UIL 3A State Marching Contest (Nov 12th)

[BandConnoisseur]

1 hour ago, TexasStrangers said:

Congrats to all the bands tonight. It was basically a two school race all day. 
 

I will say one school (not going to say name) very distasteful comments from parents and I am very embarrassed as a band fan. 

That's unfortunate. I have no idea what school you're talking about but every school has "those" kind of people...even the one you're affiliated with. Every school and every competitive activity. 

[TexasStrangers]

1 hour ago, BandConnoisseur said:

That's unfortunate. I have no idea what school you're talking about but every school has "those" kind of people...even the one you're affiliated with. Every school and every competitive activity. 

Oh I agree every school has some of those parents, sadly it was at least 40 or so that voiced their displeasure in the results right after their team was announced and started chanting.

[Tubalord11]

Congratulations to Minneola on another win, and to all the other bands!!! 

[Kmt1]

Wish there was more discussion in this group.   Makes it like an after thought.     So many great performances.      From prelims to finals, ranking didn't change very much.    Congratulations to Mineola.....I remember that band making 2s prior to Chris Brannan taking over....and now the excellency keeps going with the current director.   Brannan was the director for who brought Queen City into prominence with three state titles.  Why that district let him go is beyond me.  He's now at Barberrs Hill and just a placement out of 5A finals.    
 

it looks like there will not be any movement up to 4a out of the top contenders.  So, we can expect the usuals unless there is a director replacement.    So hard on a band who has a history with a long term BD.   
 

I don't want to give a play by play of my observations....but the surprise band this year is Raymondsville.    We all knew that the school, community and boosters were all in on their band....but they kicked it up a notch this year.  I really enjoyed your show. 
 

I hope you everyone can chime in and say something positive about this years 3A championships.     These communities really find them in the crosshairs of bigger ISDs with little fanfare.    Congratulations to all finalists. 

[SwarmFan1]

There was some bad juju in San Antonio this year. Many schools were negatively affected by many different issues. Karma will do its thing. Congrats to all the State qualifying bands.

[Trumpeter75]

Congratulations to all the finalists in 3A marching. Once again the finals were very competitive and as I told friends after prelims and knowing placement that anything can and will happen in finals. 
I think all bands have those that make comments about this one shouldn’t have been here etc. I know our band received several of those from other band members parked beside them that they did not deserve the medal. Unfortunately that stuff happens in anything you put to a competition-and it usually stems from parents etc that make the remarks. 
I think the placement was pretty correct. I think Hondo could have been up closer to 5-6th place. My comment to my spouse after Raysmondville and Mineola performed was that if BKB went to BOA comps they would prolly win. It is exciting but lines were not crisp and sound dynamics weren’t there like the reigning champs. Mineola show may not have the glitz as others but the marching and dynamics of play is different. And this coming from a Redwater band family. Same for redwater. They have an exciting show and making gains in the marching and lines and sound dynamics but just not there yet-but improving each year I feel. 
Like I said I think all communities should feel excited about their band. In these smaller districts the band/fine arts are sometimes more important then the athletics and draw kids into a school more then athletics do. I found it awesome to see pictures of middle schools taking time out of their day to watch their programs play. Those are the moments to remember. Congratulations to all bands who made it to state. It is a tough feat to do year in and year out. Many things have to line up to make it. 

[jetliner]

3 hours ago, Trumpeter75 said:

My comment to my spouse after Raysmondville and Mineola performed was that if BKB went to BOA comps they would prolly win.

I was just reopening this thread to say something similar. We gotta nudge them towards BOA McAllen. Easily 2 performances for them in BOA 1A, if they aren't genuinely making finals on merit as is. Perhaps it's too early in the season and their shows take time to polish? 

