Marching Band (Football) Season Begins!

Last night the Garnet Valley football team (and marching band) kicked off Grace's senior season.

We always begin the season with our one non-Central League game, and Coach Ricci likes to schedule the toughest competition he can find in order to test our team, which for much of the last decade has been the cream of the Central League. Downingtown West (DW) has been on the schedule several times recently, being consistently one of the best programs in southeastern PA over the last bunch of years. They routinely have a number of division 1 recruits, which is something we don't. In 2019 we opened with DW and hung tough for a while before their combo of a division 1 quarterback and division 1 receiver put the game away. We then went undefeated through the rest of the season and (I think) three rounds into the playoffs before losing to DW again in the divisional finals.

Drum Majors' addresses, last night of band camp

So this year, we were scheduled to start with an away game at Downingtown West... We went into the game with the knowledge that we were believed to have the best team we have had in years, maybe ever, but we were still not expected to win the game. DW is huge, with 4 of their 5 offensive linemen over 6'4" tall and 250 pounds. We just don't have that kind of size.

What we do have is tremendous coaching, a great system, and a whole lot of heart.

Loading the band buses, game 1

We took the opening kickoff, ran 3 plays for a first down, and then broke a Shane Reynolds 61-yard run off right tackle for a touchdown one minute into the game. He simply outran the field. We kicked off, and on DW's first play we tipped a pass attempt straight up into the air as it left the quarterback's hand, picked it off and ran it back for a touchdown. 14-0 good guys 97 seconds in.

We run the ball. A lot. But in the second quarter, our QB completed 3 passes (out of 5 attempts for the game). These 3 passes happened to be touchdowns to Sean Gallagher of 76, 24 and 52 yards. [Our QB's final stat line for the game was 3 for 5 for 152 yards and 3 TDs - not a bad average of 51 yards per completion...]

It got real quiet in the stadium with our Jaguars dominating every phase of the game, and leading 34-0 at the half.

Then came the good stuff. The band. We are a smallish band of ~105 members (including color guard) this year, and aim to be as good as we can be without being fanatically serious about it. We welcome all...

It's hard to describe the pride that I felt as the band marched onto the field for their first abbreviated halftime performance with Grace as one of the three drum majors. In the picture below she is the taller girl on the viewer's right as they march onto the field (among the 3 in white socks and shoes). [Some day I'll learn how to edit the video to make it fit the upload limits...] It's early in the season and ridiculously hot and humid. We will wear the casual uniform of show shirt, khaki shorts, black socks and black marching shoes for the first 2 or 3 games, heat depending, before we go to the full uniform. Drum majors have white shoes and socks.

Garnet Valley HS Marching Band takes the field

The second half was fun. We scored on another Shane Reynolds TD run in the 3rd quarter to go up 41-0 before our backups allowed a garbage TD early in the 4th quarter, and then holding the ball on a 9+ minute drive to grind out the clock.

I'm still basking in the afterglow of the win. DW was considered to be the number 1 team in the whole area going into the season, and we completely dominated them in every aspect of the game. Hopefully we can stay healthy and continue to play well. I don't think motivation will be an issue. Coach Ricci, who has been our coach for a long time and is a GV institution/legend (for building us into the program we are) has announced his retirement following this season. So this is his last team. I think they will maintain their focus.

As for the band, we have second and third movements to add to the show. Nine more games. Hopefully playoffs. Three competitions. Hershey at the end of the year. It should be fun.

There is also the ever-present reminder in this as to how fast time is passing. Grace and her best friend took this picture in 9th grade. A freshman saxophone and a freshman clarinet...

Grace and BF, 9th grade

...And then recreated the same picture last week, as a senior Field Major and a senior Drum Major.

Field Major and Drum Major

She's enjoying it. But I'm not 100% sure I am ready for this and all that will come throughout the year. The last high school everything for our little girl...