The Boise State Broncos capped off their Spring 2023 CRL season with a trip to Dallas to compete in the CRL World Championship. The top 16 Rocket League teams from North America and Europe competed from June 2-4 for a $75,000 prize pool. Players Gabriel “Gil” Reynolds, Emiliano “Durtho” Flores, and Kyle “Instinct” Ady traveled to Dallas to represent the Boise State. They were joined by Boise State’s Rocket League coach Payton Wilkin and head coach Dr. Haskell.
The Tournament
Competatively, Boise State faced off against the same college, HV Amsterdam, two times in a row during the group stage. In the first match, Amsterdam pulled out to an early lead in the best of five, winning the first two games. Boise State rallied back in a reverse sweep and beat Amsterdam in game five. This left both colleges with a 1-1 record in the group stage. In order to move on, they would have to face each other again the next day. The second match would also head to a game five with both teams forcing the match to go into overtime. Boise State put in a valiant effort, but Amsterdam scored the winning goal in overtime, ending the Bronco’s run in the tournament.
Ending the Year
Even though the Bronco’s didn’t get far at CRL worlds, just qualifying for the championships placed them as one of the top 16 Rocket League teams in the world. For each of the players, the event carried a special meaning. For Durtho, it was the conclusion of a blockbuster first year. Whereas, for Instinct, it would be a fantastic ending to his final year with the Broncos.
Boise State Rocket League will come back this fall with returning favorites like Durtho and Gil, and new faces such as Cade “wuzy” Hall. Tryouts for Rocket League and all other varsity games will take place during the opening weeks of the Fall semester. Check back in the coming months for more information about next semesters tryouts.
Writteny by Jacob Palmer.