Awards won by 574C “Centurion” at Night at the Museum Tournament in Chantilly, Va.

SYRACUSE — Wawasee’s 574C robotics team earned tournament finalist, skills championship, and amaze awards, battling in the state of Virginia against teams from 25 states Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25-26, during the Night at the Museum Invitational in Chantilly, Va.

The invitational tournament was a best of the best invitational with 60 teams from 25 states that during the season had earned 88 tourney championships, 62 robot skills championships, 59 excellence awards, 28 design awards, and 57 of the highest robot skills scores in the United States between them.

In robot skills, 574C outpaced the nearest competitor by nine points, scoring 50 points, just one point short of their world record. 574C also earned the amaze award by being a team with an amazing, well rounded and top performing robot.

Round of 16 — Wawasee made it into the elimination round and allied with 6842Z, Pigpen (Park Tudor Upper School of Indianapolis). These two high powered teams brought 574C’s five-time tourney champ, six-time skills champ, two-time excellence award and design award plus Pigpen’s five-time tourney champ, four-time skills champ, three-time excellence and design award wins to beat 7110Z (Carroll Senior High School, Southlake, Texas), three-time tourney champ, one-time skills champ, one-time excellence award, one-time design award and 8110R (Mankato West High School, Mankato, Minn.), two-time tourney champ, two-time skills champ, five-time excellence award, one-time design award, by a score 32 to 2.

Quarter finals — 574C and Pigpen then defeated 375X (home team, Mansfield Center, Conn.), two-time tourney champ and 2442C (Bancroft School, Worcester, Mass.), two-time tourney champ, by a score 28 to 3.

Semifinals — 574C and Pigpen then defeated 2011C (Brecksville Robotics, Broadview Heights, Ohio) three-time tourney champ, one-time skills champ, one-time excellence award, and 2011F (Brecksville Robotics), two-time tourney champ, by a score 23 to 10.

Finals — In a controversial turn of events, shortly before the beginning of the final match, 574C was informed the autonomous scoring strategy they had used all through the tourney was illegal. Caught by surprise and disagreeing with this decision, 574C called a three-minute time out while they made changes to comply. Once the match started, Pigpen froze through Autonomous. The Allies lost the four point bonus. 574C and Pigpen were defeated 22 to 11 by 6008A (North Union High School, Richwood, Ohio), one-time tourney champ, one-time excellence award, one-time design award and 6008D (North Union High School), two-time tourney champ, three-time skills champ, and two-time excellence award.

When all was said and done, 574C walked away with three trophies, more than any other team at the tourney.

Awards:

Tournament finals — 574C “Centurion” — Micah Rassi, Evan Rassi, Joe Kelsheimer, Nick Murphy

Robot skills champion ~ 574C “Centurion”

Amaze award — 574C “Centurion”

Iron Pride Suffers First Defeat

Wawasee Iron Pride battled hard at the Hardwood Teepee Saturday, Jan. 26, but suffered its first defeat of the season. Coach Jed Wandland said, “This was a learning experience for us. We’ve had such an extended season of success that some of our kids have never been to a tournament where Wawasee suffered a loss.”

With the state championship being six weeks away, Wandland and Assistant Coach, Julie Hays, are optimistic for the future. “I’m hopeful this will ignite a spark within the students,” said Hays. “They’re much more aware of the progress other teams have made and how difficult the road will be to state.”

“The great thing is the kids love a challenge,” continued Wandland.

Heading into the alliance selection, 574E was third, 574M was sixth, 574D was eighth, 574F was 13th and 574K 18th. These teams were able to select allies to compete in the finals. Other teams selected to be in the finals were 574J, 574A and 574B.

No Wawasee team made it to the finals.

Wawasee Iron Pride Robotics will be at Plymouth High School Saturday, Feb. 2. The address is 1 Big Red Drive, Door No. 5. There is no cost for admission.

Opening ceremonies at 9:15 a.m., qualifying starts at 9:30 a.m., finals at approximately 3 p.m.