By Mark Laginess, President
Tiger Robotics Booster Organization.
FIRST Robotics Competition Team 6615, the Bellevillains of Belleville High School, completed two district qualification events with a fourth-place finish in Milford and as a district winner in their home event at BHS.
After finishing their 2025 campaign as district finalists in Belleville and district winners at Renaissance, the Bellevillains had the potential of heading into a rebuilding year, losing key members of their drive team to graduation.
But a large freshman contingent from 2025 showed no signs of a sophomore slump in 2026, combining fresh competitive design elements with the experience gained in the prior year to maintain a high level of performance and competitiveness.
In Milford, Team 6615 finished in fourth place out of 40 teams after completing 12 qualifying matches, meaning they would compete in the eight-alliance, double-elimination playoffs.
As the Fourth Alliance captain, they chose The TechnoDogs (Team 3707, Brighton High School) as their first choice and The Byting Irish (Team 7660, Father Gabriel Richard High School) to fill out their alliance.
After cruising to a first-round victory with a score of 175-98 over the Fifth Alliance (The AutoPilots, Team 7762, Warren De LaSalle High School; SWEET BOTS, Team 7553, Oakland Schools Technical Campus; and HAZMATS, Team 2145, Lake Fenton High School), they were overwhelmed 368-122 in their second-round match against eventual overall winners from the First Alliance (Team 4362, Gems, Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy High School; Team 3538, RoboJackets, Avondale High School; and Team 8424, Tractor Technicians Next, Mason Middle School), dropping them into the loser’s bracket.
A somewhat close 199-167 third-round victory over the Sixth Alliance (Team 8426, Automated Amphibians, Novi High School; Team 548, Robostangs, Northville High School; and Team 5674, The Gearhounds, Eaton Rapids High School) was followed by an even closer 200-172 fourth-round loss to the Third Alliance (Team 5114, Titanium Tigers, Fenton High School; Team 1023, Bedford Express, Bedford High School; and Team 5067, Steiner Steel Storm, Rudolf Steiner School), eliminating them from the event and leaving them in fourth place overall.
A week after the Milford event, the Bellevillains improved to a third-place ranking after qualifying matches were completed on their home field.
During playoff alliance selections, when the first-place team (Team 3641, The Flying Toasters, South Lyon High School) chose the second-place team (Team 3656, Dexter Dreadbots, Dexter High School) as their First Alliance partner, the Bellevillains became the Second Alliance captain and selected the fifth-place team (Team 4391, BraveBots from Gladstone Area High School) as an alliance partner. This team came the farthest distance, traveling in treacherous weather for several hours from the Upper Peninsula to compete at the Belleville event. For their other alliance partner, the Bellevillains picked their closest neighbor, Team 6538, Linc-Bots from Lincoln High School.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Second Alliance walloped the Seventh Alliance (Team 9204, Aluminum Armada from Pinckney Community High School; Team 6528, Terror Bytes from Carlson High School; and Team 6029, Railbots from Lincoln Park High School) by a score of 316-131.
The Bellevillains and their partners then squeaked by the Third Alliance (Team 1188, The Ravens from Royal Oak High School; Team 1701, Robocubs from University of Detroit Jesuit High School; and Team 9455, DinoMights from The STEAM Syndicate of Livingston County) in a closely contested 285-252 second round match. The DinoMights were called into service when the Third Alliance’s original third team, 5067, Steiner Steel Storm, developed technical issues and needed repairs.
While the First Alliance might have been the favorite to win it all, the Second Alliance dispatched them into the loser’s bracket in another tight victory, 223-206, guaranteeing the Bellevillains, BraveBots, and Linc-Bots a place in the finals. The match also left one of the original First Alliance partners, Team 6618, WARHBOTS from Flat Rock High School, disabled and unable to continue. They were replaced by Team 3098, Waterford Robotics from Kettering and Waterford Mott High Schools.
But the reconfigured First Alliance succumbed to the Third Alliance in their next match, sending the First Alliance home and the Third Alliance into the finals against the Bellevillains and their Second Alliance partners.
Team 5067 repaired their robot in time to compete for the Third Alliance in the best-of-three finals, but the Second Alliance prevailed 287-246 in the first finals match. The Third Alliance took the second match, 225-176, forcing a one-match winner-take-all scenario. In the last match, the Second Alliance seemed to find another gear as they played to a 328-239 victory, securing the event winner’s trophy and banner.
Off the field, the Bellevillains pocketed two awards. At Milford, they won the “Innovation in Control Award” and they collected the “Gracious Professionalism Award” at Belleville.
The “Innovation in Control Award” celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components – electrical, mechanical, or software – to provide unique machine functions.
The “Gracious Professionalism Award” recognizes outstanding demonstration of FIRST core values such as continuous gracious professionalism (which encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community), sportsmanship, and working together both on and off the playing field.
The overall finishes at both Milford and Belleville, their position as alliance captain in each event, and the awards earned gave the Bellevillains state ranking points in addition to those they earned during qualifying matches.
The combined district ranking points from the two events along with the district title assures the Bellevillains of a place at the 2026 FIRST In Michigan State Championships at Saginaw Valley State University from Thursday, April 16 through Saturday, April 18. Admission to the event is free, and more details can be found at the FIRST In Michigan website (https://firstinmichigan.us/FRC/state-championship).
Mark Laginess has been a team mentor since the team formed in 2017.