M.V. Robotics Team Wins VEX State Competition

By IAIN MCMURRAY

The Progress

The Moapa Valley Robotics team participated in the Nevada State Robotics Competition on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas. The Tournament featured over 50 teams from all around the state and, although competition was stiff, the Moapa Valley team, called The Dread Pirates carried the day throughout the contest, seizing the state championship and a trip to the World Championships next month.

The Dread Pirates were at the top of their game. They went completely undefeated throughout the qualification matches.

Ranking first, they chose to partner in the quarter-finals with the second place team in their division: a team from Cimmaron Memorial High School. Together, this pair handily won their quarterfinals match, 175-103.

In the semifinal round, the partnership faced off against two teams from Coronado High School. In a nail-biting finish, the Dread Pirates and their Cimmaron partners won the match 145 – 139. It was the smallest win margin of the day.

With that, the Dread Pirates moved on to the finals match, where they faced a partnership made up of teams from Spring Valley High School and Faith Lutheran High School.

Because the winner of the match gets a bid to the world championship, the finals match was run as a best of three.

In the first of these finals matches, the Dread Pirates won 130 – 93. In that round the team lost the autonomous period, a portion of the contest when the robot must accomplish its tasks as programmed without further direction from a human operator. But the team made up for it in the driver control period of the round.

The second match was won 197 – 83, with the Dread Pirates winning state completely undefeated.
The local team was proud of its accomplishments. “What an amazing experience these students had,” said Dread Pirates coach Bryan Linford. “I’m very proud of how well they performed throughout the season. It’s an honor to be a part of this great achievement.”

On the way back, the team was met with the customary fire truck parade, going around the valley and ending up at the Moapa Valley High School campus. Team members then rang the victory bell for the first time since the start of the high school robotics program four years ago.

The team would like to thank their generous supporters and everyone who has helped them get to where they are. They will be attending the World Championship event in April.