Posted: Mar 18, 2024
Mycroft takes Madden success to big stage of the 2024 NFL Draft
Continuing to expose Clarke University Esports to major Madden competitions both at the collegiate and profession levels, Daniel Mycroft will get the opportunity to play live at the NFL Draft later this April for the RallyCry Madden Collegiate Championship.
Earlier this January, RallyCry kicked off the start of the Madden Collegiate Championships, which consisted of eight weeks of open qualifiers for all competitors to fight for the opportunity to play live at the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. Mycroft registered for the second open qualifier on January 27th and had no trouble making it to the second stage of the bracket. On February 10th, Mycroft made quick work of all of his opponents, fighting all the way to the finals match where he would face off against Fort Valley State University.
In the first match of the series, Fort Valley State scored the first touchdown in the 1st quarter, but Mycroft would respond on his next possession with a touchdown of his own. Both teams put up a strong defense through the second quarter, leading Fort Valley State to only have an opportunity to kick a field goal, but Mycroft again responded on his next immediate possession with another touchdown, bringing the score to 14-10 at halftime.
After receiving the kickoff of a flubbed onside kick, Mycroft threw an impressive 50-yard touchdown to increase his lead by another 7 points. After stopping his opponent entirely on their next possession, Fort Valley State conceded the first game of the series. Heading into game 2, Mycroft didn't let off the gas whatsoever, scoring a big 60-yard touchdown on his very first possession. Fort Valley State would go on to throw an interception during their next possession, followed by slow drives down the field for another touchdown for Mycroft before the end of the second quarter. After the following kickoff and a few drives, with 30 seconds left in the second quarter Fort Valley State threw another interception to Mycroft, immediately conceding the second game to give Mycroft the series victory, and the 2nd seed heading into the Collegiate Championship Playoffs.
With the start of the playoff bracket on March 16th, Mycroft has his sights set for Detroit, Michigan. For his first matchup, Mycroft was able to defeat Livingstone College in another 2-0 sweep. Now in the Winner's Semifinal match, Mycroft would take on the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. In the first game of the series, UNC Charlotte was able to score a touchdown on their very first possession. Once again in the following possession, Mycroft would respond with a touchdown of his own. Throughout the rest of the first and second quarters, every time UNC Charlotte would score a touchdown, Mycroft would continue to respond with one of his own, leaving both teams tied 21-21 at halftime. Starting off the third quarter, Mycroft would score a field goal, and was able to pick up another interception in the final seconds of the quarter, eventually leading to another touchdown to bring the score to 31-21. Mycroft continued to fight in the 4th quarter, but UNC Charlotte was able to put up another touchdown and make some great stops, leading to a 3-second field goal to equalize the score, leading to overtime.
UNC Charlotte started off with the ball, and Mycroft was able to make some great defensive plays, holding his opponent to only a field goal. After some great play calls, Mycroft was able to run a touchdown in to secure the game 1 victory with a 37-34 scoreline. Heading into game 2, both teams had strong defensive play in the first quarter, but Mycroft was able to score a touchdown in the early minutes of the second quarter. The next three possessions saw both teams going touchdown for touchdown, followed by a great kickoff return from Mycroft that eventually led to another touchdown, putting Mycroft up at halftime 21-14.
Receiving the kickoff, Mycroft threw another 50-yard touchdown, followed by another interception on his opponent's next possession. After driving in a touchdown and making a 4th and goal stop, UNC Charlotte conceded the match, giving Mycroft the 35-14 game 2 victory and a spot in the Winner's Finals.
Only needing one more victory to secure his spot in the championship match played live at the NFL Draft, Mycroft faced off against the #1 seeded Towson University. After a similar game script of his opponent scoring a touchdown and responding with one of his own in the first quarter, Mycroft would have a slightly slower start than usual, letting his opponent score two unanswered touchdowns, bringing the score to 21-7 with a minute left in the first quarter. Mycroft was then not only able to score another touchdown in the final seconds of the first quarter, but threw another great 60-yard touchdown pass followed by another 50-yard touchdown pass to take the lead in game 1 of the series 28-21 at halftime. After some great stops throughout the third quarter, Mycroft led off the fourth quarter with a touchdown, carrying his momentum through the remainder of the game and stopping any potential comeback opportunities to take the 38-35 victory in game 1.
With one game separating him from competing live in Detroit, Mycroft got off to a great start in game 2, scoring three touchdowns and holding his opponent to only a single touchdown throughout the first half. After scoring another touchdown on his first possession of the third quarter and making a 4th down stop on his opponents next possession, Townson conceded the second game, giving Mycroft the series victory and the opportunity to play live at the upcoming NFL Draft.
Mycroft will travel to Detroit, Michigan for the NFL Draft starting on April 24th, where he'll once again take on Towson University to fight for the Madden Collegiate Championship title.
On top of his collegiate success, Mycroft has also been competing in the RedHot Gaming Madden Championship Series, hosted in partnership with the University of Oklahoma. The RHG Championship Series consists of two separate events with a combined prize pool of $30k. Both events have eight different qualifiers, with each winner being flown out to compete at the live event held on Oklahoma's campus. Mycroft competed in one of the qualifiers back in October and was able to win out, securing a spot at the live event on March 30th.
Mycroft also qualified for the second live event from March 28th - March 29th after winning a qualifier to make the Round-of-16 bracket this past winter, and then defeating his first-round opponent on March 12th. Mycroft will get the opportunity to fly out to Norman, Oklahoma to compete in both events for the 'Madden Super Weekend' later this month.