The band waits eagerly to perform before entering the field, huddling and holding hands to mentally prepare themselves for the performance as this could be the first time the band has ever advanced to State finals.
“You may now begin your preliminary performance for the UIL 6A Marching Band Contest,” the announcer says as the crowd goes silent, waiting.
On Oct. 30, the Westwood Warrior Marching Band narrowly missed advancement to the final level in the 6A University Interscholastic League (UIL) Marching Band process, which took place at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Out of the nearly 50 bands that compete at 6A UIL State, only the top 14 advance to finals. Barely missing the cut, Westwood placed 16th.
“It’s definitely unfortunate, but we can’t think we could’ve ‘if only,’” Sam Fowler ‘25 said, “We did the best we could with the bad hand we got dealt. We were exhausted from our St. Louis trip, and that clearly affected our performance.”
Just hours before Westwood’s performance time for UIL State, the band had returned from a four-day trip to compete at the St. Louis Super Regional. Unfortunately, due to unexpected circumstances, the band had little time to prepare for the competition.
“The bus ride from St. Louis was really tiring. We had multiple bus breakdowns, and at one point the drivers took a wrong turn and delayed us by three hours,” Alex Broyles ‘25 said. “Problems on the way back really tired us and affected our ability to perform.”
The band dominated the UIL Marching Contest season until now, advancing to UIL State for the third time in school history. To achieve this feat, students must compete in Region and Area competitions. If a band receives a “superior” rating (a score of one), they advance to an Area Contest, with the top five bands in the area advancing to State. The band placed 4th this year, the highest they have ever placed in the UIL Area Contest.
“I think our band has worked so hard that we definitely deserve it,” Amelia Nucceteli ‘27 said. “We got there together as a family, and we plan to continue going upward and getting better every year.”
Placing the highest the band ever has at UIL State in Westwood history, the band left the competition optimistic for the years to come, albeit a bit disappointed with their performance and results.
“I think that based on this year’s success, we definitely are in store for more success in the coming years,” Nico Ham ‘27 said, “but also it depends on the students to make sure we can keep up our streak and have another good year and all the other years to come.”
