Sparta Robotics earns state championship berths

Sparta High School Robotics had a strong showing at a regional competition Jan. 31, at Franklin High School in Somerset.

All Sparta teams qualified for the tournament, with most subteams finishing with winning records.

Two varsity teams received top awards. Team 5249 X “Excalibur” won the Excellence Award, recording a 5-1 record, ranking fourth in qualifiers and serving as a tournament captain. Team 5249 S “Safety Hazard” won the Design Award, ranking fifth in Skills and reaching the quarterfinals. Both teams earned spots at the New Jersey State Championships.

Other Sparta teams also performed well. 5249 A “Aneeesh” and 5249 J “JumpStart” advanced to the Round of 16, while 5249 V “Velocity” reached the quarterfinals and 5249 W “Wizards” finished with a winning record of 3-2.

The Excellence Award recognizes overall program quality, including performance, engineering notebooks, interviews and sportsmanship. The Design Award honors organized, student-led approaches to the engineering design process and high-quality documentation.

Sparta Robotics has a history of competitive success, sending 32 teams to state championships over 15 years, winning six state titles and sending six teams to compete internationally.

The remaining season schedule includes competitions at Millburn High School on Feb. 22 and Seton Hall University on Feb. 28. Teams 5249 S and 5249 X will compete at the New Jersey VEX Robotics State Championships on March 14 at NJIT, with the possibility of advancing to the 2026 World Championships in April.