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Special to The Advocate
The NUTRONs, FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 125 of Revere, won the 2026 Massachusetts FRC State Championship on Saturday, May 30, defeating the top high school robotics teams in the Commonwealth at Merrimack College’s Volpe Complex in North Andover. The title is the latest milestone for one of the most storied programs in student robotics — a team whose past honors include National Champion, New England Champion and World Championship runner-up.
The Championship gathered the top 32 teams in Massachusetts for a single day of intense qualifying and playoff competition in REBUILT℠ presented by Haas, this season’s FIRST Robotics Competition game. Competing as the No. 1 seeded alliance, the NUTRONs teamed with alliance partners Team 6328, Mechanical Advantage, of Littleton, and Team 8626 of Scituate. The three teams played tremendously well together throughout the playoffs and won the championship final, 608-327, to claim the 2026 Massachusetts state title.
“Massachusetts is a highly competitive state in robotics competitions, and winning the State Championship means a lot to our students. These kids have worked every day since the beginning of January with a stated goal of building a Top 10 robot in the world and were able to accomplish that this season. They have incredible drive, and being able to represent Revere as the State Champions just means a lot to all of us,” said Team 125 Head Coach Brandon Holley.
In REBUILT, two three-robot alliances move foam game pieces called “fuel” into scoring goals, crossing field obstacles and climbing a central tower before time expires, with bonus rewards for meeting specific scoring thresholds. Each match opens with a 20-second autonomous period in which robots operate entirely on their own preprogrammed code. The NUTRONs competed with their 2026 robot, FLUX, which the team designed, built, programmed and refined over the course of the season.
The NUTRONs were quick to credit their alliance partners, Team 6328 and Team 8626, for the championship run, noting that the three teams played tremendously well together to take home the title — a reflection of the cooperation and teamwork that define FIRST competition. “The good work ethic and collaboration needed for success on our team were skills I’ve learned only because of being on the team. The fulfilling experience of putting our heart and soul into a project, and seeing it compete and win, will surely follow me for the rest of my life along with the skills I’ve learned,” said Ethan Men, a team captain on Team 125.
Founded in 1998, the NUTRONs draw students from Revere and surrounding communities and are supported by Revere Public Schools and a roster of industry sponsors. The program is a fixture of the New England FIRST district and has earned recognition for both its on-field performance and its outreach work mentoring younger students and promoting STEM in the region. The NUTRONs thanked event organizers NE FIRST, host Merrimack College, the event volunteers and the team’s sponsors, mentors and families for making the season possible.
About The NUTRONs (FRC Team 125): The NUTRONs are FIRST Robotics Competition Team 125, a student robotics team based in Revere, and competing since 1998. Each year the team designs, builds and programs an industrial-size robot in roughly six weeks to compete in that season’s FIRST Robotics Competition game. Over more than two decades, the NUTRONs have become one of the most storied programs in FIRST while working year-round to introduce students to engineering, programming and teamwork. The team sponsors include Medtronic, GE Aerospace, BAE Systems, Textron Systems, PTC, Sonos and The Home Depot. Learn more at www.nutrons.com.
