Punahou Robotics celebrated a standout performance at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Hawaii State Championships held in December, with multiple teams earning top honors and advancing to postseason competition.
This year’s FTC game, DECODE, challenged teams to design and program robots capable of rapidly collecting colored balls and shooting them into targets in a precise sequence. The competition is divided into two phases: an autonomous (“auto”) period, during which robots operate solely on pre-programmed instructions, and a driver-controlled (“tele-op”) period, where human operators guide the robot’s actions.
Leading the field was Team 6962, Pokébolts, which finished the qualification rounds ranked first overall. As the Winning Alliance Captain, the team earned the opportunity to select its alliance partners for the elimination rounds. The Pokébolts went on to win the Hawaii State Championship and have qualified to compete at the FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston this April.
Another Punahou team, Team 6175, License to Shred, also delivered an impressive performance, advancing to the state playoffs and earning the prestigious Control Award. The award recognizes exceptional innovation in programming and robot control, highlighting the effective use of sensors and software to create a smarter, more reliable robot.
Two additional Punahou teams reached the state playoffs: Team 5159, X-Bots, and Team 20061, 27 Zipties, underscoring the depth and strength of the school’s robotics program.
Punahou students from Grades 7 – 12 participated in the competition, demonstrating technical skill, teamwork and creativity on a statewide stage. The strong results reflect the continued growth and success of robotics at Punahou, as students apply engineering and problem-solving skills in a highly competitive environment.
Team Rosters:
6962 Pokébolts: Tyler Wee ’26, Daniel Lin ’26, Jayden Leung ’26, Kala’i Kelekolio ’26, Charlie Koh ’27, Julian Williams ’27, Tahan Bapna ’27, Matthew Matsumoto ’27, Vincent Lau ’28, Travis Dumaran ’28, Coco Heahlke ’28
6175 License to Shred: Ryder Kawachika ‘26, Mason Domion ‘26, Jacob Miyamoto ‘26, Joel Kim ‘27, Hunter Nakayama ‘27, Alan Mitchell ‘27, Kai Stewart ‘27, Josh Zhang ‘27, Nicholas Wenzel ‘28, Kai Gammarino ‘28, Tenuun Batdelger ‘28
5159 X-Bots: Lauren Phomsopha ‘27, Ava Miyasato ‘27, Lytron Shinno-Antoine ‘28, Kekoa Ratchaworapong ‘28, Kiana Xu ‘28, Isabella Guerrero ‘28, Calista Kaneshige ‘28, Tristan Kaya ‘28, Robby Tamura ‘28, Lucas Sanford ‘28, Ben Ng ‘28, Evan Chang ‘28, Riley Mason Uclusin ‘28
20061 27 Zipties: Kekoa Brotherton ‘30, Esther Kim ‘30, Aiden Leung ‘30, Hailey Wong ‘30, Connor Merchang ‘30, Logan Phan ‘30
20059 Pink Rubber Duckies: Keanu Kim ‘29, Clara Elham ‘29, Noah Durant ‘29, Kaia Reed ‘29, Rhys Morita ‘29, Jonathan Horinouchi ‘29, Gabe Warwick ‘29, Hudsen Wong ‘29
20062 Defused Kittens: Grace Haverly ‘31, Michael Kim ‘31, Keawe Landgraf ‘31, Justin Lin ‘31, Emily Yeung ‘31, Ryden Yagi ‘31
20063 We have not nailed it: Lincoln Barrels ‘30, Haru Inouye ‘30, Liam Gammarino ‘30, William He ‘31, Emily He ‘31, William He ‘31, George Esaki ‘31, Jalen Wong 31
20064 Extra Screw: Andy Wang ‘31, Zephyr Macadangdang Arios ‘31, Owen Tran ‘31, Crayston Hanai ‘31, Rory Shizumura ‘31