It was an exciting and memorable weekend for Central High as our Central Wildcat Robotics team earned a spot in the State Championship Tournament.
The team traveled to Springfield High School on February 7th to compete in the Last Chance Tournament, where they faced strong competition throughout the day. After a series of intense matches, the Wildcats advanced to the semifinals, finishing the event with an impressive 7–3 record.
As the awards ceremony began, anticipation and nerves filled the room. After several awards were announced without hearing Central’s name, the team braced for the final honor of the night—the VEX Excellence Award. This prestigious award is the highest recognition in VEX Robotics, celebrating teams that build a high-quality, student-centered robotics program, demonstrate a strong Engineering Notebook, excel in interviews, and rank in the top percentage of qualification and skills matches.
When Central Wildcat Robotics was announced as the Excellence Award winner, the moment marked a full-circle achievement for a team that started the season with little experience. At their first competition in November, held in the same gym, the team spent much of the day troubleshooting a robot that would not move. Since then, these students have demonstrated tremendous growth, perseverance, innovation, and teamwork in reaching this milestone.
The Central High community is incredibly proud of the dedication and determination shown by these students:
Brock Barrett, Zach Bonano, Naiya Kessler, Jet Kroll, Michael Mullen, Devin Reed, Jacob Teed, Braden Whittington, Beau Penton, Cohen Moody, Haydon Johnson
We would also like to thank everyone who came out to support the team during the Five Guys fundraiser night. The strong turnout from our school community made a meaningful impact.
Central Wildcat Robotics will compete at the State Championship Tournament on February 26–27. We wish them the best as they represent Central High on the state stage.
Go Wildcats!