Capping off their rookie year on a high note, the Bonac Bots FIRST Robotics Team finished second at the Half Hollow Hills Invitational on Sunday, where they competed against 20 other Long Island schools.
East Hampton's alliance with the Kingsmen Robotics team from Kings Park and the Riptide Robotics team from Long Beach beat the eventual winning alliance — the PSIcotics from Lindenhurst, TEAM R.I.C.E. from Southold, and RoboGym Robotics from Glen Head — in an earlier round before losing to that same alliance in the finals.
The new FIRST Robotics season kicks off in January with a fresh challenge. The Bonac Bots will spend just over two months meeting the requirements of the 2027 game and building a new bot before participating in the Long Island Regional competition from March 17 to March 20.