World Bound: Hillcrest High and Fountain Inn Robotics Teams Win State Championship

The Hillcrest High School “RamRodz” Robotics Team is heading to the global stage after a dominant performance at the South Carolina State Championships this weekend. The team secured a spot at the top of the state rankings, earning an official invitation to the FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston, Texas.

The victory marks a major milestone for the Simpsonville-based program, which stood out among dozens of the most elite high school engineering teams from across the Palmetto State.

Precision Coding Leads to “Autonomous Award”

The RamRodz earned their state title through a combination of technical precision and high-stakes teamwork, but it was their programming that truly stole the show. The team was honored with the Autonomous Award, recognizing the robot with the highest average points scored during the initial 20 seconds of the match.

During this critical “Autonomous Period,” the robot must operate entirely without human intervention. To succeed, the RamRodz had to program their machine to drive, locate, pick up, and shoot balls into the target using only advanced coding and onboard cameras. This requirement for the robot to be “aware” of its position on the field highlighted the team’s superior engineering and software skills.

A Winning Alliance

The road to the championship in FIRST Robotics is built on cooperation. Competing in a “3 on 3” battle format, the RamRodz formed a powerhouse alliance with two other standout programs:

• Team 4451 (Robotz Garage): Representing Laurens and Fountain Inn High Schools.

• Team 10619 (Rana’s Rivets): Hailing from Darlington.

Together, these three teams were crowned State Champions and will all advance to represent South Carolina at the World Championships.

The Road to Houston

The alliance now has just two weeks to prepare for the trip to the World Championships, where they will face off against hundreds of teams from around the globe. The event, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, is widely considered the “Olympics of Robotics.”

“Way to go RamRodz!” the school shared in an announcement following the win. “Moving on to the World Championships in Houston in two weeks!”

Support the Journey

Competing at the world level brings significant logistical challenges, including travel for the students and the safe transportation of the robot and heavy pit equipment. The Hillcrest community is rallying to ensure these young engineers can make their Texas debut.

A GoFundMe has been established to support the Ramrodz Robotics Booster Club’s mission. Every donation helps cover the rising costs of competing on the international stage.

How to Help:

• Donate: Support the RamRodz Robotics Booster Club on GoFundMe

• Follow: Stay tuned to Hillcrest High School’s official social media for live updates from the competition floor in Houston.

As these students prepare to represent our community and state, their victory serves as a proud reminder of the world-class STEM talent thriving right here in our backyard.