UIL 5A State Marching Contest 2025 (Nov. 10 & 11)

[Percplayer19]

On a brighter note from a Richland Band Parent/Volunteer since 2007 an observation from one of our Parent/Volunteer:

I want to share something incredible with you! In state finals over the past 3 years, I have been Blue Crew, box truck driver, chaperone, section parent, and lots of other things in between. However yesterday, WE were the recipient of PRAISE. The Front Ensemble was coming off the field with our equipment and scrims in the state finals and the Lone Star band was clapping and cheering for us at the exit, as they were waiting to enter the field for their performance. Telling us great job band! Good job prop crew! Etc. 

Does it change our performance? No. 
Did it cost them anything? No. 
Did it give me an AMAZING PERCEPTION of Lone Star? YES!!! 

That’s what good sportsmanship is all about! I loved seeing their example! I have done some of this in the past for other bands, but I’m going to do better at every football game, contest, and every representation of RHS Band going forward. 

We Are Richland Band and we are AWESOME! 

We can encourage the other bands competing with us!

[Percplayer19]

17 hours ago, CDLune VA said:

Yeah, my bad 😂

No problem, we usually have misidentification with Birdville High School in our district and Richland, Haltom high schools encompass Birdville ISD.

[DrumLine]

36 minutes ago, Percplayer19 said:

On a brighter note from a Richland Band Parent/Volunteer since 2007 an observation from one of our Parent/Volunteer:

I want to share something incredible with you! In state finals over the past 3 years, I have been Blue Crew, box truck driver, chaperone, section parent, and lots of other things in between. However yesterday, WE were the recipient of PRAISE. The Front Ensemble was coming off the field with our equipment and scrims in the state finals and the Lone Star band was clapping and cheering for us at the exit, as they were waiting to enter the field for their performance. Telling us great job band! Good job prop crew! Etc. 

Does it change our performance? No. 
Did it cost them anything? No. 
Did it give me an AMAZING PERCEPTION of Lone Star? YES!!! 

That’s what good sportsmanship is all about! I loved seeing their example! I have done some of this in the past for other bands, but I’m going to do better at every football game, contest, and every representation of RHS Band going forward. 

We Are Richland Band and we are AWESOME! 

We can encourage the other bands competing with us!

This is awesome! While the lot of us are debating in the forums, the kids on the field are pulling for one another. Love to see it. Way to be the example, Lone Star!

[Percplayer19]

Thank you Tubalord, Wandering Traveler and AnthonyV for all your post and observations during the season. See yall hopefully next season!

[5ahbd]

1 hour ago, Percplayer19 said:

On a brighter note from a Richland Band Parent/Volunteer since 2007 an observation from one of our Parent/Volunteer:

I want to share something incredible with you! In state finals over the past 3 years, I have been Blue Crew, box truck driver, chaperone, section parent, and lots of other things in between. However yesterday, WE were the recipient of PRAISE. The Front Ensemble was coming off the field with our equipment and scrims in the state finals and the Lone Star band was clapping and cheering for us at the exit, as they were waiting to enter the field for their performance. Telling us great job band! Good job prop crew! Etc. 

Does it change our performance? No. 
Did it cost them anything? No. 
Did it give me an AMAZING PERCEPTION of Lone Star? YES!!! 

That’s what good sportsmanship is all about! I loved seeing their example! I have done some of this in the past for other bands, but I’m going to do better at every football game, contest, and every representation of RHS Band going forward. 

We Are Richland Band and we are AWESOME! 

We can encourage the other bands competing with us!

Thank for the shoutout and congratulations to the fantastic Richland Band!

-Lone Star band 

[5ahbd]

1 hour ago, DrummersEcho said:

As a student who goes to a school in FISD. I have 2 friends who go to lone star and apparently they said the directors and band parents are mad and saying that the judges were bad, alot of them believe that argyle and lebanon trail should not have been that high.

