KENOSHA, Wis. — Billy Flanagan (ChickenFries), a junior studying accounting and economics from Downers Grove, Illinois, is a starter on Carthage Overwatch Red, where he plays Damage (DPS) and Tank. Flanagan's main objective is either to pick apart enemy team compositions or manage the frontline across National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) and Wisconsin Esports Conference (WEC) matches.

For those unfamiliar, Overwatch (OW) is a free-to-play, 5v5 team-based shooter in which players select a unique hero with special abilities and roles (Tank, DPS and Support) to achieve objectives across game modes such as Control, Escort, Flashpoint, Hybrid and Push. The gameplay emphasizes team cooperation and strategic planning to succeed in a team-oriented combat environment.
In OW, tanks lead the frontline, supports stabilize the team and DPS players are advised to pressure opponents by controlling flank routes and targeting key enemies. Often called "fearsome but fragile," DPS players must be disciplined and focus on "squishy heroes" with fewer health points. This discipline allows them to attack from unexpected angles and disrupt the enemy backline. A crucial aspect of the DPS role is understanding that securing kills is more vital than dealing significant damage.

Since DPS heroes have less health than tanks, players should prioritize high-quality kills and strategic plays over raw damage numbers. Flanagan prioritizes "Brawl" tanks with high health, short-range attacks and steady movement to absorb damage and dominate close-quarter fights. On DPS, Flanagan is a flex player who specializes in projectile heroes and utility-heavy characters rather than standard point-and-click gunners.

Flanagan's gaming journey started when he was young. His friends convinced him to get an Xbox 360 at age 10. On the 360, Flanagan mainly played Call of Duty and Minecraft for a handful of years before receiving his first laptop. From there, Flanagan started playing a larger variety of games. Although he was introduced to a diverse lineup, Flanagan never felt attached to a specific game. However, it took only a couple of matches in a recommended game for him to find that attachment.

"I could never play a game willingly by myself; I'd just wait for a friend to ask me to play. That was until my friends showed me OW. Genuinely, the first couple of play sessions, I knew it was my game. My history with OW dates all the way back to 2017, almost a decade ago."
— Flanagan on how he eventually found Overwatch

From this discovery, Flanagan spent his first couple of years familiarizing himself with the game through Quick Play, a casual game mode with no competitive incentive and the opposite of ranked play. During the peak years of COVID-19, from 2019 to 2021, he joined a team to gain competitive experience. In one year, Flanagan learned valuable lessons in leading a team as a tank and captain. However, the team disbanded shortly after, and Flanagan did not compete on a team for a couple of years. During this transitional period in his OW playing career, Flanagan knew that his high school, Downers Grove North, had an esports team.

Despite this, Flanagan chose not to play on that team throughout his high school tenure due to personal reasons. During his senior year, though, Flanagan decided to join the team, overcoming his personal challenges. Overall, he performed well and even served as the captain of Downers Grove North's OW team. As his high school tenure neared its end, college never crossed Flanagan's mind because he believed it was not for him. However, something changed his mind.

"Once I realized I could go to college and get a scholarship for doing the thing I loved most, which is playing video games, I knew I wanted to go to college. Once I found this out, I joined Stay Plugged In [an esports recruiting platform] and was assigned a recruiter. He showed me plenty of universities that were interested in having a talk and sharing information about their esports programs. After much thought, I decided to commit to Carthage College and have never looked back."
— Flanagan on when he decided to go to college and pursue esports

Flanagan's Carthage OW journey began as the 2024-25 competitive year kicked off. He came in quite confident with varsity hopes but was placed on the JV team. Although he played well and put all his effort into tryouts, he felt he had more to prove. First, he started the year playing Support, then Tank and eventually moved to DPS. Essentially, Flanagan was the ultimate flex player and focused on providing whatever the team needed most. At this time, he was part of a Carthage OW Black team that went from winless to undefeated. Flanagan felt that the team significantly improved throughout the year and was a top-five team in Wisconsin.

Flanagan teamed with the then-senior duo of Gabriel Gutierrez (CrazyMage) and Will Stevens (LunarSynergy), then-sophomore Ethan Anderson (Snowstorm) and then-junior Collin Curtis (Caughtinthereign) during his time on OW Black.

