For the seventh year in a row, the band received a first division rating at the UIL Marching Contest at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex, Oct 17.

The band performed their show Fragile at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in front of a panel of three judges. The judges rate each 5A and 6A band between 1 and 5, 1 being the highest division achievable; the band received ones from all three judges.

“We’re not competing against other bands, we’re competing against ourselves,” senior drum major Sammy Walczak said. “We got straight ones from all three judges which is pretty cool because that means that they thought we were doing the best.”

Their best is exactly what they need for the upcoming Bands of America Super Regional competition in San Antonio. The two-day competition will start Oct. 30, with the preliminary performances all day Friday, and the final performances on Saturday. The competition is one of the biggest in the state with more than 60 bands performing, and less than a third of them advance to finals.

“It’s cool because a ton of bands, like Vandergrift and other schools from LISD will be there,” Walczak said. “That’s one where you compete against other bands and it’s pretty cool because there’ll be over 50 bands. I think we’ll do well. I’m pretty happy with the band this year.”