Cutters Marching Band Wins Garden State Gold Competition

Another competition, another first place finish.

The Marching Band continued its winning ways Saturday at the 36th annual Garden State Gold Marching Band competition, earning first place and all caption awards in Group IV open class, along with best overall percussion.

The Cutters' win Saturday, in a U.S. Scholastic Band Association event that featured more than 20 ensembles throughout the state, was the band's fourth first place finish in five competitions this year. In September, the band finished a close second place finish to last year’s USSBA Group IV National Champion, Nazareth High School in Pennsylvania.

“The students have consistently improved their scores in every competition this year and the color guard had a particularly good show this weekend,” band director Paul Kafer said in a press release.

“The staff and students all share an incredible camaraderie and passion that makes this entire experience so great,” added assistant band director Jamie Szeinberg, who is the band director at and percussion caption head for The Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps.

Only one competition in East Brunswick on Oct. 29 remains before the Cutters begin the state and national championships in early November.

Subsequent competitions include:

• East Brunswick High School in East Brunswick, N.J. on Oct. 29
• The USSBA NJ State Championships - Open Class in Old Bridge, N.J. on Nov. 5
• The USSBA National Championship Open Class in Annapolis, Md. on Nov. 12

Over the past decade, the FLHS Marching Band and Color Guard have achieved 10 consecutive national top 13 finishes, and have earned six straight invitations to the United States National Marching Band Championships.

Last year, the band ranked eighth overall nationally in the USSBA circuit and was the Group IV Open class national champion in percussion.

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If you're on Optimum subscriber, you can watch the band's winning performace in Rockaway this Saturday online at MSG Varsity