I can assure that is not the case. We love both of those programs and are all great friends.  They most certainly deserved their placements.  We were just baffled by some of the ordinals and judge comments.  Never were the students told by anyone that those two groups did not deserve their placements.

[anotherbandmom]

1 hour ago, Percplayer19 said:

On a brighter note from a Richland Band Parent/Volunteer since 2007 an observation from one of our Parent/Volunteer:

I want to share something incredible with you! In state finals over the past 3 years, I have been Blue Crew, box truck driver, chaperone, section parent, and lots of other things in between. However yesterday, WE were the recipient of PRAISE. The Front Ensemble was coming off the field with our equipment and scrims in the state finals and the Lone Star band was clapping and cheering for us at the exit, as they were waiting to enter the field for their performance. Telling us great job band! Good job prop crew! Etc. 

Does it change our performance? No. 
Did it cost them anything? No. 
Did it give me an AMAZING PERCEPTION of Lone Star? YES!!! 

That’s what good sportsmanship is all about! I loved seeing their example! I have done some of this in the past for other bands, but I’m going to do better at every football game, contest, and every representation of RHS Band going forward. 

We Are Richland Band and we are AWESOME! 

We can encourage the other bands competing with us!

This is just one of the many reasons I love the marching community. The entirety of CP's pit crew applauded us as we came through the tunnel after our finals run. They also wished us well as we pushed our front ensemble through the parking lot on our way in. My speaker was taller than me and quite heavy so all I could squeak out was a somewhat breathless "thank you" but trust we all saw it and appreciated it very much. 🙏

[txband27]

3 hours ago, WanderingTraveler said:

Quick recap on the 2025 5A season before this forum gets closed:

 

What a season! Congratulations to all the bands competing and those who made it to the SMBC. There were definitely some major shake ups not only from preseason thoughts, but even from even more recently! Regardless, crazy display of talent top to bottom. There were a few bands that have been active in this competition that were left out due to the strength of this competition, like Pieper and McKinney North to name a few. However, this state competition will look very different next year with a good chunk of bands moving 6A, and some 4As moving up. Congratulations to Cedar park on ending their 5A tenure with a exclamation mark before their move to 6A. The other medalists, Rouse and Wakeland, showing they can hang with the 6A bands at BOA SA with Rouse being 8th and Wakeland just on the outside looking in at 15th. Leander! I am glad you tried something new this year, despite the mixed feedback. Theres a few evolutions of the activity that would not happen if people didn’t take risks (take Bluecoats 2015 as an example). The area of doom and despair, Area B showed up once again, and showed up in a big way having every single band from that area in the Top 8. Despite the shake up from area, these bands from this area represented well, outstanding job! BC percussion, wow, thats it! Aledo, Im not sure if it will be trains or boats next season, but whatever it is, y'all will bring another thematically great show, as y'all did this year. Finally, Richland, McCallum, and Hays…most people, myself included were unaware of your game! Great showing from these bands, and you guys 100% deserved finals, and represented yalls bands well. I could ramble on but I’ll let the season breathe for now.

This has been my favorite contest for quite some time, but I think next year I might detour and take a trip to either 6A SMBC or BOA San Antonio next year, but excited for next season nonetheless the less.

Much respect, WT! See you next season.

[Justhereforthebands]

4 hours ago, DrummersEcho said:

As a student who goes to a school in FISD. I have 2 friends who go to lone star and apparently they said the directors and band parents are mad and saying that the judges were bad, alot of them believe that argyle and lebanon trail should not have been that high.

I’m going to completely disagree with this post. I am not speaking on behalf of Lone Star in any official manner, but as a long-time volunteer and a proud parent who believes deeply in The Ranger Way.

I have been to every single game and every single performance this year as one of the lead chaperones, talking closely with our directors, students, and band board, and hearing the judges’ comments firsthand.

We have made huge strides this year and achieved many “firsts.” But let me be clear — we did not say anything negative about LT (our closest friend school) or Wakeland (our closest competitor). We all agree that they both earned their spots with beautiful shows and incredible hard work.

