Jordan-Elbridge Marching Eagles earn state title
The Jordan-Elbridge Marching Eagles won a state championship at the 2018 New York Field Band Conference Championships at the Carrier Dome on Oct. 28. JE beat out nine other school bands to finish first in the Small School 3 Class group.Marching band director Randall Bennett said the win capped off an undefeated season in the state for the 42-person band. He attributed the win to the dedication of both the students and the staff.
“We started our season in July, and we lost a lot of kids from the previous season,” he said.
“Still, the kids worked extremely hard all season, which was absolutely incredible.”
Bennett said that as soon as the second place band was announced following the competition, he saw tears rolling from the faces of the students.
“As soon as they made that announcement, I saw that the kids were trying to hold it together. It was the most amazing thing I’ve seen all season,” Bennett said.
On their way back to school, the band received an escort from four different fire departments. They also received an escort through town, and parents and residents lined the streets to congratulate the band.
“I’ve never seen a reaction from the community like that. It was absolutely amazing. We also had hundreds of people celebrating and taking pictures with the trophy when we got back,” Bennett added.