A student-led robotics team made up of middle and high school students from Folsom and the surrounding region is heading to one of Northern California’s most competitive STEM stages after earning a spot in the upcoming regional championships.
The Metal Maniacs Team #20163 has advanced to the FIRST Tech Challenge Northern California Regional Championship, scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 1, 2026, at Palo Alto High School. The two-day event will bring together 48 of the top student robotics teams from across the region, with advancement opportunities on the line.
The Metal Maniacs are a community-based team of 14 students in grades seven through 12 from Folsom, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento. Student leaders attend Folsom High School, Vista del Lago High School, Sutter Middle School, Folsom Middle School and Cottonwood Charter School, bringing together a cross-section of local schools under a shared focus on robotics, engineering and teamwork.
The FIRST Tech Challenge is an ultra-competitive robotics league for students in grades seven through 12, often described as a “Division I sport for the mind.” Teams design, build and program their own robots, then compete in fast-paced matches lasting two and a half minutes, with scoring based on precision, strategy, alliance coordination and performance under pressure.
Earlier this season, the Metal Maniacs also made an impact beyond the competition field. The team organized and hosted the region’s largest back-to-back robotics qualifying tournament at Folsom Lake College, bringing together 56 teams from across Northern California. The event helped launch the local “Silicon Foothills” youth STEM and robotics education movement, aimed at expanding access to technical learning and student-led innovation throughout the region.
Now transitioning from hosts to competitors, the Metal Maniacs will face off against Northern California’s top teams in this season’s challenge, DECODE™, which requires robots to complete a series of precision-based tasks during timed matches. The championship field represents roughly the top 20 percent of teams in the region, with competitors traveling from as far south as Clovis and as far north as the Oregon border.
A strong showing at the Northern California Regional Championship can open the door to advancement opportunities, including a pathway to the FIRST World Championship in Houston later this spring, where teams from nearly 70 countries are expected to compete.
Team leaders say the advancement represents more than competitive success. They credit partnerships with Folsom Lake College and Playing at Learning for helping build local pathways for STEM education, while highlighting how youth leadership can drive community-wide impact and prepare students for future careers in technology and engineering.
The FIRST Tech Challenge Northern California Regional Championship runs Feb. 28 through March 1 at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto.
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