A lot of hard work, coupled with enthusiasm and desire, has brought three Valley high school bands to the pinnacle of success: an invitation to the Atlantic Coast Championships.
Musicians from Mifflinburg, Milton and Shikellamy will travel to Dover, Del., over the weekend, where they will vie with premier high school bands from nine states.
The ACC championships, formerly held at Lackawanna County Stadium in Moosic, are the Olympics of high school marching band competition.
The competitions begin early each morning, with the first band taking the field at 7:34 a.m. Saturday, with the final competitors not on the field until 11:22 p.m.
Sunday’s contest begins at 8:24 a.m. and wraps up at 9:50 p.m.
Mifflinburg Area High School has participated in the ACC every year since 1998, said Matt Wagner, director of the Marching Wildcats.
“This year, we’re ranked 11 out of the 29 bands in our category,” he said. “That’s the highest ranking we’ve ever had.”
ACC competition is very strong, he said, with standings among the top bands often separated by only tenths of a point.
“The kids are very excited as a result of our first-place finish at Berwick last week,” he said. “There’s actually a kind of a buzz around the school, between us and the field hockey team going to states.”
Mifflinburg took first place in its division at the District 4 championships last week.
The Marching Wildcats will take the field at Delaware State University at 9:02 p.m. Saturday.
Also traveling to Dover as a result of its showing Saturday night is the Milton Area High Marching Black Panthers.
Band director Brett Hosterman had high praise for his band.
“The band worked really hard this year, and they did it,” he said. “It was quite a surprise.”
The Black Panthers are back in competition after a 16-year hiatus, Mr. Hosterman said.
“We developed a more competitive show,” he said. “We hired an arranger who arranged the music especially for us.”
“We’ve had a good season,” he said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Mr. Hosterman gives all the credit to the musicians for their hard work.
“We compete at 8:52 a.m. Sunday morning, so we’re leaving Milton on the buses at 3 a.m.,” he said.
Shikellamy High’s bands have a long tradition of excellence, said band director Scott Carey.
“The kids like the thrill of competition,” he said. “It runs in families at Shikellamy.”
Mr. Carey said the Marching Braves have 85 members, including their color guard.
Their performance is titled “New York State of Mind,” and includes New-Age jazzy style music, he said.
The scenario is a 24-hour day in Manhattan, with the music depicting sunrise, traffic, a night club and a wild taxi ride.
The Marching Braves will step off at 7:16 p.m. at Delaware State.
The three bands have been engaged in longtime friendly competition, Mr. Wagner said.
“We’ve all known each other for years,” said Mr. Hosterman, a Mifflinburg graduate and former member of the school’s band.
“There’s great camaraderie among the three of us,” he said. “We’re all good friends. We help each other out.”
n E-mail comments to wlaepple@dailyitem.com.
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