The robotics team delivered an impressive performance during the 2025–2026 FIRST Tech Challenge season, earning top honors at the regional championship and securing a qualification at the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship.

This year’s game, “Decode,” centers on an archaeology and geology theme and challenges teams to design robots capable of collecting and sorting small wiffle balls known as “artifacts.” Each match consists of a 30-second autonomous period, during which robots operate using preprogrammed instructions, followed by a two-minute driver-controlled phase. Teams score points by shooting artifacts into large corner goals and correctly sorting them at the end of each phase. Because scoring patterns are randomized at the start of each round and the game includes more contact between robots than in previous seasons, teams must balance precision, durability, and strategic design.

The Blue Jays’ robot—built by Team 6448, the oldest robotics team in Louisiana founded in 2012, features several advanced mechanisms designed for the challenge. The approximately 18-by-18-inch, 30-pound robot includes a 12-inch intake system, an automatic sorting mechanism called a “spindexer,” and a self-aiming turret that helps accurately deliver artifacts into the scoring goals.

The Jays qualified for the regional championship during the first qualifying tournament of the season in December. At the championship competition in Denham Springs, the robotics team performed strongly throughout the qualifying rounds and entered the playoffs as the fifth-seeded team. The Blue Jays partnered with the Circuit Breakers during the alliance selection phase, and the alliance advanced through the elimination rounds together, including a major upset victory over the tournament’s top-seeded alliance. Their run ended in the championship match with a narrow three-point loss, earning them a runner-up finish in the robot competition.

However, the event evaluates teams on far more than match performance. Teams are also judged on engineering documentation, presentations to judges, outreach initiatives, and overall professionalism. In these areas, the robotics team excelled, earning the Inspire Award, the competition’s highest honor.

The Inspire Award recognizes a team that serves as a strong ambassador for FIRST programs and a role model for other teams. Winners demonstrate excelllence in robot design and engineering, share their knowledge with others, and embody FIRST’s principle of “gracious professionalism” both on and off the field. The Inspire Award recipients are top contenders across many judged categories and exemplify teamwork, innovation, and community engagement.

Community engagement is a major focus for the robotics program, and the team completed an extensive slate of outreach activities over the past year. Members hosted a table at the Tulane Engineering Forum, partnered with STEM Library Lab to host a booth at a teacher meet-up fair, volunteered at the National WWII Museum’s Robotics Challenge, and served as camp counselors for GNOSTEM. The team also mentored FIRST LEGO League teams at St. Rita School and St. Catherine of Siena, contributing approximately 130 hours of volunteer service to help introduce younger students to robotics and engineering.

In addition, team members hosted a robotics booth at Tulane’s G.I.S.T. event and organized a public robotics program with the New Orleans Public Library over the summer titled “Urban Rescue.” These outreach efforts, combined with the team’s strong engineering, programming, and design work, helped distinguish the Blue Jays at the regional championship.

Overall rankings at the championship combine playoff performance, judged awards, and a formal presentation to judges. Although the Blue Jays finished second in the robot competition, their Inspire Award win placed them fist overall at the event. The Inspire Award qualification earned the team an invitation to the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship. However, the team has chosen to attend the Michiana Premier Event in South Bend, Indiana, in June instead.

The achievement marks another milestone for the program. Last season the team captured its first state championship since 2019, and this year marks the first time the Blue Jays have won the Inspire Award at the regional championship level.

The robotics team is moderated by James Keen and Travis Kieff and is mentored by Dr. Paul Trepagnier ’98.

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Robotics Team Roster

Seniors:
Darrin Haase, Jack Hubbard, Cullen Morris

Sophomores:
George Bernard, Austin Carriere, Brady Carriere, Evan Ernst, Justin Trepagnier, Martin Varela

Freshmen:
Miles Hubbard, Thatcher Slaughter, Marlon Varela, Michael Dawson, Watson Cook, Matthew Pham

Pre-freshmen:
Konrad Bernard, Nick Piazza