Mifflin County competed at the Black Diamond Band Competition, hosted by the Shamokin Area High School Marching Band in Shamokin and came away with top honors at the Tournament of Bands (TOB) event.

The Marching Huskies scored an 82.73 this week to finish in first place in Class 3-A. In the TOB standings, they currently rank in fourth place.

Saturday’s competition included Southern Columbia, Lake Lehman, North Schuylkill, Wyoming Area, Hazleton and Shamokin Area high schools.

“Through a wonderful week of practice yields a competition where we continue to place first, and increase our overall ranking and score within the state,” Mifflin County High School Director of Bands Brandon Kahley said. “The students played wonderfully even despite the rainy weather we had while performing our show on the field. I look forward to seeing what happens for this upcoming regional competition.”

Photo courtesy of MIFFLIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

The theme of the band’s show this year is “Medusa.” In Greek mythology, Medusa, played by actor Lia Barahona, is a mythical creature that with one look can turn anyone to stone. Perseus, who is Anna Miller, is tasked with the challenging endeavor of capturing Medusa.

The show details this journey: Will the hero prevail or become yet another one of Medusa’s trophies? The musical soloists are Reese Bennett on Trumpet and Alia Diehl on the “mysterious” clarinet. The guard soloists are Emily Banks, Natalie Haubrick and Gabbi Swanger.

The drum majors leading the band this year are Diehl and Hannah Jones.

Photo courtesy of MIFFLIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT Guitar soloists Brody Harshbarger (left) and Teagan Pisko play during a performance of ‘Medusa’ on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of MIFFLIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT Medusa, played by Lia Barahona, directs the Marching Huskies after freezing Drum Major Hannah Jones.

Photo courtesy of MIFFLIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT Medusa, played by Lia Barahona, attempts to freeze the audience at the conclusion of the show.