[TexasStrangers]

19 hours ago, Kmt1 said:

Wish there was more discussion in this group.   Makes it like an after thought.     So many great performances.      From prelims to finals, ranking didn't change very much.    Congratulations to Mineola.....I remember that band making 2s prior to Chris Brannan taking over....and now the excellency keeps going with the current director.   Brannan was the director for who brought Queen City into prominence with three state titles.  Why that district let him go is beyond me.  He's now at Barberrs Hill and just a placement out of 5A finals.    
 

it looks like there will not be any movement up to 4a out of the top contenders.  So, we can expect the usuals unless there is a director replacement.    So hard on a band who has a history with a long term BD.   
 

I don't want to give a play by play of my observations....but the surprise band this year is Raymondsville.    We all knew that the school, community and boosters were all in on their band....but they kicked it up a notch this year.  I really enjoyed your show. 
 

I hope you everyone can chime in and say something positive about this years 3A championships.     These communities really find them in the crosshairs of bigger ISDs with little fanfare.    Congratulations to all finalists. 

I agree as well, I feel most people want to focus on the big huge bands that put on a massive show from endzone to endzone and don't really know much about the small bands. 

I know currently 4A is the smallest classification in UIL at this time and several schools are projected to move up to 5A which has caused some possible consideration of lowering the 4A to draw in a few 3A's. The only band that is somewhat close as it is Raymondville. However, I don't know what Raymondville turned in for Snapshots. I think all the other contenders turned in under 500 I believe.  

[TexasStrangers]

9 hours ago, Trumpeter75 said:

Congratulations to all the finalists in 3A marching. Once again the finals were very competitive and as I told friends after prelims and knowing placement that anything can and will happen in finals. 
I think all bands have those that make comments about this one shouldn’t have been here etc. I know our band received several of those from other band members parked beside them that they did not deserve the medal. Unfortunately that stuff happens in anything you put to a competition-and it usually stems from parents etc that make the remarks. 
I think the placement was pretty correct. I think Hondo could have been up closer to 5-6th place. My comment to my spouse after Raysmondville and Mineola performed was that if BKB went to BOA comps they would prolly win. It is exciting but lines were not crisp and sound dynamics weren’t there like the reigning champs. Mineola show may not have the glitz as others but the marching and dynamics of play is different. And this coming from a Redwater band family. Same for redwater. They have an exciting show and making gains in the marching and lines and sound dynamics but just not there yet-but improving each year I feel. 
Like I said I think all communities should feel excited about their band. In these smaller districts the band/fine arts are sometimes more important then the athletics and draw kids into a school more then athletics do. I found it awesome to see pictures of middle schools taking time out of their day to watch their programs play. Those are the moments to remember. Congratulations to all bands who made it to state. It is a tough feat to do year in and year out. Many things have to line up to make it. 

Great takes!! I think the placement was pretty correct as well even though there were some in the crowd who voiced their displeasure as the awards were being announced   

I really enjoyed the Hondo show as well and knew they had some mic issues which I think hurt them a bit. 

In regards to Whitesboro, I just don't anymore about them. You never want to count them out with their history but it's starting to feel like they are getting left further behind. I know they have had 2 different directors in two years and yes they win Area but let's be real here. Area B is not very competitive, sorry if I offend anyone but it's true. So, I feel during the season nobody pushes them to make it better and they just accept whatever they got. 

I didn't really care for the Atlanta show this year. It caused some head scratching at times and I know they were trying to push the envelope and build on that 2nd place run last year (which I loved that show). However, I just felt the show could have been done differently and more added to it with a better closing. 

I keep thinking each year that this might be the year for Redwater as I feel they are making strides each year but for some reason they have this bad mojo about being really strong at the beginning of the season, peek early and start to fade at the end. I think they got some talent there to address it and was glad they were able to fight back in the Finals to medal. 

As far as the Raymondville/Mineola issue. I also agree that if this was a BOA contest then Raymondville would have won but because it's a UIL contest then that is why Mineola won which a good majority of people don't understand the difference between the two. Just because it sounds good and looks good doesn't always mean it's good. There are lots of other things that are involved in a show that to the average fan they do not know and also don't know the scoring system. 

I believe what separates Mineola from the others is the complexity of the show and the difficulty of the music which showed in the scoring. Yes, there might be other bands that sound good and look good but their show is easy and the music is easy which like I said people don't know that. 

