A Center Moriches High School sophomore is helping lead his school’s award-winning robotics team into another demanding competitive season, and he’s asking the community to stand behind the students who keep the program thriving.
“My name is Matthew Quarltere and I am currently a sophomore at Center Moriches High School,” he wrote. “This year, I am proud to represent Team 4458, Infernobotix, as the Treasurer.”
The team competes each year in the global FIRST Robotics Competition, a nonprofit STEM program that challenges students to design, build, and program a robot capable of completing complex tasks. “FIRST has over three thousand teams internationally,” Matthew explained. “It gives students real opportunities in engineering, business, and teamwork.”
The team is now gearing up for the 2026 season. “We are currently preparing for this year’s upcoming game, REBUILT,” Matthew said. “We will only have eight weeks to build a robot capable of competing in tournament-style matches.”
Last season, Infernobotix competed in the game REEFSCAPE, which required teams to place coral, move algae, and climb onto a cage in the final seconds for extra points. “It was a challenging game, but we learned a lot,” Matthew said.
Their 2025 results were among the team’s strongest yet. “At the FIRST Long Island Regional we were ranked sixth out of 48 teams,” he noted. “We also attended the New York Tech Valley Regional, where we ranked fifth out of 56.” In Qualification Match #66 at Tech Valley, the team scored a season-high 201 points.
Matthew said continued success depends on community backing. While the district offers some support, the team relies heavily on sponsors to cover robot parts, tools, registration fees, and transportation. “When a company sponsors a robotics team, they are investing in the next generation of engineers and business people,” Matthew pointed out. To help the team, email them at team4458infernorobotics@gmail.com.