The robotics team’s season is about to start for the 2025-2026 school year which starts October 25. Their first competition is at Wooster High School in Wooster, Ohio and is known as “Boo at the Woo.” Dr. Luke Shepherd returns as the robotics coach for Wheeling Park High School.
The teams this year competing on behalf of Wheeling Park are full of talent. Some notable competitors are Chris Alkhouri, who is part of team 62629X-Ray, Levi Henry, who is a part of 62629y, and Emorson Kosol, who represents her team 62629k. They each take part in programming, documenting, and note-taking, respectively.
Even though they lost some strong competitors last year, they are just as ready to compete this season as any other.
Dr. Shepherd said, “As a coach, I am always a little nervous about the season, but I have a strong group of students coming back from last year. I only lost three seniors from last year, so I have a good veteran group of students to carry us through the next couple of years. I trust in my students’ preparation to carry them far during this season!”
The current students are working hard to make sure their robots are hard to make sure there robots are ready for the competition.
“There are some buildings and coding to finish, and we have been working hard on our robots for the competition,” said senior Chris Alkhouri.
Some people may not be aware of what all goes into winning a robotics competition, or what a competition even looks like, but it is a lot more complicated than just building a good robot.
“This year’s game is called Push Back. It requires students to fill a goal with cubes. The more cubes you have in the goal, the more points it is worth. There is also a tug of war aspect to the game, where if you control the goals, then you get bonus points,” said Dr. Shepherd.
Their season technically started over the summer when they began planning and building their robots.
“We have been building our robots since the summer, so I feel great about how it will turn out,” said senior Levi Henry.
Along with all the hard work, some are feeling confident but still uneasy.
“I’m stressed and nervous because this is the first composition of the year, and I wish we had a little more time; it would have been great,” said junior Emerson Kosol.
Coach Shepherd also gave some insight about their first competition and how he feels going into the 2025-2026 season.
Dr. Shepherd said, “We go against many teams throughout the year. The competition in Ohio will put us against some of the best robotics programs in the world. We usually only see these teams at Worlds. So it’s a great chance for us to get some quality matches in before our regular competition season begins.”
Students seem eager to get the season underway and put their skills to the test.
“I’m ready for the season ahead. The games seem basic and simple, but I think we’ve got this,” said Kosol.
