Don’t call it a comeback

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

At one point during Saturday’s match against Rowan Count, West Carter’s Robot Gladiator League team was down 18-0 against their opponents. But that was something the Comets just weren’t willing to accept. In a striking turn of events the team made their necessary repairs, returned to the ring, and dominated the Vikings – bringing home an impressive 30-25 victory. 

At times the action was happening too quickly to even keep up. But when the activity stalled with stuck robots, and a score of 20-24 favoring Rowan County, the West Carter team recognized the ploy for what it was; an attempt to run out the clock. 

The Comets weren’t having it though. They called a time out, allowing both sides to reset their robots and try again. The West team then took the offensive, only giving over one more point to the Rowan County team, and adding another ten points to their total with an aggressive attack strategy. 

Points in the game are awarded by knocking over a series of three bowling pins set up behind barriers in your opponents end zone. There are three pins on each side, with each pin awarding a single point, and an extra point awarded for knocking over all three pins in a round. 

“There’s a kill switch on the side that can knock out the opponents’ robot,” coach Gary Coffman explained. “But you don’t get any points for that.” 

Instead, he explained, it simply takes one of the opponents vehicles out of the game until the next reset. 

The Comets’ victory over Rowan County on Saturday puts the team at 2 – 0 on their season, after bringing home the win against Russell County in their first outing on February 24. 

The West Carter Robot Gladiator League team will face off in their next match, against Nelson County, next Saturday, March 23, at Russell County High School, with the match kicking off at 12 p.m. Their final match of the regular season is April 13, at host Jackson Independent, where they’ll once again face off against the host team. 

The State Championship is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30, at Morehead State University, with times and matchups to be announced. 
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com