As I went back and watched the shows over again today before I came back home I think Raymondville could have won if they would have focused more on the band overall and not devote 3/5 of the show to two soloists. Don't get me wrong the soloists where outstanding but there was issues in the show with lines and typically in my history of watching bands if the show is soloist heavy then you are trying to hide things which is what Raymondville was doing.

Mineola was beatable in the finals. I thought their afternoon show was far better then the finals and would not have been shocked in Raymondville would have won. 

If nobody moves up to 4A next year then I think Raymondville put several schools on notice that it's not going to be an AREA C Competition at State every year. How Mineola, Redwater and Atlanta respond is up to them. I'm sure Raymondville is going to come in with fire next season. Will they win? Time will tell!

[TexasStrangers]

6 hours ago, jetliner said:

I was just reopening this thread to say something similar. We gotta nudge them towards BOA McAllen. Easily 2 performances for them in BOA 1A, if they aren't genuinely making finals on merit as is. Perhaps it's too early in the season and their shows take time to polish? 

Some of the smaller schools don't waste their time with BOA because it's so big school rich and the smaller schools have a history of a hard time competing in it. A good majority of the time in a BOA contest you might see 1,2,3 schools enter as a 1A. A lot of those bands would rather go to a UIL event where they compete against 15-20 schools that are similar in size or maybe a classification up and a chance at 2 runs. Not 1 run early in the day and then an exhibition performance late in the evening. 

[bxOxAxUIL]

1 hour ago, TexasStrangers said:

Great takes!! I think the placement was pretty correct as well even though there were some in the crowd who voiced their displeasure as the awards were being announced   

I really enjoyed the Hondo show as well and knew they had some mic issues which I think hurt them a bit. 

In regards to Whitesboro, I just don't anymore about them. You never want to count them out with their history but it's starting to feel like they are getting left further behind. I know they have had 2 different directors in two years and yes they win Area but let's be real here. Area B is not very competitive, sorry if I offend anyone but it's true. So, I feel during the season nobody pushes them to make it better and they just accept whatever they got. 

I didn't really care for the Atlanta show this year. It caused some head scratching at times and I know they were trying to push the envelope and build on that 2nd place run last year (which I loved that show). However, I just felt the show could have been done differently and more added to it with a better closing. 

I keep thinking each year that this might be the year for Redwater as I feel they are making strides each year but for some reason they have this bad mojo about being really strong at the beginning of the season, peek early and start to fade at the end. I think they got some talent there to address it and was glad they were able to fight back in the Finals to medal. 

As far as the Raymondville/Mineola issue. I also agree that if this was a BOA contest then Raymondville would have won but because it's a UIL contest then that is why Mineola won which a good majority of people don't understand the difference between the two. Just because it sounds good and looks good doesn't always mean it's good. There are lots of other things that are involved in a show that to the average fan they do not know and also don't know the scoring system. 

I believe what separates Mineola from the others is the complexity of the show and the difficulty of the music which showed in the scoring. Yes, there might be other bands that sound good and look good but their show is easy and the music is easy which like I said people don't know that. 

As I went back and watched the shows over again today before I came back home I think Raymondville could have won if they would have focused more on the band overall and not devote 3/5 of the show to two soloists. Don't get me wrong the soloists where outstanding but there was issues in the show with lines and typically in my history of watching bands if the show is soloist heavy then you are trying to hide things which is what Raymondville was doing.

Mineola was beatable in the finals. I thought their afternoon show was far better then the finals and would not have been shocked in Raymondville would have won. 

If nobody moves up to 4A next year then I think Raymondville put several schools on notice that it's not going to be an AREA C Competition at State every year. How Mineola, Redwater and Atlanta respond is up to them. I'm sure Raymondville is going to come in with fire next season. Will they win? Time will tell!

Whitesboro also apparently had no stable practice field for the entire season. For them to still compete and land that high with a set of new directors and a young group, is still very impressive. Don’t diminish the work those kids put in.

