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(March 11, 2026) Goleta, CA – Local Dos Pueblos High School-based robotics team, Octobots Robotics makes it into the top ten at the FIRST Robotics District Competition at last weekend’s regional competition from March 6 to 8, 2026 in Port Hueneme.
After an eight-week robot-building period and an intensive, three-day competition of 42 California high school robotics teams, Octobots Robotics placed tenth in the qualifying matches, earning a spot as a coveted alliance team captain in the semi-finals. The team fought hard but were knocked out in the second round of the semi-finals.
This was the first of two district competitions that Octobots Robotics will participate in this season with the next competition set for March 27 to 29 in Glendale, CA. If the team continues to do well, they will earn a spot at the State Championships next month.
Team Captain, Zeo Pereira, a senior at Dos Pueblos High School says, “We are really proud of our ambitious design this season. We chose a more mechanically complex robot architecture which plays into our strategy.” Zeo also shared that the biggest challenge this year for the team is “meeting the weight restriction of keeping the robot under 115 pounds. The real test is how small, light, and efficient we can make it while still keeping it agile, consistent, and precise.”
Octobots is now ranked in the top 6% (312 out of 2,976) of FIRST Robotics teams in the United States. Last year, Team Octobots was recognized by FIRST Robotics with the “Excellence in Engineering Award” and the “Rising All-Star Award.”
About Octobots Robotics Team 9084
Established by a small group of high school students and volunteer mentors in 2023 as the only FIRST Robotics team for grades 9 through 12 in the Goleta and Santa Barbara area, Octobots Robotics is an all-volunteer, all-inclusive team of 30 to 40 high school students based out of Dos Pueblos High School. The program is dedicated to inspiring students to become science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging in mentor-based programs and competitions that build engineering and technology skills. The team is further committed to promoting STEM education in the community, volunteering at local science nights, community fairs, and through a summer camp for students entering grades 5 through 9. Visit http://www.teamoctobots.org for more information.
About FIRST Robotics
FIRST Robotics is an international nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of life-changing youth robotics programs that build skills, confidence, and resilience. With new challenges each year, high school teams from around the world, compete to solve an engineering design problem in a high energy, intense game. This year’s competition focuses on designing, building, and programming a robot from concept to competition that will pick up kickball-sized game pieces from the ground, drive over an obstacle, launch the game pieces accurately into a 7-foot-tall target, and climb a ladder. Visit http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc for more information.
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