On Saturday, 60 bands from across the state of Kentucky, including the Marching Panther Band, began their morning with this one goal in mind: to earn an opportunity to advance to the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) State Finals to be held at Eastern Kentucky University later that evening/ To achieve that goal, bands who advanced in the State Semifinals on Saturday morning had to finish in sixth place or higher against 11 other bands in their division.
For Class AA, the Semifinals were held at Bryan Station High School in Lexington. The Marching Panther Band took the field second to perform at 9:15 a.m. After a long wait for 10 other bands to perform after them, awards were presented. It was a very tense moment for all involved as placements were announced in ascending order.
After hearing the names of multiple bands called, jubilation rang out and tears of happiness were shed round about as the Panther Band was announced as not only one of four bands in the competition to receive a Distinguished rating but also one of six bands selected to advance to the State Finals competition at Roy Kidd Stadium at EKU that evening.
The honor of being selected to compete in the KMEA Finals was the first time in school history, which had been the goals the band had been chasing all year long!
In the words of Band Director Trevor Caldwell after the awards and celebration had concluded, the job was not finished. The band immediately departed Bryan Station enroute to EKU. Once they arrived, the band took an opportunity to get some much-needed rest before preparing to take the field for their State Finals performance. Unlike the morning where the Panthers performed at the beginning of the competition, the Panther Band drew the final performance slot of the Class AA competition and took the field at 6:15 p.m.
There were absolutely no signs of nerves, as the Panthers gave a masterful performance on the biggest stage, leaving all they had on the field of competition.
After waiting for Classes 3-5A to complete competition, the Panther Band would get dressed in their full uniform one more time to participate in the Final Retreat, an event in which all 30 state finals qualifiers took the field to await the announcement of awards. When the awards were announced, the Panther Band was recognize with another Distinguished Rating and was awarded 5th Place in Class AA, marking the highest finish for any Marching Panther Band in the history of the school.
The KMEA Finals bring a record-setting season to an end, and for nine seniors, it marked the last marching competition they will ever take the field as a high school student. Field commanders Jordin Morris and Candace Baker along with Cherokee Anderson-Hendrix, Graciann Beard, Zander Bilbrey, Lily Buffa. Rachel Logan, John Matthew Parrish, Isadora Perez and Anna Ragland left their impact on the Marching Panther Band Program and have raised the bar for bands that will come after them.
For the 50-plus band members that will return and for the new members who will join to compete next season, they will do so with state final experience and an expectation to continue returning to the Finals for years to come.