The Bands Of America (BOA) annual competition took place in San Antonio on Nov. 1 and 2. The Westwood Warrior Marching Band performed on Friday, Nov. 1, marking the last competition of the 2019-2020 marching season.

“This season has been especially incredible… we have worked so incredibly hard and I am really proud of us. I think that no matter what happens for finals, we will have worked so hard that it will turn out fine,” drum major Will Sedberry ‘20 said.

Around 6:45 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, 300 band students boarded buses and were on their way to San Antonio. Westwood performed at 11:30 a.m. at the Alamodome, one of the earlier blocks of the day.

“It was a really good performance; I think the mindset going into the run was very focused. I personally fell going into the first set but I think I recovered. Overall, I think we did really well and can’t wait to see how we did tomorrow,” Jared Hyman ‘22 said.

Back at Westwood, as a gesture to show support, the band’s live performance was displayed during the Flex block by administration. The front office, additionally, displayed the BOA performance in which many teachers showed up to watch. In the cafeteria, Dr. Mario Acosta along with other administrators set up a projector to watch the show.

“For 15 minutes, the entire school was united. Not many organizations can do that, yet our band did that. We created a sense of community; many of you may not realize the importance of that right now but you should be extremely proud of yourselves,” assistant director Ms. Britanny Dacy said.

After performing, the band boarded buses and headed back to school as they were performing at the football game later that night. The next day on Saturday, the band left Westwood around 9:30 a.m. and arrived at the Alamodome to watch other schools perform and to hear finals announcement. Although Westwood did not make finals at BOA San Antonio, they made history. This year, Westwood was ranked 16th out of 84 competing bands. As a band must be placed in the top 14 to make finals, this year signified the closest Westwood has ever been to making finals. In 2017, the show, Bluebird, placed 19th which had been the previous highest ranking.

“Regardless of results, this has been our strongest season that I’ve experienced. I think I speak for everyone when I say I am proud of all the hard work we have put into the show. I am excited to see how our band continues on next year,” drum major Sonia Ballada ‘20 said.