ShoreBots Qualify for FIRST Chesapeake District Championship After Strong Performance in Alexandria

The ShoreBots, Northampton High School’s robotics team (FRC Team 1908), traveled to Alexandria, Virginia this past weekend to compete in their second qualifying event of the FIRST Chesapeake District season.

The team wrapped up the qualification rounds ranked 20th out of 38 teams, finishing with an even 6-6 record. Despite entering the playoffs as an underdog, the ShoreBots were selected as the first pick for Alliance 7, joining forces with teams 1885 and 611 (the alliance captain). Together, the trio advanced to the semi-finals, posting a 2-2 record and eliminating both the 3rd and 1st seed alliances along the way. They concluded the event with a fifth-place finish overall.

Building on points earned at a previous event in Portsmouth, the ShoreBots now have a total of 66 District Points—enough to qualify for the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship, set for April 3–6, 2025, in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Currently ranked 36th out of 112 teams in the Chesapeake District, the ShoreBots compete against a wide range of programs, including large public high schools, private institutions, and community-based teams across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

“We are so proud of the ShoreBots’ efforts and success at their first two events,” said a spokesperson for the team. “They compete against schools with more students in a single grade than we have in our entire county. They may be small, but they are mighty.”

This season marks the ShoreBots’ 20th year in FIRST Robotics. The team was founded in 2006 by Rodney Walker and Jim Goldstine and continues to be a source of pride for Northampton County.

The ShoreBots are sponsored by NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Northampton County Public Schools, Rommel’s Ace Hardware (Exmore), Gene Haas Foundation, Northampton County, and Eastern Shore Signs and Apparel.

Robotics is recognized as an academic sport by the Virginia High School League (VHSL).