The judges’ comments at State focused on one thing: they didn’t like our show design. That’s it. Our performances were magnificent—finals was our best run yet. We were surprised by our prelim placement, but we understood how the process works. We also knew that we couldn’t change our design at that point.

Our program worked so hard to raise funds for this show. We wanted to push ourselves to the next level, even though other programs may have more financial resources. We stretched and worked to hire the same design team used by Cedar Park. We LOVE our show, and every competition and UIL before State reflected that—judges consistently praised it until that final contest.

We gave everything we had—time, sacrifices, money, sweat, and tears—but we are good sportsmen. We don’t take away from what other bands have earned. Every band, every guard, every percussion section deserves respect.

We cheer on every band because we know what it takes—nerves, sickness, injuries, and endless rehearsals. We’ve even stepped in to help when another band didn’t have enough volunteers. During one football game, the opposing team had no parent help, and a sudden thunderstorm caught everyone by surprise. Our students—who were supposed to get to the buses—saw their band frantically trying to protect their instruments and equipment. Without hesitation, several of our students ran over to help them load and cover their gear. Why? Because we understood. We know what it’s like to struggle for resources, and we knew those kids might not be able to replace damaged instruments. Helping them wasn’t a question—it was instinct. That’s what The Ranger Way looks like.

It doesn’t change the outcome of a score, but it does lift heavy hearts when you see someone from another school saying, “You got this.”

Maybe one or two freshmen might have said something without fully understanding The Lone Star Way, but that’s not who we are.

To whoever “Argyle Auntie” is—if you’re a Lone Star parent, that kind of behavior is not okay.

The results are what they are. These particular judges simply didn’t like our design, and that’s part of the arts—it’s subjective. For context, three of the prelim judges who scored us the lowest were also on the finals panel, along with four new ones. Historically, in UIL, judges don’t always give a clean slate; sometimes prior scores carry influence. We understand how that works.

At the end of the day, all we can do is give our best, hold our heads high, and continue to encourage the bands around us. That’s the Ranger Way. 

[LoneStarSuperFan]

49 minutes ago, Justhereforthebands said:

 

I’m going to completely disagree with this post. I am not speaking on behalf of Lone Star in any official manner, but as a long-time volunteer and a proud parent who believes deeply in The Ranger Way.

I have been to every single game and every single performance this year as one of the lead chaperones, talking closely with our directors, students, and band board, and hearing the judges’ comments firsthand.

We have made huge strides this year and achieved many “firsts.” But let me be clear — we did not say anything negative about LT (our closest friend school) or Wakeland (our closest competitor). We all agree that they both earned their spots with beautiful shows and incredible hard work.

The judges’ comments at State focused on one thing: they didn’t like our show design. That’s it. Our performances were magnificent—finals was our best run yet. We were surprised by our prelim placement, but we understood how the process works. We also knew that we couldn’t change our design at that point.

Our program worked so hard to raise funds for this show. We wanted to push ourselves to the next level, even though other programs may have more financial resources. We stretched and worked to hire the same design team used by Cedar Park. We LOVE our show, and every competition and UIL before State reflected that—judges consistently praised it until that final contest.

We gave everything we had—time, sacrifices, money, sweat, and tears—but we are good sportsmen. We don’t take away from what other bands have earned. Every band, every guard, every percussion section deserves respect.

We cheer on every band because we know what it takes—nerves, sickness, injuries, and endless rehearsals. We’ve even stepped in to help when another band didn’t have enough volunteers. During one football game, the opposing team had no parent help, and a sudden thunderstorm caught everyone by surprise. Our students—who were supposed to get to the buses—saw their band frantically trying to protect their instruments and equipment. Without hesitation, several of our students ran over to help them load and cover their gear. Why? Because we understood. We know what it’s like to struggle for resources, and we knew those kids might not be able to replace damaged instruments. Helping them wasn’t a question—it was instinct. That’s what The Ranger Way looks like.

