CARLSBAD UNIFIED CONNECTIONS

Sage Creek High School’s FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team, Crow Force, made history this season by becoming the first Carlsbad Unified high school robotics team to advance to the FIRST Championships by placing first among 84 teams at the San Diego Regional Championship on March 7, The team earned the opportunity to compete against the world’s top robotics teams from more than 65 countries at the FIRST Championships in Houston, Texas, held April 29 through May 2.

Competing against 338 teams, Crow Force finished among the top 18 alliances in the world — an extraordinary achievement for the growing Sage Creek robotics program and for Carlsbad Unified.

The international competition challenged students to design, build, and program robots to complete complex tasks, such as collecting whiffle balls and shooting them into goals with precision and speed–three shots in less than half a second. Crow Force’s robot featured advanced software and machine-learning capability that allowed the robot to make course corrections and maneuver in any direction during competition. Teams were evaluated not only on robot performance but also on engineering design, programming, innovation, business planning, outreach, and teamwork.

So we congratulate the Crow Force team: Aayush Chintalapati, Adhith Sambavaram, Advaith Akella, Anish Kodali, Avish Tomar, Benjamin DeCamp, Brody Coe, Caden Faciane, Eric Geng Han, Hayley Oh, Kiran Musson, Logan Darrieulat, Madison (Maddie) Divinagracia, Nash Nelson, Nicole Qiu, Noah Dorismond, Revanth Akella, Rishabh Doshi, and Sunil Musson. Kiran Musson serves as team captain. The team’s coaches are Bryan Musson and Jason Coe, and the teacher-advisor is Dr. Saied Moezzi, Sage Creek High School’s computer science teacher.

Crow Force’s accomplishments also earned national recognition beyond the robotics arena. In remarks made on the floor of the House of Representatives and entered into the Congressional Record, Congressman Mike Levin saluted the team members as his April 2026 “Constituents of the Month” for their achievements and service to the community:

“These 19 students are proving that when young people are given the tools, mentorship, and encouragement to pursue their passions, extraordinary things happen. . . . Crow Force is not just building robots. They are building the next generation of engineers, problem-solvers, and leaders. Their commitment to community outreach, mentoring younger students, and spreading a love of STEM makes them role models well beyond the competition floor.”

And, indeed, Crow Force’s mission extends well beyond competition. The team’s mission statement emphasizes building an encouraging community where students grow into leaders in STEM through engineering, collaboration, outreach, and hands-on learning experiences. This season, team members introduced robotics and engineering opportunities to younger students through school presentations, CAD classes, and community engagement activities.

In total, the 120 members of Sage Creek’s six Robotics teams — Crow Force, Catalyst, Botcats, Python, Thousand Screws Aloose, and Flight Risk — clocked in more than 8,000 hours this season, demonstrating exceptional dedication and teamwork. Five students already have earned scholarships connected to their robotics participation.

Looking ahead, Sage Creek Robotics students are preparing for upcoming international events where they will compete against high-level teams, hosted in locations including Johns Hopkins University, Niagara Falls, Long Beach, and Kentucky.

Teacher-advisor Dr. Saied Moezzi reflected on the season with satisfaction:

“We could not be prouder of these students, mentors, families, and supporters who make Sage Creek Robotics such a powerful force. Their hard work, dedication, innovation, and commitment to Gracious Professionalism® continue to elevate our community and inspire the next generation of engineers, programmers, and leaders.”

The success of Sage Creek Robotics is made possible through the support of Sage Creek High School, the Carlsbad Educational Foundation, and industry partner Nordson. Volunteer coaches and mentors including Alan Lewis, Alex Kamenev, Bryan Musson, Cutler Crowell, Dave Chiu, James Abernathy, Jason Coe, Kevin Baca, Lajos Kamocsay, Sara Afflerbach, and CEF’s Linda Dee, have helped guide students throughout the season.

Mr. Musson, Crow Force coach and Rockstar Games employee, described the philosophy behind the program’s mentorship:

“Don’t tell the team members what to do — it’s for them to do it, fail or succeed, on their own.”

FIRST — denoting “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” — was founded in 1989 to inspire young people to become science and technology leaders and innovators. Through programs like Sage Creek Robotics, Carlsbad students are doing exactly that.