The key to Ronan's success was in the simplicity of the design of its robot, engineered by McMillan and programmed by Tobol.

"It was half the size of the others, really small and really quick," Gray said. "The others were big and could not move as quickly. They were unable to keep up with us. That led to other teams playing more defense than offense, trying to block us from scoring."

This year's game, played at all competitions throughout the year, was called "Get Over It."

Competition occurred on that 12-foot-by-12-foot field divided by two "cliffs," two ramps (also called bridges) and one "mountain" in the center.

There are several ways to score points; most involve the robot removing 6-inch-long PVC tubes, called batons, from dispensers located around the field and placing them into stationary or rolling goals.

Other teams do the same thing, at the same time, on the same field, and four robots — two per alliance — all run at once, trying to score points and keep the other team from doing so simultaneously.

Ronan team members came home as world champions. They got a police-escorted ride around town Monday on a Ronan Fire Department truck, followed by a pep assembly at the school.

"The robot worked flawlessly and their strategies really clicked," Gray said, who started the robotics team six years ago in Ronan Middle School. "It was amazing. I think they're still in shock over the whole thing."

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