket League team, bringing valuable experience.
On Feb 6 at 7 p.m., the new iteration of Carthage Red clashes with Davenport University White live on the Carthage Twitch channel. Penn is determined to "work on overall team chemistry, speed, and consistency" with teammates Armando and Alexander. "Our practices have been going very well and I feel like we step up on gameday. I think people can expect this team to be competing to win Division II. My goal is top 6 but if we can figure it out…winning [the Division Championship] will be the ultimate achievement," Penn said.
Will Carthage Red ignite the flame of defiance? Tune in here: https://twitch.tv/carthageesports and find out!
