With mascots roaming the gym, chants from the stands, bracket play and balls flying through the air, the district robotics tournament at Saline High School carried a little March Madness energy of its own. By the end of the weekend, host team 5066 had reached the finals and earned the Judges’ Award.
The event drew a strong local showing, including Milan High School’s Team 5567, Code Red Robotics, and Team 8297, the WIHI Robo Wolves from Washtenaw International High School. The Robo Wolves also stepped in at the last minute on Alliance 4.
During alliance selection, Saline’s Team 5066, Singularity, served as an alliance captain, choosing Team 548 with its first pick and Team 3632 in the second round. Milan’s Team 5567 was selected by Team 7178 and accepted the invitation into alliance play.
Saline’s Alliance 3 advanced through the playoff bracket and finished as the event finalist. Milan competed as part of Alliance 5 with Teams 7178 and 308, winning its opening playoff match before later being eliminated by top-seeded alliances.
Code Red Robotics mentor Chris Overbeek said he was proud of the way Milan “competed and persevered,” noting the team was selected to the Fifth Alliance, won its first playoff match and then had to face the event winner and runner-up finalist.
For spectators, the tournament brought fast-paced matches and loud reactions. There was music between matches, including requests for songs like “Party Rock Anthem,” and plenty of dancing while teams waited for their next turn on the field…