Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 Season Recap – Rocket League Red

Kenosha – Carthage Rocket League (RL) Red exceeded expectations as the team showed brilliance offensively and defensively. Many eye-opening passes were connected, and numerous acrobatic saves were made across different leagues.

Despite fielding different rosters, freshman Armando Hernandez, sophomore Penn Gilchrist, junior Alex Vaile, and senior Connor Moore performed well.

Throughout the 2024-25 academic year, Carthage RL Red participated in four leagues: the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), Midwest Collegiate Rocket League (MCRL), Wisconsin Collegiate Rocket League (WCRL), and the Wisconsin Esports Conference (WEC). We will now analyze how Carthage RL Red performed in each of these leagues.

Fall 2024 NECC – Division II

Entering the Fall 2024 NECC season, Carthage Red assembled a roster containing sophomore Penn Gilchrist, junior Alex Vaile, and senior Connor Moore. This trio competed in Division II's Central B stage. In Division II, Carthage Red went 5-2 overall and posted a 21-11 game record.

During their Fall 2024 regular season, the Firebirds secured a valuable head-to-head victory over Kennesaw Varsity, which topped out with a 6-1 overall record. However, Carthage Red lost crucial matches to the Indiana Hoosiers (4-0 on Sept. 27, 2024) and the Indiana Tech Warriors (4-1 on Oct. 31, 2024).

A fourth-place finish in Central B was enough for Carthage to earn the fourth seed in Division II's Central playoffs. In the upper-bracket quarterfinals, the Firebirds suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 loss against number-five University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) on Nov. 11, 2024.

Following this, Carthage had a second chance as Division II RL playoffs offer a double-elimination bracket. In loser-bracket round one, Carthage Red took on number-one Grand Canyon University (GCU) Purple on Nov. 19, 2024. Unfortunately, the Firebirds were stonewalled and suffered a 4-0 loss at the hands of GCU.

Spring 2025 NECC and Nationals – Division II

After reconfiguring their strategy over the holiday break, Carthage Red made a roster change, swapping senior Connor Moore for freshman Armando Hernandez. This change was made because Penn Gilchrist admired Armando's "overall skill and the speed he brings to the team."

When commenting on offseason preparations before their season opener against Davenport on Feb. 5, Penn said, "In the recent weeks, we have been working on our chemistry as a team and overall speed/consistency. Our practices have been going very well, and I feel like we step up on gameday."

Spring 2025's roster included freshman Armando Hernandez, sophomore Penn Gilchrist, and junior Alex Vaile. To further promote the team, sophomore Andrew Czysz Jr selected Carthage RL Red for his Sports Media journalism project. The project featured eight dedicated blogs and eight podcast episodes. This initiative aimed to attract more attention to Carthage Esports as a whole.

Week One-Four Game Preview/Recaps can be found here.

Rocket and Roll Birds Podcast with four episodes dedicated to describing the Carthage Esports program, one-on-one interviews with Armando, Penn, and Alex, and a Spring 2025 NECC Season

Carthage Red remained in Division II for their Spring 2025 NECC campaign. A 5-2 record and a playoff appearance in Fall 2024 ignited the Firebirds to stay consistent. For Division II's West B stage, Carthage Red went 5-2 overall and posted a 25-14 game record, increasing their game differential by one (+11) compared to Fall 2024 (+10).

During their regular season, the team obtained head-to-head victories over the Indiana Hoosiers (4-2 on Feb. 17) and the University of Houston Cougars (4-0 on March 6). The Firebirds' two losses came against Southeastern Oklahoma (4-3 on Feb. 27) and Indiana Tech Premier (4-2 on March 20). Although first place in Division II – West B slipped away, Armando, Penn, and Alex were determined to make noise.

In finishing second place, Carthage Red was awarded the number-four seed. In upper-bracket quarterfinals, the Firebirds faced the Northern Arizona University (NAU) Astrojacks. On March 27, Carthage Red suffered a 4-1 loss against NAU after a slow start. However, the candles were still lit for Red's playoff run to continue.

On April Fool's, Carthage Red faced the University of Houston Cougars in round one of the losers' bracket, a Week Five rematch. The series went all seven games and ended dramatically. While being two minutes and fifty-one seconds into overtime, Alex lined up on the right wall near Houston's net and floated the ball majestically to Penn, who was in position to secure the game-winning goal.

