Westfield Marching Blue Devils Finish 6th At Garden State Cup Championship

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield High School's Marching Blue Devils wrapped up their 2026 season this past weekend with a sixth-place finish at the Garden State Cup Championship at The College of New Jersey.

The band scored 90.3 in the competition, which featured the 15 highest-scoring bands from the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association State Class Championships.

The previous weekend, Westfield placed fifth in Class 4 at the NJMBDA State Class Championships and posted the seventh-highest score among nearly 40 competing bands.

That result secured the Marching Blue Devils a place in the Garden State Cup Championship field.

This year's production, "In Shape," explored shapes and colors through movement, staging and shifting visual themes built around triangles, circles and squares, according to the district's description of the show.

The production also played with the different meanings of being "in shape."

Musical selections included ABBA's Lay All Your Love on Me and Going the Distance from the film Rocky.

Beyond competitions, the 100-member ensemble performed throughout the season at Westfield High School home football games and community events, including the town's annual Memorial Day Parade and the Optimist Club's annual Halloween Parade.

The band is under the direction of Westfield High School Band Directors Chris Vitale and Gabe Batiz.

Senior Drum Majors Marisa Villere-Reidy and Benjamin Macry, along with Junior Drum Major Piper Moscowitz, led the ensemble during the season.

Reflecting on the season, Vitale said, "We couldn't be prouder of what this group accomplished this season. From the first days of band camp through our final performance, these students demonstrated an incredible level of dedication, perseverance, and pride in what they do. Finishing 6th in the state is a tremendous accomplishment, but what stands out most is the growth we witnessed throughout the season. The students continued to push themselves and each other to improve every week, and I think their final performance was a reflection of that commitment. This year's band has been a fantastic group to work with and we are incredibly proud of the season they put together."

Support from the Westfield Band Parents Association also played a key role in the season. The group and its volunteers helped with meals, equipment transport, fundraising and publicity.

Association President Cecilia Petit-Troup said, "It has been wonderful to see the band build this show since August. I’m always impressed by their ability to gel as a group in just a few months, especially since some of the rookies are playing instruments they’ve never played before or spinning equipment that didn’t even exist until it was created specifically for this show. This speaks volumes about the quality of the program, as does the wonderful performance we saw this past weekend."

Vice President Anand Swaminathan said, "The incredible amount of work and effort from the students and the band staff going back to August clearly paid off. The band's final performance was nothing short of phenomenal."

As the marching season ends, interest meetings and spin clinics for Indoor Color Guard will take place in the coming weeks, with more information available at www.westfieldhsbands.org.

— Submitted by Katherine De Vito