The robotics team at Cityside Middle School in Zeeland recently made history during a world championship event.
The OverClucked Bots was a member of the winning alliance at the 2025-26 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships in Houston, Texas. It’s the first middle school team in the organization’s history to reach the interdivisional playoffs, and the first to be part of the winning alliance.
The event gathered 336 robotics teams from around the world.
“This is a really great moment,” wrote ZPS Superintendent Rod Hetherton. “The OverClucked Bots showed awesome innovation and stamina on a world stage. We (couldn’t) be prouder of these students, their mentors, and everyone who helped support this season.”
The team battled through “ongoing connection challenges” to achieve one of the highest offensive power ratings during their division qualification, according to a social media post by the team.
After qualifying rounds, the team was selected by one of six “captain” teams to join an alliance. Team 30030 Exodus from Austin, Texas, served as captain of the Lovelace Alliance and chose Team 21087 Velocity from Brăila, Romania, and the OverClucked Bots.
The alliance went 4-1 in a round-robin playoff, earning a spot in the finals against the Goodall Alliance. Lovelace went 2-0 in the championship round, winning by scores of 514-506 and 526-519, taking home the title.
“There are no words to fully capture the dedication, emotion and effort that go into a season with OCB,” the team spokesperson wrote. “We are deeply grateful for the continued support from … staff, students and the entire community — your encouragement is a cornerstone of this program’s success.”
The team was recognized during a schoolwide assembly May 8. Zeeland Mayor Rick VanDorp presented the team and head coach Chase Carpenter with a special proclamation.
Creekside Middle School’s RoboDux also competed and performed well during the event. The RoboDux went 6-4 in their qualification matches.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Zeeland middle school boasts some ultra-talented robotics students
Reporting by Mitchell Boatman, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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