“Like our show name, Onward Ever Upward, we can only go higher from here,” Said Sharvi Patil, a flute player and freshman at Weddington.

On September 26th, the Marching Warriors crushed the competition at Hickory Ridge Festival of Bands with their show, Onward Ever Upward. Despite complications, they placed second in colorguard and percussion, and first place in overall effect, visual performance, music performance, and class placement.

One issue was that the sound system wasn’t working properly. In a perfect show, it would have played the sound of an airplane taking off at the beginning, with other sound effects throughout the performance. It was a big part of the show, but even without it, the band carried on.

“It was definitely a different show than what I’m used to, with no sound system,” explained Hunter Aston, a trumpet player and Sophomore. He compared it to his first season, where there was no sound system at all.

Morgan Ohr, also a trumpet player and Sophomore, commented, “I think the band did good considering that we didn’t have a sound system. I heard we had a tear, and that people said we recovered quickly.”

Additionally, she noted that a lot of the woodwinds couldn’t play because their reeds dried up. They would try to blow as much air through their instruments as they could, but sound came out quieter than they’d hoped.

“The ballad, for me, was really good. I actually had some pretty good tone,” Morgan added. She wished that she could have heard the baritone solo, but because of the sound issues, it was difficult. In spite of this, the band had their heads held high.

After awards, the group retreated victorious. “I’m really happy that colorguard got second!” Kaylee Demetrius, a guard member in her freshman year exclaimed, pumped after her first competition.

“I’m really glad we won today, a lot of awards at Hickory Ridge, it’s the first time in a while,” recalled Stella Souder, a freshman and a flute player.

As their show takes off this season, the Marching Warriors are giving it their all. This show stopping performance is just the beginning, and they’re only going up from here.