Here is a look at the wild sequence with sophomores TJ Buchmann and Andrew Czysz Jr on the call.

After this breathtaking performance, Carthage Red looked to battle GCU once more. On April 3, the Firebirds put up a great fight against GCU in the losers' bracket quarterfinals, despite a 4-2 loss that eliminated them from playoff contention. While the semester ended sooner than hoped for the NECC, the team was pleased with its performance amid roster changes. The team's core, Alex and Penn, emerged as excellent sources of leadership, while Armando showcased his incredible talent during his freshman year.

One last hoorah for Carthage Red was imminent as the team had enough points to qualify for Division II Nationals, a best-of-seven, double-elimination bracket, similar to playoffs. On April 24, Carthage Red faced the Spring 2025 Division II West B champions, Southeastern Oklahoma. After falling behind early, SE Oklahoma maintained its momentum and won 4-1.

The Firebirds secured a forfeit win on April 25 against Durham College. To wrap up their 2024-25 NECC campaign, Carthage Red faced Daytona State Esports in a series that extended to all seven games, suffering a narrow 4-3 loss after being shut out 2-0 in Game Seven, which interrupted the Firebirds' earlier momentum gained by winning Game Six by a 4-3 score.

Below are combined statistics of Alex, Penn, and Armando throughout Spring 2025's Regular Season, Postseason, and Nationals:

Alex Vaile: 55 Goals, 30 Assists, 183 Shots, 114 Saves, 69 Demos, 30% Shooting

Penn Gilchrist: 39 Goals, 42 Assists, 147 Shots, 107 Saves, 110 Demos, 26.5% Shooting

Armando Hernandez: 38 Goals, 41 Assists, 127 Shots, 116 Saves, 77 Demos, 30% Shooting

With a revamped team, Carthage Red achieved significant success in the NECC this year, finishing in the top four for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, along with playoff appearances in both seasons and a Nationals appearance in Division II. However, they achieved more in MCRL, WCRL, and the WEC.

MCRL Results

In Fall 2024, Carthage Red captured a championship by defeating UW-Platteville 4-1 on Dec. 15, 2024.

The Firebirds went 11-3 with a LAN appearance in Spring 2025. As the second seed, the Firebirds beat number-seven UW-Platteville Blue (3-0) and number-three Madison College (3-2). Unfortunately, Carthage Red dropped to the losers' bracket after a 4-3 semifinal loss against number-one Northern Illinois University (NIU). In the losers' bracket final, Armando, Penn, and Alex swept number-five Kent State 4-0 and punched their ticket to the Grand Finals. Carthage rematched NIU and fell short, losing 4-2. Despite the shortcomings, the Firebirds finished second and showcased their brilliance in another league.

WEC and WCRL Results

For WEC, the Firebirds accumulated a combined record of 7-6. This included a 6-5 regular season and a 1-1 record during Fall 2024's LAN. Carthage Red went 10-4 overall in WCRL competition. This included a 7-2 regular season, third-place in the Octane Conference, and a third-place finish at the Spring 2025 WCRL LAN.

Combined Records and Accolades — NECC, MCRL, WCRL, WEC

Across all leagues, Carthage Red went 49-27 overall, equivalent to a 64.5% winning percentage. Achievements include Fall 2024 MCRL Champions, Third-place finishers in the Spring 2025 WCRL LAN, and Third-place in a Midwest Battlegrounds tournament.

Carthage Esports will return for the 2025-26 academic year to kick off its fourth competitive season, starting in Fall 2025. Follow us on all social media platforms (@carthageesports) to stay updated. Follow our Twitch channel to get notifications when broadcasts go live.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

TJ Buchmann: 5' 9"; Sophomore

Penn Gilchrist: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Connor Moore: Senior

Alex Vaile: 5' 11"; Junior

Armando Hernandez: Freshman

Players Mentioned

TJ Buchmann
: 5' 9"; Sophomore

Penn Gilchrist
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Connor Moore
: Senior

Alex Vaile
: 5' 11"; Junior

Armando Hernandez
: Freshman