After 2 years without competing, the Cass High School Marching Band traveled to Fannin County High School to perform in the October 15th 3A competition at the Blue Ridge Mountain Marching Festival.

The band had been preparing for this competition since May with two practices for upcoming freshmen new to marching band and two practices with the entire band. Since then, the band has had a week and a half of band camp, 2 months of rehearsing two days every week for 3 hours each, and two 5-hour practices over weekends. That adds up to over 150 hours of rehearsing!

Destiny Smith, senior and drum major of the Cass High School Marching Band, expresses, “I felt really good in preparing for the competition. We covered the smallest things in order for us to become a better band.” The massive amount of preparation certainly allowed for Cass to perform as well as they did.

The competition day for Cass held more than their single 10-minute performance. The band started off the day at 9 am at Cass High School to review the show and the warm-up process. After about an hour and a half of rehearsing, the band went inside to eat, get changed, and mentally prepare themselves for the day. They left Cass High School at about 1 pm for Fannin County High School.

Arriving at approximately 3 pm, the band left the bus and headed to the stadium to watch other bands perform. The competition was an excellent display of bands across the region, and the Cass Band had the opportunity to watch 8 of those bands perform. The competition not only showcased the talent of the 21 bands in attendance, but it hosted representatives from Young Harris College, a variety of concessions, and a booth for shout-outs in between performances. Shout-outs are a fun way for students and parents to participate in the friendly environment of the competition. Some shout-outs included, “you better get it,” “berries and cream,” and “will you go to homecoming with me?”

Five bands competed in 3A marching competition in the following order:

Sprayberry High School

North Forsyth High School

Loganville High School

Cass High School

Habersham Central High School

The possible ratings for the competition were 1 – Superior, 2 – Excellent, 3 – Good, 4 – Fair, and 5 – Poor. These ratings were available in the categories of Drum Major, Color Guard, Percussion, and Overall Band. The Cass High School Marching Band was the only band in 3A competition to receive all superior ratings, and only three other bands in the entire competition received all superior ratings.

In the past, Cass High School has never beaten Sprayberry High School or North Forsyth High School in marching competition, but this year, the Cass Band swept the 3A class, beating both schools in Color Guard, Percussion, and Overall Band. This was Cass’s second time ever sweeping their division. In the Silver Division (consisting of 16 1A, 2A, and 3A bands), Cass won 1^st Color Guard, Percussion, and Overall Band, sweeping their division for the first time ever.

After the awards ceremony was over, the Cass Band rushed the field in celebration, meeting the band leadership carrying 12 trophies! The celebration continued from the field to the 2-hour bus ride back to Cass High School. Lillian Taylor, sophomore, president of the magnet leadership, and mellophone section leader at Cass High School, exclaimed “The entire experience of my first competition was completely exhilarating and shocking! There is no other band that can compare to this one, and the bond that we all share is something that will be cherished forever.” Caydi Hyde, another member of the magnet program at Cass High School and a freshman trumpet player, agrees that her first competition was “an experience like no other.”

The band’s accomplishments so far are astounding, and there’s only more to achieve this year. After co-hosting the North West Georgia competition with the Woodland Marching Band on October 23^rd, the Cass Band will travel to Central Carroll High School to compete in the Super Bowl of Sound on October 30^th. Great things lie ahead for Cass High School’s Marching Band not only for the rest of this year but also for years to come.