For Fall 2024 NECC, OW Black competed in the Division VI – Midwest A Stage. As previously mentioned, the team achieved an undefeated record, going 7-0 overall and 21-6 on maps played. With these statistics, OW Black earned the No. 1 seed throughout the Division VI Midwest playoffs. Flanagan and Co. faced No. 8 Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) Red in quarterfinal action, winning 3-1 on Nov. 15, 2024. Next, OW Black advanced to face No. 4 Northwood University Black. Despite their effort, Northwood won a close 3-2 semifinal series on Nov. 19, 2024. To wrap up their season, OW Black earned a bronze banner after a 3-0 sweep against No. 6 Wright State Raiders Green in the third-place game.

Transitioning to Spring 2025 NECC, OW Black was promoted to Division V and competed in the Central B Stage. Here, they finished 6-1 overall with a 16-6 map record. Their only regular-season loss came against Valparaiso University (7-0) in Week Two competition, with a 3-1 scoring margin on Feb. 14, 2025. Despite this, OW Black won its next five consecutive matches. With their efforts, OW Black clinched the No. 4 seed throughout the Division V Central playoffs. However, they suffered a first-round exit against No. 5 St. Ambrose University, where the Bees won 3-1 on March 28, 2025.
When the 2024-25 competitive year concluded, Flanagan was informed by higher-ups of a possible second year on OW Black or a substitute role on OW Red. Amid an uncertain future, Flanagan never faltered. He remained confident and knew he needed to prove himself worthy of a varsity roster spot. During Summer 2025, Flanagan continued to play and tried his best to silence the doubters who underestimated him.

After a long summer of grinding, Flanagan earned his spot on OW Red for the 2025-26 competitive year. Instead of being flashy about his promotion, Flanagan knew he had to prove himself to then-junior captain Mason Stenger (zXc), then-junior Joy Schultz (JumpyWizard) and the then-sophomore duo of Adam Hollis (Hollister09) and Deacon Kirvan (FerociousPig).

When the Fall 2025 semester began, Flanagan played the majority of his matches as a DPS and swapped to Tank when the time felt right. In the Fall 2025 NECC Season, he was part of a team that accomplished tremendous success. OW Red finished 6-0 overall with an 18-0 map record in Division IV – Central A. With these metrics, they clinched the No. 1 seed throughout the Division IV Central playoffs. In the quarterfinals, Flanagan and Co. beat No. 8 Stevenson University 3-0 on Nov. 13, 2025. Then, a semifinal match against No. 5 Saginaw Valley State University ended in a 3-1 victory for OW Red on Nov. 21, 2025.

As a result, OW Red faced No. 2 Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the Division IV NECC Central championship. OW Red secured a 4-1 victory, driven by its confidence to persist even after MTSU shifted the series to 2-1 by countering Carthage's plan on New Queen Street (Push). In Maps Four and Five, Stenger and his teammates effectively restricted MTSU's offensive points on Watchpoint (Escort) and Lijiang Tower (Control) by winning numerous team fights.

As the Spring 2026 semester started, newly appointed head coach Austin Schuller decided to start Flanagan at Tank during NECC placement matches.

"Going into the placement matches, we were one of the lowest, if not the lowest, ranked teams in the entire placement tournament. However, I knew if we kept fighting, we'd be able to prove that we were meant to be there. Even though we were at a pretty big disadvantage, we came back in our second game and won 2-1, and our third match with the same score. This helped us gain a positive record in our placement matches. After that day, our coach [Austin] made me the starting tank because he liked the energy I had brought and saw the potential in me. After that day, we rolled through the rest of the year with me as the tank, occasionally moving to DPS on certain maps."
— Flanagan on how his perseverance allowed him to become OW Red's starting Tank for Spring 2026

Spring 2026 NECC saw a 7-0 overall and 21-0 map record in Division III – Central A's regular season. For the second consecutive semester, OW Red clinched a No. 1 seed for the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, Oklahoma City University was swept 3-0 on March 27. Next, OW Red beat Northern Illinois University 3-1 on April 10. Once again, Flanagan helped take OW Red to another NECC championship, this time for Division III Central. Although they moved up a division, it did not deter Carthage. A 4-0 victory came on April 17 after a grueling series against No. 3 Wright State Raiders. Across Ilios (Control), Eichenwalde (Hybrid), Watchpoint (Escort) and Colosseo (Push), this series showcased the team's core strength: endurance, proving why they were the best.

