Boise State’s Rocket League team started off 2023 with a bang by qualifying for CRL’s Spring 2023 season. The team, made of of Gabriel “Gil” Reynolds, Emiliano “Durtho” Flores, and Kyle “Instinct” Ady faced off against a variety of colleges in early January to qualify. The victory sets the Broncos up for a potentially explosive Spring CRL season after a spectacular Fall season last year.
In order to qualify for CRL, collegiate teams must complete in a gauntlet of Rocket League games against a variety of teams. Two losses at any point during the day will drop a team out of contention for qualifying. Needless to say, a team needs to have near constant victories to qualify. Boise State faced off against CU Boulder, Oregon State, CSU Long Beach, and San Diego State during the qualifiers.
Boise State had some early sweeps against Oregon State and CU Boulder. However, their matches against Long Beach and San Diego State proved to be very challenging. Both later round opponents refused to get swept by the Broncos. San Diego State in particular proved to be a tough opponent driving their match to a final fifth game of a best of 5. Ultimately the Broncos won each of their matches and now move onto the main season for CRL.
This CRL season in particular is very crucial for the Broncos. Boise State ended the fall season with a 13-2 record and were ranked 3rd in CRL. A similar performance this semester will most likely get the Broncos a place in CRL Worlds taking place this summer. Those wanting more information about how the Broncos have prepared for this season can check out an earlier interview with player Gabriel Reynolds here.
Written by Jacob Palmer.