For the first time since 2007, Team 501 The Powerknights have brought home a Winner’s Banner.

We ended qualification matches ranked 33 out of 40. The qualification ranking system severely undervalued our team. Along with the 9th seed and 30th seed, we formed the 6th alliance and advanced through the quarterfinals and the semifinals.

The final matches were some of the most strange and dramatic that FIRST has ever seen.
Much like Superbowl 47 in 2013, the lights went out half way through the first match, and the match was re-run. During the replay, a player’s ID button came off and prevented the legal scoring of a large number of points, something which may have never occurred before in FIRST’s 24 year history.

All pictures are copyright Martin Abbott.