From left, Team Honey Cracked members Zoe Lambert, Cody Graham, Liam King, Dominic “Dom” Musolino and Colin Butrym gather at the NHRL Pro Tour competition Sept. 12 at Terminal 5 in Manhattan. King won the tournament’s 12-pound division with his robot, Buzzzz-Kill. (Photo courtesy of growingSTEMS)
MANHATTAN, N.Y. — Before a capacity crowd at Terminal 5 in Manhattan — and an online audience of approximately 50,000 live viewers — robots built and driven by members of a Southern Maryland team collided on one of combat robotics’ largest stages.
Team Honey Cracked, a combat robotics program operated by the St. Mary’s County-based nonprofit growingSTEMS, traveled to New York City for the second National Havoc Robot League Pro Tour competition of the year Sept. 12.
The invitation-only tournament brought together 48 of the sport’s leading fighting robots, with 16 competitors in each of the 3-pound, 12-pound and 30-pound divisions. The competition was streamed live through DAZN and YouTube.
Among the competitors was St. Mary’s County native Liam King, who captured the 12-pound championship with his robot, Buzzzz-Kill.
King previously participated in growingSTEMS and FIRST Robotics Competition Team 836, The RoboBees. He remains a member of Team Honey Cracked, although he competed under the Team Spectra banner during the Manhattan tournament.
For those who watched King develop his skills locally, the victory represented more than another trophy.
“Liam King has been a part of growingSTEMS since he was young,” said Zoe Lambert, a growingSTEMS volunteer and Team Honey Cracked member in an interview with The BayNet. “We have watched him grow into the amazing builder and competitor that he is today.”
Lambert said King’s victory reflects both the abilities of local students and the community supporting them.
“His victory is a testament to not only the amazing youth we have here in St. Mary’s County, but the skills that our local engineers, volunteers and programs have at building up the community into incredible people who take their skills above and beyond,” Lambert said.
Team Honey Cracked Enters The Arena
Team Honey Cracked entered two robots in the competition: the 30-pound Deadrise and the 12-pound HoneyBombers.
Joe Copenhaver drove Deadrise, which delivered the team’s deepest run of the tournament by advancing to the 30-pound semifinals.
Deadrise recorded three knockout victories, defeating Maccabot, Red Storm and Goose before being eliminated by Gargantuan. Under the NHRL Pro Tour qualification system, robots that reach the top four in their weight class secure a place in the Pro World Championships in December.
Joe Copenhaver stands beside Deadrise, Team Honey Cracked’s 30-pound combat robot, during the NHRL Pro Tour competition Sept. 12 at Terminal 5 in Manhattan. Copenhaver drove Deadrise to the semifinals after securing three knockout victories. (Photo courtesy of growingSTEMS)
HoneyBombers competed in a challenging 12-pound group against Night Crawler, Ugee and King’s eventual championship-winning Buzzzz-Kill. Although HoneyBombers did not advance beyond the group stage, all three of its matches went to the judges for a decision.
Behind the controls was high school student Colin Butrym, the only driver younger than 18 competing at the event.
From left, Team Honey Cracked members Zoe Lambert, Cody Graham and Colin Butrym display their
combat robots during the NHRL Pro Tour competition Sept. 12 at Terminal 5 in Manhattan.
(Photo courtesy of growingSTEMS)
Lambert said Butrym’s preparation required far more than ensuring the robot could move and its weapon would activate.
“He dedicated himself to making sure every aspect of his robot was ready,” Lambert said. “Utilizing not only his mechanical skills but his project planning and time management skills to ensure everything got done in time for the event.”
Once inside the arena, Butrym faced some of the country’s most experienced combat robotics competitors. Each match placed his engineering decisions and driving strategy under pressure, while also showing him where improvements could be made.
“The event proved to be a challenge for him as he had to face the best of the best, but the largest lessons are learned under pressure,” Lambert said. “Each match gave him a new thing to improve about the robot structure or his driving strategy going into the next match.”
Those lessons will now follow Butrym back to the workshop as he prepares HoneyBombers for another national competition.
“He is beyond excited to bring the robot back for the World Championship in December to apply everything that he learned,” Lambert said.
Building More Than Robots
Between matches, Team Honey Cracked members spoke with spectators about combat robotics, growingSTEMS and the work required to design, build, operate and repair a fighting robot.
The sport combines mechanical engineering, electronics, computer-aided design, manufacturing and strategy. Competitors must also diagnose damage and complete repairs under strict time constraints before returning to the arena.
That combination of technical knowledge, planning and problem-solving is central to the mission of growingSTEMS, a registered nonprofit that promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Southern Maryland and beyond.
The organization began as an outreach initiative of The RoboBees and now offers community robotics programs for students and adults. Its programs include VEX IQ, FIRST Robotics Competition and combat robotics opportunities beginning in third grade.
Team Honey Cracked includes high school and college students alongside adult participants, allowing younger builders to learn from experienced engineers, volunteers and competitors.
Helping others enter the sport is also a core part of the team’s mission. Members share their knowledge with spectators and newer builders while developing a community built around engineering, competition and teamwork.
Road To The World Championships
The 2026 NHRL Pro Tour consists of three high-level competitions leading to the Pro World Championships in December.
Unlike the league’s open tournaments, builders cannot register directly for a Pro Tour competition. Participants must qualify through an NHRL Open or receive a wild-card invitation.
Each Pro Tour event begins with round-robin group matches before qualifying robots advance into a single-elimination bracket. According to NHRL, as much as $30,000 in prize money may be awarded at each tournament.
For Team Honey Cracked, the trip to Manhattan ended with a semifinal appearance, a 12-pound championship secured by one of its longtime members and another opportunity to demonstrate the level of robotics talent being developed in St. Mary’s County.
More information about Team Honey Cracked and its community robotics programs is available through the growingSTEMS website.
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