Ontonagon robotics takes home big win

Submitted photo

The Ontonagon Area High School robotics team won a District competition in Kingsford this past weekend. The team is currently ranked 34th in the state of over 500 teams and are coached by Glen Beck and Jon Ollila. Beck said the team is “excited to move on to the next event in Sault Ste Marie the first week in April. Team members include, from left: first row, Luke Soumis, Emma Pieti, Glen Beck (coach), Isaiah Beck, Whitney Rule and Abby Ollila; and second row, Jon Ollila (coach), Ryzard Olzewski and Phil Voss. Noah Lukkari and Bradley Mhyren are not pictured.

KINGSFORD – The Ontonagon Area High School’s robotics team won a District competition in Kingsford this past weekend.

The Gladiators are only in their third year of competition and have faced many teams with many more years of experience. Team members include Abby Ollila, Bradley Myhren, Noah Lukkari, Ryszard Olszewski, Luke Soumis, Philip Voss, Whitney Rule, Isaiah Beck and Emma Pieti. Mentors are Glen Beck, Jon Ollila and Bret Pieti.

The team traveled to Kingsford on Thursday for the three-day event.

Robot inspection, testing, and practice matches took place Thursday evening while teams from around the state arrived for the competition. Three teams were randomly selected to make up an alliance for each match. During the matches, each alliance worked together to beat the opposing alliance by scoring points for specific tasks.

This year’s competition challenge theme is Deep Space. To score points, teams were tasked with attaching hatch panels to a cargo ship in the center of the field or to either of the two rockets on their half of the playing field. After the hatch panels are secured, the teams could also score points by placing cargo (balls) into the cargo bays of the cargo ship and the rockets.

Teams were also challenged to climb onto one of three different levels by the end of the competition. Teams scored points for each hatch panel and piece of cargo they were able to place, as well as points for climbing.

Qualification matches began Friday morning. The Gladiators played 12 qualification matches on Friday and Saturday, finishing with a record of 9-3. At the end of qualification matches, the Gladiators were in fourth place and moved on to the best 2-out-of-3 championship matches.

The top 8 teams are alliance captains and get to choose their alliance members for the playoff matches. The first-place team selected the second-place team to join their alliance, moving the Gladiators up to third place. The new second place team invited the Gladiators to join their alliance, but Ontonagon declined the invitation. The Gladiators wound up inviting the Adambots from Adams High School in Rochester and the Instigators, from Sault Area High School in Sault Ste. Marie to join their alliance.

The quarterfinal matches began Saturday afternoon where the Gladiators’ alliance won both of its matches as well as two semifinals against an alliance that featured a team from Calumet, the Copperbots.

The victories moved the Gladiators to the finals which pitted their third place alliance, playing against the first place alliance.

In the finals, the Ontonagon’s alliance won the first match 78-73, but lost the second match 68-38 after a communication cable became disconnected and disabled one of their alliance members.

This set up a nail-biting final match, which ended with the Gladiators’ alliance winning 72-70.

Ontonagon is ranked No. 34 in the state out of over 500 teams. The Gladiators will travel to a another District event in Sault Ste. Marie on April 4-6.