The band advanced to UIL Area finals for the first time in 14 years after its performance on Saturday, Oct. 27. It was an emotional night for the directors, players and supporters of the band that marches with pride.

“I was really shocked,” junior Monica Acosta said. “Mainly because I didn’t think we were going to make finals at all. A lot of people were thinking that we weren’t.”

Due to recent inclement weather, band members struggled to find time to practice outdoors, losing the crucial ability to move around and rehearse their steps. However, determination and resilience allowed them to pull through as they found ways to work around the rain.

“We’ve been having to move our rehearsals inside or even go outside for just 10 to 15 minutes if we can,” senior lead drum major Natalie Martinez said. “We needed all the outside time that we could get.”

With previous shows that were thought to be outstanding but still somehow fell short of finals, some players went into the competition a little apprehensive.

“Two years ago when we went, I felt that we should have made finals but we didn’t,” Martinez said. “That kind of just made me go like, ‘Oh man, we’re not that great.’”

After finding out they had actually made it to finals, many players viewed this show as a comeback from their last UIL Area competition in 2016 where they placed 11th, just barely missing one of the top 10 spots that advance to finals.

“We’ve been working at a pretty constant rate throughout the whole season,” junior Wyatt Cole said. “The last two weeks before the competition, we really kicked it into gear. I’ve never seen a band that worked that hard and that efficiently and I think that’s what pushed us into finals.”

Finishing in 10th place, this year will be one to remember and is still seen as a victory in many eyes. Although the season has come to an end, players and directors continue to motivate each other to keep improving for the competitions to come.

“There are some really pretty moments in music,” Martinez said. “You kind of just can’t help but think, ‘Man I love everybody around me and I’m creating something so beautiful with these people.’”