Nemesis climbs to the top at Seneca District Competition!

Nemesis got its first victory of this season, and an impressive one at that. The competition, hosted by Seneca High School, was the second district event that our team has attended this year. The event was spread over 2 days, with the first day focused entirely on the qualification matches, while the second included both the qualification and elimination matches. Day 1 started with an opening ceremony, followed by 47 matches. We played 9 matches on Saturday, winning all but one. Nemesis ended the day in the second seed and ready for the next day of competing.

The following day started off with a narrow defeat, but Nemesis regained its footing, ending the qualifiers with the 3rd place. Our strategy team worked with fellow teams to pick potential alliance partners, using the valuable data our scouts collected throughout the competition. The Alliance Selection saw the first seed team 5895, Peddie Robotics, choose us as their first pick. The second team chosen was team 5407, Wolfpack Robotics, forging an unstoppable alliance. The first quarterfinal matches demonstrated the amazing synergy of our alliance, and we bested the 8th seeded alliance in the second game of a 3 game series. The semi-finals went similarly, with our alliance scoring triple digits both times and setting a competition-high score of 117 points. Meanwhile, alliance 2 and 3 duked it out in the most intense matches of the day. While alliance 2 won the first game, the second match was decided by tiebreakers. Since the third alliance had committed less penalties, they won the second game. The third semi final saw the teams match each other not only on score, but also the first tiebreaker. The second tiebreaker, based on who scored more hangar points, revealed that alliance 2 had taken the series.

The first finals match saw our alliance triumph, with a triple digit score, in spite of a double traversal climb from alliance 2. We gripped the edges of our seats as we watched the second match unfold. With a flurry of shots from both alliances, it all seemed like a blur of speeding metal. When the dust finally settled, Nemesis was on the traversal rung and the red alliance had won 89-73. Screams of joy, excitement, and pure happiness filled the air as the entire stadium stood up in applause. We commend our opponents in Alliance 2 for their fierce competitiveness, as well as all the other teams who attended the event at Seneca. We saw firsthand how hard they all worked and how well it is paying off. With our alliance as the winners of the tournament, the awards ceremony ensued. Our team won the industrial design award, commending our excellent “industrial design principles”. Seneca was a resounding victory for our team, and we are most excited to attend our next competition, the First Mid Atlantic Regional Championship, at Lehigh University.