May 16, 2022
Granbury High School teams competed at the VEX Robotics World Championship on May 3-7, 2022, at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
A Granbury Marine Corps JROTC team won second place as national champions in the JROTC division and advanced to the world level.
Eric Hernandez, Ricky Layland, Zach Layland, Ryan Obina, Kaylynn Slaughter, and Matthew Wilson represented Granbury High School at the World Championship where the teams played Tipping Point. During the competition, two teams faced off in each match that included a 15-second autonomous period followed by a one-minute, 45-second driver-controlled period. The object is to earn more points by scoring rings, moving mobile goals, and elevating on platforms at the end of the match.
"It was a battle through the entire week for every point to make it to the championship round”, commented Lt. Col. Scott Casey, the Senior Marine Instructor. “What is just as impressive is our teams were at a disadvantage since they were one of the only teams not equipped with pneumatics. Teams with pneumatics used air pressure to power their robotics movements, making them more powerful.”
In addition, competing in the High School division were, Granbury Robotics teams Brut3 4ce and Silent Bot Deadly.
Brut3 4ce – including GHS students Riley Beaty, Mason Clark, Caleb Hammond, and Matthew Shute – fought to hold a second-place lead in their division for most of their matches falling to the seventh seed advancing to the single elimination brackets. The squad ends the season among the top 70 teams among 18,000 across the world, earning the Energy Award for having the most positive spirit and best communication and collaboration during matches.
The Silent Bot Deadly team was composed of Jeffery Hunsinger, Amelia Orcutt, Abbie Pruett, and Braden Seaborn.
Granbury teams were honored to be student ambassadors for the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, according to GHS computer teacher Angela Jumper. This included greeting and escorting VIP guests from Google, Space X, Northrup Grumman, Tesla, and more. GHS students participated in the Parade of Nations and will continue representing Granbury and RECF as ambassadors at the Special Olympics of Texas.
“All members of the team have worked hard all season,” commented Jumper. “I believe the practice time these kids put in daily was the driving force that allowed them to make it to the championship match, and I knew they had the talent to do well.”