It doesn’t change the outcome of a score, but it does lift heavy hearts when you see someone from another school saying, “You got this.”

Maybe one or two freshmen might have said something without fully understanding The Lone Star Way, but that’s not who we are.

To whoever “Argyle Auntie” is—if you’re a Lone Star parent, that kind of behavior is not okay.

The results are what they are. These particular judges simply didn’t like our design, and that’s part of the arts—it’s subjective. For context, three of the prelim judges who scored us the lowest were also on the finals panel, along with four new ones. Historically, in UIL, judges don’t always give a clean slate; sometimes prior scores carry influence. We understand how that works.

At the end of the day, all we can do is give our best, hold our heads high, and continue to encourage the bands around us. That’s the Ranger Way. 

I would like to take a moment and agree with this post. Due to recent disagreement I decided to take a backseat for a while and watch what people had to say. And I was surprised on how some people tried to hold onto pride rather than accepting that maybe the judging was very surprising compared to earlier season sucess. Just because of that it does not mean it's okay to detract from any students performance or efforts throughout the season. Even though a ton of students were crushed, they still congratulated others because they know the work and dedication it takes to be there. Lonestar is still Lonestar and results do not define a band program. They continued to stay strong and support others and that's what true character is. Congratulations to everyone including the preliminary contestants it is truly increasing the level at which you all perform at.

[Armyguy1381]

By any chance does anyone have an update on the kid that fell out during the 5a awards ceremony last night?

[pdxatx]

Isn't Lonestar just happy to have made it to finals? It probably wasn't super likely they'd get a medal considering the competition, so why is it so bad to be in 8th place and not 5th place or whatever? Would it really have made that much of a difference? I'm just flummoxed with all of this - there were so many schools who would have been ecstatic just to make it into finals. They should be proud of what they got!

[Gpk1968]

3 minutes ago, pdxatx said:

Isn't Lonestar just happy to have made it to finals? It probably wasn't super likely they'd get a medal considering the competition, so why is it so bad to be in 8th place and not 5th place or whatever? Would it really have made that much of a difference? I'm just flummoxed with all of this - there were so many schools who would have been ecstatic just to make it into finals. They should be proud of what they got!

It was just one rogue fan going haywire and their comments should not be considered representative of the program. It’s a top notch program. 

[tubatoucher]

*touches tuba cutely*

[northtexasshawty]

Lonestar Parent, Argyle Aunty, WakelandSuperduperFan all these characters have me crying laughing 🤣

[LoneStarSuperFan]

1 hour ago, northtexasshawty said:

Lonestar Parent, Argyle Aunty, WakelandSuperduperFan all these characters have me crying laughing 🤣

at least I'm not the crazy one lol

[GasBabyOfficial]

8 hours ago, tubatoucher said:

*touches tuba cutely*

I think it's time to lock this down...

[lasathegoat]

I know this is late but nybody shocked at Hendrickson not even making state finals? I saw their show at area and it was absolutely fantastic

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

2 hours ago, lasathegoat said:

I know this is late but nybody shocked at Hendrickson not even making state finals? I saw their show at area and it was absolutely fantastic

I think it’s mostly because performance times, since they went earlier it’s hard to judge where they should be. I’m sure they would’ve made finals if not for their performance time.

[TexasStrangers]

On 11/13/2025 at 4:39 PM, northtexasshawty said:

Lonestar Parent, Argyle Aunty, WakelandSuperduperFan all these characters have me crying laughing 🤣

I did recommend creating an award on here named after "WakelandSuperduperFan" LOL

[neverplayedaninstrumentmom]

On 11/10/2025 at 11:23 PM, zxrzxz said:

252, you can find it all on the UIL program

Do those numbers include all of the alternates/non marchers? I know Tx is bi on not allowing all the marching band students to actually march at games, contests etc.

[GasBabyOfficial]

Thanks leander momma