From left are Jossie Coy, Clay Coblentz, David Anderson, Connor Coy, Colten Edgar and Taylor Cripe. They make up the Water Warriors robotics team at Wawasee Middle School who were the grand champions at the robotics qualifier in November and will compete in the state tournament in Fort Wayne.

SYRACUSE — Three of five Wawasee Middle School robotics teams will be competing in the state tournament Saturday, Dec. 9, at IPFW in Fort Wayne. The three teams qualified for the state tournament by placing first, second and fourth at the third annual FLL Robotics Qualifier Saturday, Nov. 18, at Wawasee Middle School.

Also qualifying for the state tournament is a homeschooled team from the Milford area known as the Wookiees, which placed third at the qualifier. Coached by Ann Schlabach and Stacey Yoder, Wookiees team members are Brian and Dylan Schlabach, Samuel and Sawyer Yoder and Aaron and Samantha Kemper. They will also be competing for the Global Innovation Award during the state tournament and were one of only four robotics teams from northern Indiana selected to compete for this award. A separate panel will judge the competitors for this award.

Water Warriors made up of Jossie Coy, Connor Coy, Colten Edgar, David Anderson, Clay Coblentz and Taylor Cripe was the grand champion team at the qualifier and placed first in robotics performance and first in the judges award.

Pollos de Aqua consisting of Leslie Wheat, Hudson Bonner, Cadin Gall, Nik Tennant, Jesse Requejo and Leo Wrange was the tournament runner-up and took second place in robotics performance.

And the Wawasee Watermelons team of Sevilla LaBarbara, Riley Reynolds, Allison Stookey, Sydni Ewing and Kaley Kuhanek took third place in robotics performance, placing fourth overall in the tournament.

There were 15 teams at the WMS qualifier including the five from WMS, three from Milford, one from Syracuse Elementary, four from Whitko Middle School, one from Fremont Middle School and the home schooled team from the Milford area.

Because of the large number of 42 students in the after school robotics program at WMS, the school held its own tournament to narrow down the number of teams from eight to five to compete in the qualifier. The three teams qualifying for the state is the highest number ever sent to the state from WMS.

Ryan Edgar is the robotics coach for WMS.