Knights march to victory

Kara Deserto and Conor Grimes play the xylophone side-by-side.

BY DAYAMI VILORIA

The Marching Knights competitive season officially began on September 28 at the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association competition and the band has already earned victories. This past weekend, the band won first place and an additional award at the NJMBDA’s most recent competition in Monroe.

On October 19, the Marching Knights won first place in their division and an award for Best Music. “I feel really proud,” said low brass player Stephen Franzese. “We had a very good performance that day and it made me, and the team feel proud of ourselves.”

The band placed first out of five schools in their class with a score of 76.8 . “Winning ‘Best Music’ was rewarding because we spent so much time working on improving and perfecting our music,” said drum major Rebecca DeNota. “It was nice to have that recognized.”

Colorguard members Lyla Gonzalez, Gabriella Vallo, Oyinkansola Abudu, and Charlotte Hage stand in their formations as they wave their flags behind them.

The band’s practice and hard work paid off. “All the hours that we put into practice throughout the two months of the actual season help out a lot,” said high brass player Sky Grimes.

The Marching Knights performed on September 28 at JP Stevens for NJBDMA in the pouring rain but still came out with a win. “Knowing that all the hours spent on the show meant something, and that we won despite the rain that made it harder, was amazing,” said Colorguard Captain Gabriella Vallo.

Even under such difficult conditions, the Marching Knights placed on top and earned a total of 73.9 points. “It wouldn’t be able to happen without our co-directors working so hard,” said Braeden Appleton.

Kerri Domena steps in formation as she plays the flute during halftime at Pink Out.

The band hosted and competed in a fun and successful home show on October 5 at Lombardi Field for USBANDS. “I love getting to share this experience with my friends,” said DeNota. “We all spent so much time together rehearsing and outside of practices, it really makes it so much more fun.”

“We were second in Nationals last year, and it would be amazing if we could win this season because this show has so much potential,” said Denota. The Marching Knights will next compete on October 26 in the USBANDS State Championships in Franklin Township in preparation for the National Championship on November 3.