Patriot Pride Band has another big weekend

Marion finishes 1st in class, 2nd overall at West Memphis event

By ANDY WELD

Marion School District

The Marion Patriot Pride Marching Band continued its winning ways Saturday with a great showing Saturday at the 32nd Annual West Memphis Classic at Hamilton-Shultz Field in West Memphis.

The band was among a dozen bands from Arkansas and Mississippi in the competition, finishing first in their Class and second Overall. Only Cabot, a 7A school, scored higher than Marion. Marion was also one of only four bands to receive a first division rating.

This was the highest finish at the West Memphis Classic for the Marion band since 2007.

“Our students showed tremendous heart and resilience, as our sound system experienced wireless interference, which created a complete shut-down of that important system,” said Marion director of bands director Monty Hill. “But these students never missed a beat! I couldn’t be more proud of our performance.”

Complete results are as follows: CLASS

1. Marion 2. Lake Cormorant, Miss. 3. Center Hill, Miss.

OVERALL

1. Cabot 2. Marion 3. Lake Cormorant, Miss. 4. Center Hill, Miss. 5. Rivercrest 6. Gosnell 7. Jonesboro Westside 8. Highland 9. Nettleton 10. Wynne 11. Batesville Southside 12. Des Arc The band will continue its quest for excellence this Tuesday (October 19) at the Region Marching Assessment at Searcy High School. This is the all-important qualifier for the State Contest to be held November 2 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

The Patriots put on an all-American performance during last weekend’s marching competition in West Memphis.