On October 26th, the Marching Knights of Sewanhaka Competitive Field Band competed in the 2025 New York State Field Band Conference Championships at the JMA Wireless Dome, and after a long season of hard work and amazing performances, they achieved a 2nd place finish in the Large School 3 division, with a score of 80.95.
Since their week-long band camp in August, where members of the band spend 9 hours a day for a whole week learning the show, the Marching Knights have been working incredibly hard on their 2025 program, “Dead Men Tell No Tales”. The expectations were high, as they had just come off their historic 2024 season, where they had a 3rd place finish with a program record score of 82.65. “We were all hungry for more, and that’s what we got,” said drumline captain Tim Walsh from Floral Park. “We were still hungry for even more going into this year.”
But the Marching Knights pushed through, putting on incredible performances across Long Island throughout the competition season and keeping the attitude they ended their previous with. Despite being at the bottom of their division towards the beginning of the season, they stuck together and aimed high. “When we were at the bottom in the state, you could see that everyone wanted to prove that we were better,” said Floral Park senior and mellophone player Moses Fattorini. “So that’s exactly what we did.” Going into Syracuse weekend, they were only 0.3 points behind first place in their division.
Then, under the bright lights of the JMA Wireless Dome in front of a huge crowd, the Marching Knights poured everything they had into their final performance. Amazing solos by Floral Park’s Matthew Santos, Floral Park’s Gabby Ifill, and Sewanhaka’s Danieda Paul amazed both judges and the audience alike. When asked what it was like to perform a solo at the Dome, Gabby said, “In the days leading up to performing in the Dome, I was stressed, but once I got on that field and the show started, all that anxiety went away. Performing the solos for this show was such an amazing experience, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity.” As the crowd cheered and the band walked off the field, there was one feeling that remained among every member: we did it. “After walking off the field, it felt amazing knowing I put blood, sweat, and tears into this performance. This was definitely an unforgettable experience and I really enjoyed the performance we put out on the field,” said Sewanhaka clarinet player Nibin Varghese. While everyone was hoping to take home the Governor’s Cup for the first time in program history, it wasn’t just about the numbers this season. For them, it was about the friendships and memories, and the experience of being able to do something bigger than themselves. Rookie clarinet player from Sewanhaka Remy Caballes said, “I loved meeting new people and expressing my love for music with such a passionate group. The competition in our division made our group strive, which was the best part about the program.” So while a silver medal is awesome, every member is excited and ready to come back next year and win the cup!
