Help FRC Team 498 Get to Houston 2026

We are the Cobra Robotics Booster Club, and we support FRC Team 498, The Cobra Commanders! 

On March 5-8, 2026 Cactus High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition team competed at the Pikes Peak Regional in Colorado Springs, CO. The team, nicknamed “The Cobra Commanders,” is based out of Cactus High School in the Peoria Unified School District and is composed of 24 students from across the district. Each spring, students, teachers, and industry mentors work side by side to build 120lb competitive robots to compete in the season’s FIRST Robotics Competition game.

At the event, The Cobra Commanders competed with 32 other teams from the United States, Taiwan, and Mexico in 3 vs 3 matches. After an exciting round of Qualification Matches, the team ranked 1st overall with a record of 11-1-0 and held the event’s high score. This milestone marked the first time the team ranked first at a Regional in the team’s 26 year history! The Cobra Commanders formed a three team alliance for the Elimination Rounds, inviting teams from Louisiana and Wyoming to join them on their playoff run. The alliance fought through the playoff bracket undefeated before starting the event finals. After a major break in the first finals match, the alliance went on to win the next two matches and become the Regional Winners! Additionally, The Cobra Commanders finished the event ranked fourth in the world for robot performance.

But the Cobra Commanders weren’t done yet! During the awards ceremony, the team was honored with the most prestigious award in FIRST: the Regional Impact Award. The Impact Award recognizes the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST. The day before, a team of three students presented to a panel of Impact Award judges, providing information on the impact of The Cobra Commanders on their community, school, and state. In the award script, the judges highlighted the team’s elementary LEGO Robotics Teams in PUSD, efforts to expand STEM opportunities in Title I schools, and Arizona Robotics League.

With these accolades, the team has qualified for the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas for the sixth season in a row. The team will be raising over $50,000 to finance the trip. They are actively looking for sponsors, in kind donations, and funding for travel as the PUSD students compete alongside the best teams in the world. The team is currently accepting Arizona State Tax Credit Donations to help cover costs, and is hosting a Spring Training Game fundraiser at the Peoria Sports Complex on March 22.

Tickets to the D-Backs vs. Padres game are available to purchase here: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Cobrarobotics2.

Before the team heads to the Championship in May, they will be competing at the Green Country Regional in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 1-4, 2026.

We hope you will consider helping these amazing kids continue building on their already successful season.

We truly appreciate your support!