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By Brandon Yanna
Contributing Writer

Blackwater Robotics, Franklin High School’s robotics team and FIRST Tech Challenge Team 27248, competed on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Deep Run High School in the Glen Allen Qualifier #1 event.

The team competed in five qualification matches along with 32 other teams from across Virginia and Maryland. After five matches, Blackwater had won all five of their played matches and was ranked first, by virtue of their autonomous points.

In alliance selection, Blackwater chose Team 23218, Glory, a family/community team from Poquoson to round out the top-seeded alliance.

Using a double-elimination format, new to FIRST Tech Challenge this season, in the first playoff match, the No. 1 seed went against the No. 4-seeded alliance captained by Team 4634 FROGbots of Gainesville. The No. 1 seed got off to a tremendous start in the autonomous round, scoring 37 points in just the first 30 seconds, using just code to run their robots. The alliance didn’t look back, finishing the match with a score of 129-91.  

In the second playoff match, the No. 1 seed played the No. 3 seed captained by Team 7278, LibraryBots of Chesterfield. The No. 1 alliance was slow to get started in the autonomous round, only scoring 21 points in the first 30 seconds. The top alliance held off the charge from the No. 3 seed, piling on a whopping 86 in the teleoperated period, ending the match with a win of 107-79. 

The No. 1 seed had a long wait for the lower bracket to conclude play to determine which teams would play in the finals. The No. 3 seed fought its way back to be in the finals matches. In this matchup, both teams came out showing off their coding skills in autonomous, with the No. 1 seed just edging out the No. 3 seed, 29-19 in just the first 30 seconds. In the teleoperated period, both teams were going back and forth with the lead until the very last seconds of the match when both teams of the No. 1 seed scored 16 points in their top goal, just edging out the No. 3 seed one last time for a final score of 127-115.

That last match concluded play for this event with Blackwater Robotics in its first ever appearance in FIRST Tech Challenge, winning a qualifier event and going undefeated 8-0.

In addition to the team’s impressive showing on the field, off the field the team was interviewed by event judges, and the team earned accolades, being awarded the Control Award. According to FIRST, the Control Award celebrates a team that uses sensors and software to increase the robot’s functionality during gameplay. 

The team will have its next appearance on the competition field on Jan. 12 at Cape Henry Collegiate in Virginia Beach. In addition, with the team’s win at the Glen Allen event, it has qualified to compete in the FTC Chesapeake Championship event at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, to be held in February 2025.

The team is coached by Brandon Yanna, math and science teacher at Franklin High School. The team is mentored by Kyle Johnson, lead programming and design mentor; Claire Mayo, drive coach and technical mentor; and Hank Mummert, lead mechanical mentor.