Charlotte County Public Schools celebrates the incredible achievements of Charlotte High School’s robotics team, 13093 Golden Fish, after their standout performance at the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, from April 29 to May 2, 2026.
The FIRST Championship draws the world’s best robotics teams, and this year the Golden Fish returned for their seventh appearance in 14 years, which is no small feat. Competing in the DECODE event, they took their place on the global stage. The event split teams into six divisions, each packed with 56 challengers. Golden Fish battled in the Ross Division, pushing through 10 tough qualification matches over several days. They finished 29th; not at the very top, but with enough grit and skill to keep them in the running during alliance selections.
Things got interesting after the qualifying round. Golden Fish caught the eye of DeSoto Technix from Mississippi, the third-ranked alliance captain, and joined forces with them and Israel’s SciFighters. Together, the alliance charged through the playoff rounds and made it all the way to the Division Finals. That run ended at the hands of the event’s top-scoring alliance, but the accomplishment stands: for the first time, a Charlotte High School robotics team went home from FIRST Championship with a playoff trophy, a Division Finalist plaque and medals.
Golden Fish’s offense stood out all week. Their offensive power rating (OPR) hit 147.17, ranking them 15th in their division and 123rd out of over 8,600 teams worldwide, a mark of their international competitiveness.
This year’s team:
Chris George, mentor and teacher
Leif Bretan, human player and coach
Chanley Brown, driver
Jacob Robin Lope, driver
Coach Chris George didn’t hide his pride: “I’m very proud of our Golden Fish team that competed at the FIRST Championship. They did an amazing job, and the results were outstanding. We went there confident that our robot would post big scores and really compete. The team should be proud of all they accomplished this season and look forward to next year.”
Charlotte County Public Schools remains committed to expanding STEM education, giving students the chance to work on real-world projects that hone their problem-solving, collaboration, and technical skills, just what they need for the future.
