MINNEOLA -- Lucas Parlato started robotics when he was just 7 years old. Today, as a member of the Nerds of Prey Robotics Team from Lake Minneola High School, he and his teammates are being celebrated as robotics world champions.
“It has been my dream to be noticed by the top teams at the World Championship in Houston,” he said. That dream came true earlier this month, supported in part by funding from the Education Foundation of Lake County.
For months, Parlato and his teammates had been designing, building, programming, and improving their robot design in preparation for the Robotics World Championship in Houston, TX.
After four hard-fought days of competition against 600 of the top teams from around the world, they won their division and then faced off against seven other division winners in front of 20,000 fans. Six intense matches later, the Nerds of Prey emerged as the 2026 FIRST Robotics World Champions!
FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is an international, nonprofit youth organization that operates the FIRST Robotics Competition and other challenges.
“Being a kid from Lake County and being selected to play man defense on the Einstein field (the finals field), which is the Super Bowl of Robotics, was surreal,” Parlato said.
It was also a lot of work.
“Before the robot even hits a field to compete, students must analyze the new game design that is released in January, understand the best way to score points, and ensure they can defend their robot from other teams on the field,” said Bartholomew Nash, who teaches robotics and coaches the team at Lake Minneola High. “Students use wood and metal to prototype their designs and then start building from the ground up. Motors, sensors, cameras, drive trains, and electronics are added as the robot approaches the final design.”
That’s just the beginning. The drive team works on the field during the matches and controls the robot, and the scouting team watches matches at competitions and reports back statistics that help the drive team with strategy. For the 2026 season, teams competed in alliances of three to collect balls and shoot them into high baskets. The first 20 seconds of each match are autonomous, with robots programmed to perform the tasks without being controlled by the driver. The next 2:20 of each match, each alliance side tries to steal balls from the floor and score them into their baskets.
“Reliability of the robot was the biggest issue for the team this year,” Nash said. “Having experience from past years and knowing what components are possible weak spots, the team made sure their robot was solid enough to take hits and stay intact and functional.”
The experience paid off. The team had come in second place many times over the last few years, but had never previously won a Regional Championship in order to qualify to go to the World Championship. But this was their year.
“It is very rare to be on the Einstein field at your first championship event,” Nash said. “I also want to point out that no team from Florida has won the World Championship since 2012!”
William Roberts, the proud principal of Lake Minneola High School, said the team’s success comes as no surprise to him. “Over the last three years, I have watched this team work tirelessly, dedicating countless hours both on campus and at home to perfecting their craft,” he said. “They are truly preparing students for the 21st-century workforce by developing creative thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders who embody selflessness, collaboration, and innovation.
“What makes this program even more remarkable is its commitment not only to building and strengthening its own team, but also to supporting surrounding programs and the greater community,” Roberts continued. “The impact they have made reaches far beyond competitions and trophies. They have built a culture rooted in hard work, perseverance, excellence, and service to others. I am both honored and humbled to witness all they have accomplished. The Nerds of Prey have created an exceptional legacy at Lake Minneola, and I could not be more proud of what they represent and continue to achieve. I also want to take a moment to thank the mentors and parents who surround this team and help build the culture that has made this success possible. Their guidance, encouragement, and unwavering support play an invaluable role in shaping these students into outstanding young leaders. It is truly an amazing thing to watch.”
Congratulations to the team:
Ian Andretta
Xander Chapman
Grayson Crowe
Alexander Drummond
Marcelo Guello
Samuel Mensah
Giovanni Mercedez de la Rosa
Matheus Neimeir Silva
Chloe Payne
Kolby Peterson
Esdras Pettit-Homme
Jackson Royston
Timothy Russell
Shrihan Sudarvannan
Ojasv Vashisth
Londyn Zimmerman
Aiden Hickey
Elijah Hodge
Aiden Kennedy
Aria Lambertsen
Matthew Lydiard
Jacob Persaud
Matthew Prescott
Gianna Rodriguez
Nicholas Soares
Cooper Stebbins
Liam McDermott
Adilyn Zimmerman
Hunter Abear
Jackson Muse
Isaias Nunez
Lucas Parlato
Jainish Patel