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.

Austintown Fitch’s robotics team placed 41st out of 47 at the Miami Valley Regional event in Cincinnati in March and received the “Team Spirit Award.” That was the team’s first regional event with the second set this weekend.

The first-year Ursuline team, Technocauns, is led by the school’s new science teacher, Tiffany Bendersky. Ursuline has a 10-member team of primarily freshmen and sophomores. The team has competed in Pittsburgh and will compete this weekend in Cleveland.

When Bendersky taught at Hubbard schools, she helped with the robotics team. Warren G. Harding’s team, which is competing for the 28th season, has been mentoring the Ursuline team and allowed the Youngstown team to use the new wellness center at the high school for practices.

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.

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

Ashraf Hadi, adviser to the Girard FIRST Robocats, 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 20th 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 that 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.