[Ollibaba835267]

On 11/11/2025 at 8:31 AM, TexasStrangers said:

Congrats on your school making it this far! Just getting to the State Level is a huge accomplishment and something I wish all students could experience. 
 

I will say making 3A Finals is very difficult as there are lots of good bands that will be performing but anything is possible. Good luck and do your school proud. 

ya we ended up 17th overall, we wouldve had 12 if judge 3 didn't give us LAST. Still very content on what we did, and watching finals they were amazing.

[SwarmFan1]

On 11/14/2025 at 7:45 PM, TexasStrangers said:

Great takes!! I think the placement was pretty correct as well even though there were some in the crowd who voiced their displeasure as the awards were being announced   

I really enjoyed the Hondo show as well and knew they had some mic issues which I think hurt them a bit. 

In regards to Whitesboro, I just don't anymore about them. You never want to count them out with their history but it's starting to feel like they are getting left further behind. I know they have had 2 different directors in two years and yes they win Area but let's be real here. Area B is not very competitive, sorry if I offend anyone but it's true. So, I feel during the season nobody pushes them to make it better and they just accept whatever they got. 

I didn't really care for the Atlanta show this year. It caused some head scratching at times and I know they were trying to push the envelope and build on that 2nd place run last year (which I loved that show). However, I just felt the show could have been done differently and more added to it with a better closing. 

I keep thinking each year that this might be the year for Redwater as I feel they are making strides each year but for some reason they have this bad mojo about being really strong at the beginning of the season, peek early and start to fade at the end. I think they got some talent there to address it and was glad they were able to fight back in the Finals to medal. 

As far as the Raymondville/Mineola issue. I also agree that if this was a BOA contest then Raymondville would have won but because it's a UIL contest then that is why Mineola won which a good majority of people don't understand the difference between the two. Just because it sounds good and looks good doesn't always mean it's good. There are lots of other things that are involved in a show that to the average fan they do not know and also don't know the scoring system. 

I believe what separates Mineola from the others is the complexity of the show and the difficulty of the music which showed in the scoring. Yes, there might be other bands that sound good and look good but their show is easy and the music is easy which like I said people don't know that. 

As I went back and watched the shows over again today before I came back home I think Raymondville could have won if they would have focused more on the band overall and not devote 3/5 of the show to two soloists. Don't get me wrong the soloists where outstanding but there was issues in the show with lines and typically in my history of watching bands if the show is soloist heavy then you are trying to hide things which is what Raymondville was doing.

Mineola was beatable in the finals. I thought their afternoon show was far better then the finals and would not have been shocked in Raymondville would have won. 

If nobody moves up to 4A next year then I think Raymondville put several schools on notice that it's not going to be an AREA C Competition at State every year. How Mineola, Redwater and Atlanta respond is up to them. I'm sure Raymondville is going to come in with fire next season. Will they win? Time will tell!

Mineola beat everybody twice, and beat them in finals on a bad run........yes, they were beatable in finals, but not by anybody in the 3A classification this year. They are playing a different game than the competition. I enjoyed everyone's comments this season, looking forward to next season.

[bxOxAxUIL]

On 11/26/2025 at 12:22 PM, SwarmFan1 said:

Mineola beat everybody twice, and beat them in finals on a bad run........yes, they were beatable in finals, but not by anybody in the 3A classification this year. They are playing a different game than the competition. I enjoyed everyone's comments this season, looking forward to next season.

Is it true that Mr. Best is no longer the head director? 

[TexasStrangers]

On 12/9/2025 at 9:05 AM, bxOxAxUIL said:

Is it true that Mr. Best is no longer the head director? 

I texted a friend this morning who has a kid in Mineola and she told me that Mr. Best indeed has left Mineola. However, that is all that was said to me. 

[SwarmFan1]

On 12/10/2025 at 2:38 PM, TexasStrangers said:

I texted a friend this morning who has a kid in Mineola and she told me that Mr. Best indeed has left Mineola. However, that is all that was said to me. 

Yes, Jim Best has retired. He will be missed, but we have been here before, and the Sound of the Swarm will continue business as usual.