For the second year in a row, the OPRF High School Marching Huskies took every award available in their division — including best winds, best percussion, best color guard and best drum majors — at the annual Geneseo Maple Leaf Classic marching band competition, held over the weekend in Geneseo, Illinois.
And for the first time since 2014, the Huskies were named the competition’s Grand Champions, an honor that goes to the top marching band out of the 17 competing bands.
“The Marching Huskies have been making a name for themselves these past few years,” said Anthony Svejda, OPRF’s director of bands in an email statement.
“They have won numerous [individual] awards, including best color guard and best drum major, for a while. It has only been in recent years that they have been recognized for their music performance as well as their overall performance,” Svejda said.
“Their shows have become both judge and audience favorites,” he added. “It has been a very exciting year so far. Looking forward to see what we can do in the remaining weeks of competitions.”
In their show, the Huskies channeled a range of dance expressions, including flamenco, and performed pieces by composers like Maurice Ravel (“Bolero”) and Alfred Reed (“El Camino Reel”).
The band will perform the show, called “Los Bailes de Espana” (The Dances of Spain), during halftime at OPRF varsity home football games. The next game is Friday, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Michael Romain
