The phrase “all work and no play” has a different meaning for local senior Owen Degolier.
He has turned his play into work, leading his Rocket League team to victory in the Pennsylvania Scholastic Esports League Fall Championship.
Owen is a senior at Reach Cyber Charter School. His school’s team has gone to the championships for the last three years in a row, but this time they were able to take it all the way. Following his team’s big win, Owen has received multiple scholarship offers from various colleges.
“I am very competitive with most things I do and this was no different,” said Owen.
He started playing Rocket League in 2018 and soon fell in love with the game.
“I don’t really know what got me hooked on it but I do enjoy it — you have to enjoy it to play at this level,” said Owen.
To make it to the finals, the team played well in an eight-match regular season. That put them in the playoff bracket, where they had to win four more matches.
“To see him play in Harrisburg was very exciting,” said Michelle Degolier, Owen’s mom. “It is just crazy, all the positive energy in the room.”
Owen said he felt confident going into the championships.
“I just felt like we should win — we were higher ranked than everyone else and probably played the game more,” said Owen.
“The team plays together a lot and puts in many hours practicing,” said Michelle.
Owen’s dedication to esports leads him to practicing Rocket League about 40 hours a week. It has become a lifestyle for him and his family.
“Most people I talk to also play esports so they were pretty excited for us,” said Owen. “And then my mom was very excited when we won — I think she was more excited than I was to be honest.”
Michelle said, “He has come so far from when he just started playing video games to where he is now. If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would be this excited to go watch someone play a video game, I would never have believed it.”
She was overjoyed when Owen received his scholarship offers. He plans to attend Albright College and major in computer science. He said he would like to open up his own information technology business after he completes his degree.
“It is a really neat thing that he has stuck with this and taken it so far,” said Michelle. “He is just relentless and that makes him a real competitor.”
