Marching Band won first place in the state competition for the second year in a row Saturday.

Competing against two other schools in the 5A Division — Avon Grove and Penncrest High School, they received a score of 92.15, even better than last year.

“I was over-the-top excited,” Drum Major Chad McKendrick said.

Freshman Olivia Campbell said it was exciting doing so well her first year with the band.

“There was lots of screaming,” she said.

The band also won the following awards in specific categories:

-Best overall color guard

-Best percussion

-Best music

The band’s theme this year for competition is “Time through Time”.

“Each movement represents a different way of measuring time,” McKendrick said.

During Movement 1, representing the sundial, the band plays  “Africa: Ceremony, Song and Ritual”, a song that is tribal has an African feel to it.

Then, Movement 2 has an Egyptian feel with “Danse Bacchanale” being played (Gavin Tulone solos on soprano saxophone). Movement 3 starts with the overture to “The Barber of Seville”, imitating a grandfather clock, and transitions into “Clocks” by Coldplay (solo by Dan Trout on trombone). For the final movement, the band plays, “Harder, better, faster, stronger”, which is very digital and fast–paced, representing an analogue clock. Adding to the theme, the Color Guards’ flags have different types of clocks on them. 

The band has been working long hours practicing the routines all season, Junior Nicole Yacovelli said.

“We practice every Tuesday and Thursday, and Mondays almost every other week,” she said.  They also play for football games on Friday nights and spend all day Saturdays competing in cavalcades. 

The band has one more competition left — Nationals — on Saturday in Allentown.