The UIL BEST robotics season came to a conclusion after the state competition took place on Dec. 11 to Dec. 13, 2025, with the team taking home the second place award.

“Making it to state was already impressive, but seeing our climb up was huge,” freshman and robotics member Aislin Emerson said.

The team started with more members than any previous season, leading to some chaos among the team.

“The team has still been adjusting to the large number of new members and figuring out how we can use their help, as well as train them to become more skilled for future years,” senior and robotics president Eric Barnard said. 

With the success of the season, the team has begun preparing for FRC and improving skill for future seasons.

“I hope that next season I can broaden my skillset,” Emerson said. “I’m very strategy-focused, and I have some skills in marketing and notebook, but I’d really love to gain some skills in engineering or coding.”

While the team is still adjusting to working with the new large group of new members during the past season, the new members had a lot to offer in other areas of the competition.

“I think the team did an amazing job at paying attention to details,” Barnard said. “Our marketing team scored an enormous amount of points for the team by closely following the rubrics and scoresheets. Our engineering team, despite facing a very complicated game this year, produced a creative and high-scoring robot.”

Both new and veteran members shared the feeling of hard work and success throughout the season.

“This season felt longer than last season for sure, but it felt way more rewarding,” Emerson said. “This season also felt a lot more serious, and the game felt more complex. Last season was the warmup, and this season is the game.”