In Spring 2026 WEC action, OW Red finished 6-1 overall with a 17-5 map record, claiming second out of 21 teams and qualifying for the Regional LAN at Carthage Esports Arena on April 18-19. They ended the round-robin 3-1 overall and 6-3 on maps, earning a first-round bye as a top-two team. OW Red beat UW-Milwaukee Varsity Black 3-0 in the semifinals. On April 19, a 3-2 win over the MSOE Raiders helped the team claim a spot in the Spring 2026 WEC State LAN at the UW-Stout Esports Arena.

On May 1-2, OW Red went 2-1 overall with a 6-4 map record in the Championship Group Stage, losing only to UW-Stout Varsity Blue, which placed them as the No. 3 seed in the Finals Bracket. After a first-round bye, OW Red played UW-Whitewater Varsity Purple on May 3 and won 3-2. The Spring 2026 WEC State championship was decided in a seven-game series between Carthage OW Red and UW-Stout Varsity Blue. The Blue Devils led 3-0 before OW Red tied the series 3-3. UW-Stout's strong team play on Suravasa (Flashpoint) helped it win in a crucial moment.

As the Spring 2026 WEC campaign came to a close, OW Red secured an automatic bid to the 2026 Division III NECC Nationals thanks to its two conference titles (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026) and clinched the No. 1 seed. In the Round of 16, they defeated No. 16 Missouri State University 3-2 on April 24. Then, OW Red competed in the Elite Eight and Final Four on May 1, after which the team arrived early at the UW-Stout Esports Arena in preparation for the Spring 2026 WEC State LAN. Here, the team beat No. 9 Florida Polytechnic 3-1 and No. 4 St. Ambrose University 3-1. Then, OW Red faced No. 3 Paradise Valley Community College on May 8. The moment arrived for Flanagan and Co., who won a dramatic 4-3 series after a crucial team fight with seconds left, taking the meter-distance lead on Colosseo (Push).

"Exactly a year after being told I'd be a backup on varsity [May 14, 2025], I was voted Overwatch MVP by Coach Austin and my teammates [Adam, Deacon, Joy and Mason]. It felt extremely surreal and rewarding because I had worked so hard all year so that I could be recognized by my peers and Carthage Esports. I tried so hard because I wanted to succeed for my team, but I also wanted to prove to myself and everybody else that I did deserve to be MVP."
— Flanagan on what winning OW Team MVP meant to him

In his career, Flanagan is a two-time NECC conference champion (Fall 2025 vs. MTSU Lightning; Spring 2026 vs. Wright State Raiders), a one-time WEC Regional LAN champion (Spring 2026 vs. MSOE Raiders), a one-time Most Valuable Player award winner (2025-26 Carthage Esports Banquet on May 14, 2025) and one-fifth of the only Carthage Esports team to win an NECC national championship (May 8, 2026, vs. Paradise Valley Community College).

"I'm very excited to continue where we left off and continue our success in whatever division we're placed in. I'm extremely grateful to have the most amazing and supportive esports team and am so glad that I have gained many lifelong friendships from this program within and outside of OW. Also, I want to thank my family and friends who have supported me every step of the way. Not many people, especially older generations, understand esports or really video games for that matter. However, my immediate and extended family have supported me every step of the way regardless of age or understanding."
— Flanagan on his excitement for the 2026-27 competitive year and his gratitude toward those who have supported his Carthage Esports journey

Overall, Flanagan is a determined and hard-working student-athlete who has personified the mindset of betting on yourself and winning. His story is a lesson for all of us to dial in on what to do when the tides are against you. It's not about the specific challenges you face. It's about how you respond to them, along with any doubts. 

Carthage Esports is currently in season with WEC competition and will resume regularly scheduled livestreams starting Tuesday, Sept. 29, to kick off the Fall 2026 NECC Season and the 2026-27 competitive year. We extend our gratitude to those who consistently support the Carthage Esports program.

Follow @carthageesports on all social media platforms to stay updated on content involving the upcoming Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 seasons. Follow our Twitch channel to be informed when broadcasts go live. Lastly, be on the lookout for recaps on the Carthage Athletics Esports page once the Fall 2026 season begins.