Week 0 MHS Scrimmage
We started our 2026 REBUILT™ season with a massive statement, securing an epic end-game alliance win at the Week 0 scrimmage at MHS. After weeks of developing our prototype designs, from our initial concepts, to our wooden prototypes, we arrived at the final version, our one and only Tempest. Our team’s hard work truly paid off. Thanks to everyone’s meticulous engineering skills, our robot dominated the field with a high speed “snow-blower” intake and a rapid fire shooter, with such added precision thanks to some top-tier Limelight work done by programming. Our Drive Team did an outstanding job this year, communicating and helping each other through every minor setback and every triumph!
This event served as a perfect testing field for our 35-member student team and our eight outstanding mentors, whom we appreciate very much! We left with a valuable lesson, not only in realizing that high-volume fuel scoring and heavy intake was the most consistent path to victory, but also in upholding our Breakerbot spirit through perseverance is as important as the many things our robot can do. With the data gathered and our supporters by our side, we headed back to The Lair to fine-tune our strategy before taking on our next big challenge in San Francisco!
Week 8-9: San Francisco
By Week 8, the already glowing energy in The Lair was absolutely electric as we put the finishing touches on our final robot, Nausicaä. After weeks of intense preparation and collaboration, we finally reached the major milestone of handing the bot over to the programming team to be brought to life. While the three members of our fantastic programming team were doing their coding magic, the rest of us excellent mechanics and aspiring engineers were busy perfecting the design of the shooter’s hood and getting ready for the big trip. Our subteams were buzzing with energy, pressing custom buttons, and ready to make a splash in the San Francisco pits.
Seeing all our hard work, late-night brainstorming, and dedication physically embodied in this robot was truly a beautiful thing to observe, especially when we all stood back to look at Nausicaa together. It was no longer just wires and metal, but the bond we had built, the pride of seeing our collective dream ready to take flight. There was such a rush of joy and connection in knowing that no matter what happened on the field, we had already won by growing so close as a team through our shared dedication and love for our robotics club. Our hearts were full, and our determination only grew as the days went on, and we were ready to go to San Francisco and showcase our beautiful robot Nausicaä at the Pinnacles event, and show what the BreakerBots are made of!
Week 10-11:
By week 10 we were in full recovery mode, working relentlessly to replace our broken subsystems with brand new parts to recover from the wear and tear of our last event. Once the hardware was rock-solid, we turned Nausicaa over to our programming team to be brought back to life so they could fine tune her for the great challenges ahead. Then, we carried our confidence to the Pinnacles District Event!
When we took the field at Pinnacles, Hollister, we saw how all our hard work truly paid off! Our playing was much improved; we were able to handle last-minute repairs, and the revised hood we had to make from last time made us very accurate at shooting. We tackled each obstacle that came our way and added a whole lot of fuel to our alliance’s score by earning a total of 650 points in our last qualification game, which was the best score in the entire tournament! Although we did not make it past the semifinals, earning 87 district points certainly boosted our spirits.
We headed back to The Lair to evaluate everything we learned, and we reflected on our experience to prepare ourselves for the NorCal Championship.
The Grand Finale of ‘26:
NorCal Championships
Right from the start, the Cow Palace felt different – our first big moment at NorCal Championships unfolded fast. Not holding back, we went into every match like it was the last chance to prove that we are the mighty BreakerBots. Through Saturday and Sunday, there were many brilliant, bigger teams that seemed intimidating, yet we stayed steady with performances that matched their intensity. Climbing through the ranks brought us to 34th place after qualifiers, just behind half of sixty top-tier teams. Season totals locked in at 25 wins, 19 losses, zero draws – an honest reflection of time spent sharpening moves during official games. Pushed without mercy, Nausicaä answered each challenge the way we needed her to. Watching her swerve drive twist under pressure, then launch shots clean when it mattered most was a sight that truly stuck deep with everyone on deck, and we were all very inspired by our lovely robot teammate–she is part of the team, you know. Without her, the BreakerBots wouldn’t quite be complete. Thank you, Nausicaä!
Not walking away with a trophy still felt like winning somehow, at least in my point of view. Now, let me explain:
Out of every team in California’s district, ending at rank 62 with 123 points shows we stand tall among strong teams who are all well respected and amazing in their own ways. Through all those matches in Daly City, composure stayed steady even when stress climbed fast. When defenses tightened up, plans shifted without panic. Victory slipped through fingers this round, yet our grit grew deeper than any scoreboard can show. Staying tight as a group turned hard moments into quiet strength. Heads lifted leaving that arena, minds already drifting toward next season’s chance to rise again! Can’t wait! Go BreakerBots!
