by Ivey McDaniel | staff writer

The marching band took home sixth place this weekend at the Bands of America regional competition. The band traveled to Houston to compete against 27 other high school marching bands, two of those being Churchill and Reagan in NEISD.

“We played our piece, Lincolnshire Posy while marching in Houston,” said freshman Sarah Rodriguez.

Although the band placed sixth, such a ranking beat Johnson’s nearby rivals.

“Well, it was the first time we beat Reagan regionally. We were pretty excited. [We prepared] by practicing a lot, at home and at school, and during lunch. Sleep deprivation [was an obstacle to overcome], as well as completing all of our homework,” said freshman Natasha Anderson.

The members were encouraged to wear their medals on Thursday, but there was little time to celebrate.

“We’re practicing even more, we were pretty excited, but we are going to work harder,” Rodriguez said.

The band is also enrolled in the national BOA competition competing against 89 other bands in the U.S., in  Indianapolis this November. The winner will be crowned National Champion, and get the opportunity to preform in the 2013 Rose Parade.

“We’ll be practicing a lot, but it makes us stronger as a band, and brings us closer together,” Rodriguez said.