Washington High School’s Marching Band, “The Pride of Washington” competed at the Bands of America St. Louis Regional on Saturday, October 28. The Pride competed against 65 other bands representing eight states is one of the most difficult competitions in the Midwest.
Washington scored their highest in school history with a 78.2 (71.7 last year) placing 21st overall with a Division 1 rating in back-to-back years. The 78.2 rating was good for sixth place in Class 2A out of 29 bands.
This competition marks the end of the 2023 marching band season. Since MSHSAA does not have a state championship for marching band, many directors base their rankings off of what happens at BOA St. Louis.
Based off the results from October 28, the Pride of Washington finish the season as follows:
MSHSAA Class 5 – Third placed overall out of 56 bands.
MSHSAA Class 1-6 Combined - Eighth place overall out of 303 bands.
“This is a huge accomplishment for the program. Every year we set the bar higher and higher and these students keep meeting the expectations,” said WHS Director of Bands Stewart Alloway. “This has been an incredible and educational journey since this process began in 2017. When the band first started going, it was purely for the experience of going. When myself and the new staff came in 2021, we knew we could make this something special. We still are not there yet, but going from 42nd to 21st in two years is quite an accomplishment. Not to mention back-to-back Division 1 ratings, which means you score a 75 or higher, for the first time in school history.
“We hope to continue the path we are on and become an eventual finalist (Top 14) in the next season or two. Around 8-12 Missouri high schools have ever made it to finals since the competition started in 1997, which has doubled in size now."
Photos below are from the Pride of Washington at the Bands of America in St. Louis, courtesy of Jon Bauer.
