Warren Band Wins Marching Competition

The Warren County High School “Pioneer Pride Band” won first place in the Large Division Grand Championship at the Trojan Marching Festival in Soddy Daisy this past weekend.

Assistant band director Nathan Hargis is in his first year with the program and said the win was as exciting for him as it was for the band members. He said the team of 104 band members has been practicing this since July and performed their best when it really mattered.

“The hardest thing about band, especially when you have large numbers like this, is getting everyone to do the same thing, the same way, all the time,” Hargis said. “And when you see it actually pay off, there’s nothing else to describe it, it’s amazing.”

Their show was called “Red, White, and Blues” and featured three different songs that encapsulated different cultures and dances. Hargis said their next and last performance at this Friday’s senior night will rival the football game on the amount of eyeballs.

“I’m very excited for it, I think it’s going to be an emotional night for a lot of the seniors,” Hargis said. “A lot of them are going to be pretty bummed out that their not going to be able to do marching band with us anymore. They’ll be moving on to bigger and better things and we’ll always be happy they came through this program.

With the preparation on their show starting before Hargis had arrived in McMinnville, he said he has had to play a bit of catch-up this semester.

But after a first place finish at one of the region’s biggest competition’s, Hargis said there is a lot of excitement about what is next for the band.

“They’ve really latched onto me pretty well,” Hargis said. “It’s definitley pushed me out of my zone, having to step up and be thr head director, but it’s been a really good learning experience for me. From what I’ve been told by the kids, they have really enjoyed me being here.”