BHS Robotics showcased their talent and determination at the Region 3 State finals this weekend. Competing against some of the top schools in the state, the Robotic Burros delivered a thrilling display of engineering and strategy, with one of the four BHS teams advancing to Worlds after a historic performance.
“It is the first time that a team reached the semifinals at the State Championship competition,” said Advisor Damien Jacotin, referencing the Team S & C alliance. “I am very proud of what they accomplished.”
Team 7422C — senior John Baronowski, juniors Maggie Pham and Leon Almanzar, and sophomores Everett Dickey and Zack Duchow — finished second in the Skills competition behind the team from San Luis Obispo — a team Jacotin called “truly incredible.”
“If we were going to lose to a team, we wanted it to be SLO,” said Duchow.
To advance to the semifinals, 7422C won 5 of its 7 matches during the qualifying rounds.
Team S won 6 of 7 matches to place fourth overall. Team H went 4 of 7, while B won 2 of 5.
In the end, the SLO team double-qualified, opening a slot at Worlds for the team from Burroughs.
“I have been wanting this since I started and to be able to finally go is a dream come true,” said Baronowski. He also shared high praise for the other BHS teammembers.
“Everyone brings a unique skill set and to see them all mesh together is really rewarding,” said Baronowski. “I am so very proud of my team and all the work. Our constant hours after school, at lunch and during the weekend have paid off.”
He joked that they made for a “very inexpensive group of young engineers.”
The other teams are now focused on next year’s competition. They are cleaning their space for next year and getting organized so hopefully they can build the bot to go to Worlds next year.
Vex Worlds for high schoolers will take place May 6-8 in Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. To follow the competition, stream live from www.vexworlds.tv.
