Fresh off a historic win, the McCutcheon High School robotics team is heading back to the world stage with momentum on its side.

FIRST Team 4272: Maverick Robotics captured the FIRST Indiana State Championship, rising to the top of a 70-team field at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. It’s the first state title in program history.

Now they are preparing for the FIRST Championship in Houston — a stage where they already made history.

In 2025, Maverick Robotics won the World Championship, forming a dominant alliance with teams from Washington and California to outperform more than 600 teams worldwide.

“What we expected to be a rebuilding year after losing many key members, including our world champion driver and operator, has turned into another year of growth,” says coach Zach McKeever. “We’ve fought through early inconsistency and adversity. The resilience our students and mentors show continues to amaze and inspire me.”

This year’s challenge highlights what the robots are designed and programmed to do during competition.

“It’s kind of like basketball,” team member Jersey Troxell says. “Our robot shoots balls into a goal called the ‘hub.’ We start with 20 seconds of autonomous play, then two 25-second scoring periods. In the final 30 seconds, robots can score more or climb for extra points.”

That adaptability helped power the state title run.

“I truly believe winning state was harder than winning worlds,” Jersey says. “At state, you know every team and their strategies. At worlds, everything is new.”

With one week before Houston, the team is making final adjustments.

“We have exactly one week to perfect our robot,” Jersey says. “It’s great, but it can be even better. Everyone is hands-on making last-minute changes.”

As they return to compete against the world’s best, Maverick Robotics knows another title will take both skill and opportunity.

“Team assignments are random, and last year we had great connections,” Jersey says. “This year, we’re hoping to be one of those top teams that pushes through our division.”

With a state title in hand and a world championship to defend, Maverick Robotics heads to Houston ready to compete.