Schools

Collingswood High School Marching Band Honored for 'Triple Crown'

The band had a historic season that culminated in winning what Director Joseph Lerch called "the World Series" of band tournaments.

Inside of a week this fall, the Collingswood High School (CHS) Marching Panthers took down three of the biggest achievements in the history of the program.

  • The New Jersey State Championships on October 19 (with a special award for Best Percussion.)
  • The South Jersey Region Championships a day later (with special awards for Best Music, Best Visual, Best Percussion, Best Guard, and Best Drum Major).
  • Then, less than a week after that, the 1A Atlantic Coast Championship (ACC) title (with a special award for Best Visual).

Plus, said Director Joseph Lerch in an e-mail, with an ACC score of 92.8, the group made CHS history, and was promoted from class 1A to Open Class for competition in 2014.

"The State Championship doesn't count for seeding for Atlantic Coast," Lerch said. "I equate it to winning the division in baseball. The Regional counts for seeding, so to me it's like winning the playoffs. Atlantic Coast is the World Series!"

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If that weren't enough, Lerch said, the Panthers were undefeated in every competition they entered all year long. 

"Our only 'loss' was at Deptford, when an Open Class band from another competition circuit jumped into the show in our division," he said. "Still, they only beat us by 0.9.

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"We have some awesome kids."

The borough government agreed, issuing a proclamation commending the 30 instrumental players and 11 color guard members of the band at its November commissioners meeting.

Congratulations to the young, talented, and hard-working musicians of the program and the staff, parents, and volunteers who support them.


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