The Pella High School Robotics team, the Bionic Dutch, capped off their 2024-25 regular season with a 5-1 record in their final league meet, bringing their overall season record to 22-8.

Despite facing mechanical challenges during early qualification matches, the team showcased resilience and determination, according to Coach Brent Ewell, rallying to secure five consecutive victories before narrowly losing their final match of the day.

The next challenge for the Bionic Dutch is the league tournament and state qualifier, set to take place on Saturday, February 1. To advance to the state championship for the second year in a row, the team plans to focus on refining their autonomous game strategy, according to Ewell.

“The autonomous phase, which occurs during the first 30 seconds of each match, requires the robot to execute a series of pre-programmed actions to score critical points. Improvements in this area could provide the edge needed to secure a spot at the state championship.”