Manchester Marching Band Wins State Championship

The Manchester High School Marching Band is a state champion.

The Marching Hawks, who took first in all of their regular-season competitions, marched out of Rutgers Stadium at Rutgers University with the title of US Bands NJ State Champions for Group 1A. Their final score was 79.163. The band went 6-0, the perfect season.

“A moment like this takes many people and many moments shared amongst friends and family,” said Lauren Delesky, the band director. “This band is a family and it shows in how the students perform together on the field. We have enjoyed success, however, the joy has come in the process rather than the product. It is seeing the students achieve that means the most to us.”

The competition was held Saturday, Oct. 18.

The students performed their show “Scenes from Russia,” a portrait of pieces depicting the Russian countryside. Throughout the season, the Marching Hawks enjoyed great success, placing first in all regular season competitions and sweeping almost all caption awards, according to a news release from the school district.

“It will be a season that the students will never forget and a moment that they will hold with them for a lifetime,” said Delesky, who is in her fourth year as the band director. ” These are the memories that we live for. Members of the band family...we did it!”