[Tom Bottiglieri]

I can't begin to explain how good 2041 was at defense.

We had been preparing on how to beat 1114 and 469 since divisions came out. We made autonomous modes that would wedge the robot in the tunnel. We practiced against a ball return in the far zone. We watched every video of 469 we could for hours on end.

We expected the third robot to be a home zone scorer, to put in all the deflected and missed balls coming off 469's ramps. What we didn't expect was a dominant defensive team, which could shut down our ability to clear the cycle. This was a brilliant strategic move by 1114 in picking the alliance.