Students from West High School are heading to the world stage after one of the school’s robotics teams captured a major regional victory this past weekend.

Team 3006, Red Rock Robotics, won the regional FIRST Robotics Competition event held at the Maverik Center, earning a spot at the World Championship in Houston. The team now ranks 69th out of more than 3,700 teams worldwide.

The competition brought together 42 high school robotics teams from across the United States and around the world, including participants from Canada, China, and Taiwan. Over two and a half days, students competed in a fast-paced, engineering-based challenge that required them to design, build, and operate large, industrial-style robots.

Red Rock Robotics stood out early, finishing third in the initial qualifying rounds and leading the second-seeded alliance into the final playoffs. Their alliance ultimately won the event, defeating some of the top-ranked teams in the world.

West High’s second team, Team 2726, Red Pebble Rebels, also delivered a strong performance. The team ranked ninth after qualifying rounds and advanced to the playoffs as the captain of the sixth-seeded alliance before being eliminated in the second round. Red Pebble Rebels finished the season ranked sixth among Utah teams.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is designed to introduce students to real-world engineering and teamwork. Each January, teams are given a new game challenge and have about six to eight weeks to build a robot capable of competing. This year’s game, “Rebuilt,” required teams to score foam balls into a goal, navigate obstacles, and climb a tower for additional points, all while working in alliances with other teams.

“This competition gives students hands-on experience in engineering, programming, and collaboration under pressure,” said head coach Alison Bulson. “Winning this event and advancing to the world championship is an incredible achievement for our students.”

The robotics program at West High is supported through grants and donations from organizations including the Salt Lake Education Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Gene Haas Foundation, Rio Tinto, Northrop Grumman, and Texas Instruments, along with support from families and community members. The team is currently working to raise an additional $25,000 to cover travel and competition costs for the championship in Houston.