High school football season has arrived in Northeast Ohio. With many teams slated to kick off their season on Aug. 18, students around the state are gearing up for another year on the gridiron.
The new season presents more than just an opportunity for players and coaches, however. Hundreds of young student musicians will also take the field this fall as halftime entertainment in one of the area’s marching bands.
Josh Brunger, director of bands at Avon Lake High School, said that parts of this year’s show will change from week-to-week during the season.
“We will do one or two songs from our competition show,” Brunger said. “And then, we’ll add a pop tune, or a crowd favorite, or a band favorite every week just to change things up.
“I try really hard to change it up enough where for all 10 games of the regular football season, it’s different in various ways.”
Throughout this year’s band camp sessions, Brunger said the level of talent among the students has blown him away.
Despite low enrollment due to the coronavirus pandemic, the group sounds just as full as ever, he said.
“I’ve noticed, I know North Ridgeville has noticed, and a few other schools have noticed, that these kids, they’re prepared,” Brunger said. “They’re ready to go.
“They’re definitely dedicated to what they’re in. So, that part is really nice.”
Avon Lake High was to premier its show at home Aug. 18 against Strongsville.
Bay High School‘s Darren Allen said his group will have multiple shows throughout the season.
The shows will range from big band swing music to more modern hits.
“We’re what we call a show band, so we like to dance and play lots of different types of music,” Allen said. “Our second show is music from the 2010s.
“Our third show is The Police, so we’ll play a lot of different music throughout the year.”
On Aug. 11, Allen and the band invited school officials for a preview run of this year’s first halftime show.
“It’s a good kind of measuring stick for us,” he said. “I kind of put a little pressure on the kids … get a few people that they know up there, some teachers or something, and they have to play pregame and the halftime show for them.”
The dry run is an annual tradition at Bay High that goes back at least 20 years, according to district communications director Karen Misciagna.
The Bay High marching band’s first show will premier at the team’s away game at 1 p.m., Aug. 19, at Cleveland Central Catholic High School.
Westlake High School‘s band also will feature multiple shows this year, according to director Hilary Patriok.
In addition to a modern rock show featuring the Green Day hit “Holiday,” the band will play a show themed around phoenixes, Patrick said.
Westlake’s band camp consists of morning rehearsals for two and a half weeks, leading directly up to the first football game, she said.
This year’s camp was a massive success, Patrick said.
“We have a large number of new members this year, that have just really done a great job,” she said. “Our leaders have really stepped up.
“The band is really kind of rebounding post-COVID, both in our abilities, and in our numbers.”
Westlake High’s marching band opened its season Aug. 18 at home against Midview High School.
At Avon High School, interest in the band is booming, said director Aaron Jacobs said.
Including about 30 color guard students, the Eagles will boast one of their biggest bands to date in 2023, Jacobs said.
“This season, we are marching 105 students, I think is what it is,” he said. “That features our largest color guard in our school’s history.
“Our color guard is a super important part of our marching arts program.”
This year, the band will feature selections from Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ films, Jacobs said.
With such a dedicated group, the band was able to put nearly its entire show on the field before the first game, he said.
“The overall aptitude of the group this year has been really strong,” Jacobs said. “In terms of remembering things and being able to just get stuff done earlier and have more on the field early, (it’s) been awesome, and I’ve told them that.”
Avon High premiered its annual marching band show Aug. 18 during an away game against Brunswick High School.
