TAHLEQUAH —
The Tahlequah High School Orange Express Marching Band earned across-the-board superior ratings at the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Eastern Regional Marching Band Contest Wednesday, hosted by Broken Arrow High School.
According to THS Band Director Josh Allen, it is the first time the Orange Express has received a perfect rating at this particular contest, which has three judges.
“I don’t remember ever getting all 1’s,” said Allen. “There’s always a 2 in the mix; last year, we got a two 1’s and a 2.”
Unlike other marching contests, the OSSAA event does not pit high school bands against one another with the outcome being a single winner. Instead, eight bands in Class 5A performed for the three judges, each receiving an individual rating.
Other bands scoring superior ratings included Coweta, McAlester, Pryor and Tulsa Memorial.
Bands earning 2’s at competition included Claremore, Collinsville and Grove.
“I was surprised Collinsville got a 2; they’ve been beating us all year,” said Allen.
“The best thing about this rating is it sets us up for sweepstakes. You have to earn superior ratings in performance, sight-reading and marching, and marching has always been hardest to get.”
This year’s show, titled “Metropolis,” incorporates a number of props, plume changes and complicated marching formations.
The story pits blue collar against white collar, with the two classes uniting near the end of the show. The blue-collar class consists of the percussion and brass sections, while woodwinds make up the white-collar class.
The final performance of “Metropolis” will be during THS’s home game against Tulsa East Central, which begins at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 26. It is also Senior Night.
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Orange Express gets top contest scores
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