FIRST Robotics teams from high schools in Mahoning and Trumbull counties will compete this weekend in one of the last regional competitions that will determine what teams are advancing to nationals.

Teams from Warren G. Harding, Austintown Fitch, Canfield, Howland and Ursuline high schools are scheduled to compete Friday and Saturday at the Buckeye Regional Competition at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University.

Ashraf Hadi, adviser to the Girard FIRST Robocats team, said the team competed in regional events earlier this season. He said they will learn after this weekend if the team will compete in the state robotics tournament May 10 in Columbus.

Hadi said the team competed at the Hudson Valley Regional in Suffragan, New York, and placed 20 out of 49 teams. The team also competed at the Pittsburgh Convention Center and placed fourth out of 55 teams.

This is the team’s 26th season.

Hadi said while the team will not advance to nationals, he is proud of the work the team members did.

“We will wait and hear about one more weekend event we can take part in,” Hadi said.

Alex Hummel, a coach for the the Champion FIRST Robotics Lightning Bots team, competed in two regional events in March, but will not be advancing any further,

Hummel said the team competed at the Finger Lakes Regional in Rochester, New York, March 13 to 15 and finished 16th out of 54 teams.

The team also competed this past weekend at the Miami Valley Regional event in Cincinnati, and placed eighth out of 47 teams.

“I am extremely proud of the performance of the team this year. I wish the team could have gone further, but our season is done,” he said.

Hummel said the team will participate in off-season competitions.

This is Champion’s ninth season of competing. The team has 14 members.

Austintown Fitch’s robotics team placed 41 out of 47 at Miami Valley and received the “Team Spirit Award.” That was the team’s first regional event with the second set this weekend. The new first-year Ursuline team, Technocauns, is being led by the school’s new science teacher, Tiffany Bendersky.

The 11-member Canfield robotics team, Circuit Birds, has been competing since 2023 and has mostly new team members this year. The team is under the guidance of team mentor Bobby Hudock.

While there are newer teams this year, Harding is marking its 28th season.

This year’s theme is “Reefscape: First Dive.”