The CyberKnights display their championship banner at the FIRST Robotics competition in Hartford last weekend. (Photo by Thavone Washer)
Southington’s Team 195 CyberKnights participated in the Hartford district event at Hartford Public High School last weekend and brought home another FIRST Robotics blue banner. The CyberKnights are currently ranked second in the world for their power rating score based on match data collected at all events to date.
CyberKnights board members said that the team saw fierce competition on Saturday but had a strong day. By the end of the first day’s qualifying matches, the locals were ranked number one out of 42 teams from Connecticut and Massachusetts.
They competed in 17 qualifying matches which advanced them to the quarter finals.
As the top seed, the Southington team was named captain of the No. 1 Alliance, where they partnered with Team 558, the “Elm City Robo-squad” from New Haven and Team 173, “Rage Robotics” from Tolland.
The alliance moved seamlessly through the competition on day two, led by the CyberKnight robot, “Knightro.” From start to finish, Southington protected their position at the top of the scoreboard, earning a spot in the semi-finals with a record-tying high score of 522 points.
Teams 195, 558, and 173 drove their robots through the final round to earn first place overall and bring home another district title. Last year, Southington Team 195 and New Haven Team 558 were also partners during their win.
Now, the CyberKnights will advance to the New England Championship this week, where they will be among 60 regional teams at the Whittemore Arena at the University of New Hampshire.
Board members said that the team is going for the “three-peat,” having already won the New England title in both 2015 and 2016.