By David Fleet
947-244-2647
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Flint — On March 8 and 9, the Brandon High School robotics team, Truck Town Thunder “T3 Team #68, competed at the FIRST Robotics Competition at Kettering University #2 event.
T3, along with a field of 39 other teams, played in 80 qualifying matches of this year’s robotics game called Crescendo.  The end results of the qualification matches had T3 in the second seed position, to contend for the tournament title.
After several rounds of playoffs, T3 and its alliance of partners made it to the final bracket of the championship, however, T3 and their alliance were defeated by the number 1 seeded alliance and finished in second overall.
T3 now looks forward to its second tournament in Troy on March 23 and 24, with the goal of qualifying for the Michigan State Championship in April and then the World Championship (in Houston, TX) later in April.
Also at the Kettering #2 event were the Goodrich Martians (Team #494). The Martians were seeded in the #5 alliance, but were defeated in the playoff rounds for a 3rd place finished overall in the tournament.  The Martians also took home the Innovation in Control Award, which celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components – electrical, mechanical or software — to provide unique machine functions.   Team #494 also is in good position to attend the State and World championship competitions in April after their Kettering performance.