Kearney School District’s robotics team, Team Kearnage (2345), turned in an impressive performance at the Heartland Regional competition held Thursday through Saturday at Mill Valley High School.

Led by their motto, “Let It Ride!,” this student-led team competed in all three major phases of the event: community impact, judged awards and on-field robot performance. By the end of the weekend, Team Kearnage had secured an Alliance Team Captain spot and brought home the prestigious Judges Award.

Head Coach Dave Zurliene said the team’s success reflected months of hard work, leadership and growth across every aspect of the program.

“Our students have put in the hours, embraced the challenge and represented Kearney with tremendous pride,” Zurliene said. “This group continues to show that robotics is about much more than building a machine. It is about teamwork, problem-solving, leadership and finding ways to make an impact.”

In the community impact portion of the competition, Kearnage highlighted its efforts to expand STEAM opportunities in Kearney School District, including helping restart middle school robotics under Coach Bart Morris’ leadership. That program has already made a strong impression, with the FTC team advancing to Super Qualifiers and earning the Innovation Award.

In judged awards, Kearnage’s students also stood out. Their thoughtful work in the pit and strong interaction with judges helped the team earn the Judges Award, which recognizes a team whose unique efforts, performance or dynamics merit special recognition. It was the first time since 2010 that Team Kearnage had won an award at an event.

On the field, the team’s robot, Finn McMissile, helped power an outstanding performance in one of the nation’s most competitive regionals. After being identified in a national YouTube review as a dark horse team to watch, Kearnage lived up to the billing by finishing qualification matches with an 8-2 record and ranking sixth out of 41 teams before ending qualification play in the No. 5 Alliance Captain position.

That achievement gave Team Kearnage the opportunity to select alliance partners for the double-elimination rounds, marking the first time since 2017 that Kearnage had served as an Alliance Team Captain. Team captain Mary Shaw led the selection process, choosing Liberty High School Robotics and System Meltdown from Ray-Pec to join the alliance. Although the group did not advance beyond the elimination rounds, Kearnage’s performance left no doubt that the Bulldogs belonged on that stage.

Kearnage’s 25 students have been building toward moments like this since January, while also investing in outreach and STEAM engagement throughout the offseason. The team now turns its attention to its next competition in Tulsa on April 1, where it will continue its push toward a possible berth in the World Championships in Houston.

Congratulations to Team Kearnage, Coach Zurliene, assistant coaches Bart Morris and Rachel Cerra, the team’s mentors and pit crew, and everyone who helped make this accomplishment possible.