ShoreBots capture first Blue Banner in program history

Northampton High School’s robotics team, ShoreBots Team 1908, captured a major victory at the opening event of the 2026 FIRST Chesapeake District competition season, earning the program’s first-ever “Blue Banner” in its 21-year history.

The team traveled to Alexandria for the Week 1 district competition, where the ShoreBots finished the qualification rounds ranked third out of 40 teams with a 9-3 record. Their strong performance earned them a spot in the playoffs as the first pick of Alliance 1.

The alliance included Team 9072, the TigerBots of Hanover, Maryland, serving as captain, and Team 2068, the Metal Jackets of Manassas. Together, the three teams dominated the playoff rounds, winning all three matches to advance to the finals.

After dropping the first match of the best-of-three championship round, the alliance rallied to win the next two matches, securing the tournament title.

The victory earned the ShoreBots a coveted Blue Banner, marking the first championship banner in the team’s history.

In addition to their on-field success, Team 1908 also received the Quality Award, a judged honor recognizing excellence in the robot’s durability, design, and construction.

Following the competition, Statbotics rankings listed the ShoreBots as the No. 1 team in Virginia among 72 teams, No. 2 in the Chesapeake District, which includes teams from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., No. 88 among 2,976 teams in the United States, and No. 105 out of 3,768 teams worldwide.

The team is captained by senior Abby Zodun and co-captained by senior Grayson Brown. Other members include seniors Reid Travis, Tempie Stamer, and Weylin Malik; sophomore Brycen Joseph; and rookie member Bear McCormick, an eighth grader.

Since the season began Jan. 10, the students have logged more than 900 hours building and preparing their robot for competition.

The ShoreBots are sponsored by NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Northampton County Public Schools, ACE Hardware of Exmore, Modern Hoopla, the Gene Haas Foundation, Northampton County, and Eastern Shore Signs.

The team was founded 21 years ago by mentors Rodney Walker and the late James Goldstine, whose legacy remains central to the program.