Courtesy Photo Central Michigan University’s gymnasium is seen in this photo with equipment set up for the FIRST Robotics State Finals. Alpena High School’s Team 5505 competed in the event.

Team 5505 ended qualifications last weekend in first place and as the captains of Alliance 1 at Central Michigan University. Winning a blue banner is a major honor that hasn’t happened since 2018 at the last tournament hosted in Alpena.

After the first match in the FIRST Robotics State Finals, 5505 started Qualifications in fifth place. The problems began with the next match and kept coming. They ended the first day in 17th place.

On day two, the struggles continued. They added automation to improve their operations but it malfunctioned. Team 5505 also dealt with mechanical and coding issues. They persevered to finish strong, with two more wins.

As they moved forward they found themselves in an unusual position in 26th place. They were forced to hope for selection as a partner from a higher-placed team. Unfortunately, Team 5505 struggles in the competition led to them not being picked for an alliance which ended this year’s season for the team.