On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Catholic Central’s Robotics program unveiled its two 2026 competition robots during a special reveal event, highlighting the hard work of both student-led teams: CC Shambots and CC Shambytes.

Each team designed and built its own robot during the six-week build season.

The veteran team, CC Shambots, introduced their robot, Charless (pronounced “Charles”). The developmental team, CC Shambytes, revealed their robot, Hephaestus, which is featured in the event photo.

Both robots will compete in this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition game, Rebuilt. The game is played in a 3v3 format, with each team paired with two other robots per match.

During the qualifying rounds, teams compete in 12 matches in a round-robin tournament format, facing different alliance partners and opponents in each round. Following qualification matches, teams advance to a championship bracket with set alliances.

In Rebuilt, robots score points by delivering “fuel” — 6-inch round yellow foam balls — to the central “Hub.” More than 500 pieces of fuel are on the field during each match.

At the end of the game, robots must climb a ladder for additional points, making endgame performance a critical component of success.

After the reveal presentation, members of both CC Shambots and CC Shambytes met with parents to discuss their respective robot designs, the engineering decisions behind them, and the challenges faced throughout the build season.

Both teams will compete independently at Woodhaven High School on March 14–15 and at Livonia Churchill High School on April 3–4. There will be 38 teams competing at each event. While they compete separately, the two teams proudly represent Catholic Central as one program.

Both competitions serve as qualifying events for the State Championship, scheduled for April 16–18. Teams that advance from the State Championship will have the opportunity to qualify for the FIRST Championship in Houston, held April 29–May 2.

With Charless and Hephaestus officially revealed, the Shamrocks now turn their focus to competition season and the challenges ahead.