County robotics teams kept busy this winter preparing their robots for competition, practicing maneuvers and troubleshooting scenarios, then competing in numerous weekend events through the month of March. While no Oceana County team was able to advance to the state finals this year, they all reported other meaningful accomplishments for their teams. The 2026 season will end this weekend, April 16-18, at Saginaw Valley State University, where the top 160 teams in the state will compete. The Oceana Echo is pleased to provide the following season’s recap.
Shelby: Shelby’s robotics team, Tiger Bytes, Team 10654, ended their 2026 season March 29 at Battle Creek Central High School. “We came in third place with the fourth alliance team made up of Alliance Captain, 5152 Alotobots, of Otsego and Team 9215, T-Town Tech, of Tekonsha,” Second Team Mentor Angie Setlak reported.
Earlier this season (March 20 and 21), the team competed in Muskegon and was chosen as the third team in the third alliance. That team consisted of their mentor team, 4956 Robosharks out of Whitehall; and 3572, Wavelength Robotics, out of Mona Shores High School. “We won last year with Wavelength, so we were very happy and lucky to have been chosen by them again. Unfortunately, our robot rammed into a bar during the first match of the playoffs, and it resulted in a cable getting unplugged. We didn't resolve the issue in time and were subbed out for a different team,” Setlak said.
“We were fortunate to be sponsored by the Gene Haas Foundation, West Coast Products, CTR Electronics, Nesson Cable Engineering, Advanced Architectural and Supplies, Shelby Rotary Club, Shelby Optimist Club and Shelby State Bank. With their support, we were able to purchase four swerve drives for our robot. Switching to a totally new drive system slowed us down during the first part of the season, but it will help our team in the long run, so I'm glad we were able to acquire swerve drives this year."
Setlak added that the team grew to 10 student members this year and they were thankful for adult team mentors Jaime Ibarra, Damian Omness and Elizabeth Reed.
“We are learning how to coach more kids and be pulled in different directions. There is always room for more team members and mentors,” Setlak said in closing.
If interested, please email Setlack at 10654tigerbytes@gamil.com.
Hart: "(Hart High School’s robotic team) MOTOR #6128 has completed its best year in our 10th year of competing,” reported team mentor Matt Werner. “We were ranked in the top 10 at Muskegon Orchard View and Grand Valley State University at the end of the qualification matches. During Alliance selections, we became an Alliance Captain for the first and second time ever. As the leader of (both) Alliance 6 and Alliance 7, we lost our playoff matches, but we were excited to have gotten as far as we did. Because we are ranked 166th in the state, a trip to the championships in Saginaw is not going to happen this year.
According to Werner, the team has worked hard since the FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) Kick-Off on January 10. This year's challenge consisted of collecting six-inch foam balls (called Fuel) from around the field and shooting them into a six-foot-high bin, similar to a basketball game. The robot is allowed to carry any number of Fuel, but has size constraints. The Fuel is returned to the field and can be scored multiple times.
“They prototyped the six subsystems of their robot: Drive; Navigation; Intake; Hopper; Kicker; and Shooter. Then they converted those prototypes into a complete robot design and built their robot for competition. They were able to take their robot to the practice field, hosted by UACJ (formerly Whitehall Industries) and managed by MiSTEM Region #9 of the WSESD in Ludington, and worked out a number of bugs with their design. New for the team this year was using a camera vision system to help with the Navigation subsystem.
Team MOTOR wishes to thank the many sponsors that helped make this season successful: HPS, Gene Haas Foundation, Hallack Contracting, SSB, MSU Research Station, MiTs, Mullen Family, West Michigan Carpet & Floor, Kayla Dennert, SL Chamber, Shelby Optimists, Palmer Orchards, Tufts State Farm and Kristi's Pour House.
This year MOTOR was mentored by Werner, Andrew Mullen, Jeremiah Palmer and Jalynn Wilkinson. Wilkinson is new to Hart and is an alum of Team #85 B.O.B. of Zeeland, a recent Kettering University grad and now employed at Howmet in Whitehall.
During the build season, several team members nominated Werner for the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award, that celebrates team mentors who have made valuable contributions to their team. Coach Werner was recognized along with other mentors at this year’s Muskegon competition in March.
Those wishing to donate to the Hart robotics team can visit www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-f.... Donations can also be made via check or cash directly to Hart High School, with “Robotics 6128” as the memo line.
Hesperia: The Hesperia Robo Panthers were proud to compete in two FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition (FRC) events this year - the Orchard View HS Muskegon Competition and the Kentwood HS Competition. FRC is a global engineering initiative that teaches STEM through hands-on challenge completion. Team members included Robert and Daniel Frazier (driver, scorer), Vincent Lound (programmer), Michael Wyant (human player), Johnny Dagen (drive coach), Kaitlyn Jordan (back-up scorer and technician), Karma Bennett (artist) and Riley McMaster (photography and pit organizer).
At the most recent Kentwood FRC event, the Robo Panthers finished qualifying matches and ranked 12th out of 39 teams. "This was a huge accomplishment for our team. We have never ranked this well and had the opportunity to be one of eight team captains going into the elimination brackets. Although the team did not make it far into the tournament matches this year, it marked a huge accomplishment in the program at Hesperia, which is in its third year of participation in FIRST programs,” Coach Dan Postema remarked.
Mentors for the 2026 Robo Panthers team included Postema, Mike Gerard (technician), Jason Foster (programming) and Troy Wyant (general support).
“We cannot thank our sponsors enough - Mighty Lube/OPCO, GM Wood Products, Jack's Quick Stop, Heritage Farms Market, Nieboer Electric, Ed's Orchard Market, and JBS Machining and Fabrication. Their financial support provided the funds needed to build our robot and provide support for lodging and food when required,” Postema added. Those interested in supporting the team financially or becoming a part of the team, please contact Postema at postemad@hesp.net.
