With “We Are the Champions” by Queen filling the arena and teammates cheering from the stands, the LigerBots, leading their alliance, claimed victory at the Greater Boston FIRST Robotics Competition held at Revere High School, topping a field of 37 teams in a dramatic, come-from-behind finish. The NE FIRST 7 week competition season still has 3 weeks to go, but LigerBots has secured their spot at the District Championships (DCMP)!

This weekend, earning the 2nd overall seed after 74 qualifying matches, the LigerBots dominated their way through the bracket, making the playoffs and winning every match in the playoffs until falling to the 1st seed Alliance in the semifinals. Fighting back through the lower bracket, FRC 2877 along with FRC 151, FRC 190 and backup robot FRC 8626 advanced to a best-of-three finals. There, they began by winning a nail-biting first match by just 4 points before dropping the second. In the decisive third match, our Alliance, with team 151 playing critical defense and teams 190 and 2877 pounding points into the hub, upset the 1st seed alliance by 4 points again to take the title!

Beyond the finals, the LigerBots earned three FIRST awards that reflect the team’s broader impact. The Engineering Inspiration Award recognized the team for their commitment to inspiring progress and innovation through engineering. Also, team member Felicia was honored by being named a semifinalist for the FIRST Leadership award, sending her to DCMP to compete with the semi finalists from other qualifiers held around the district. In addition, Coach Chris was nominated for the Woodie Flowers award, which recognizes coaches for their impact on their teams and in FIRST.

This victory builds on momentum from just two weeks earlier, when the LigerBots captured the FIRST Impact Award at the North Shore qualifier in Reading—the organization’s highest honor, celebrating teams that best embody a model for others through outreach and community impact. That win had already secured their qualification for District Championships.

Now, their robot, Hermes, earned its own way onto the field to compete with 70+ of the top teams in New England! There, the LigerBots will showcase not only the performance and strategy of their robot, but also their hallmark values of innovation, teamwork, leadership, and “gracious professionalism.”

Next stop: District Championships in Springfield, MA April 15-18th.