ETResident

Touche'. However, the most recent year you listed is 2008, which isn't too impressive. I understand how one can get a little heated over this conversation. It's tough to watch something that you're passionate about get more and more overlooked, especially when it's steeped with tradition, and I understand that. I enjoy SOME military bands. There have been a few that I've seen that have impressed me, but I have to admit that I enjoy core style more. And I've had a lot of experience in both styles. In my eyes, there's just so much more room for creativity in a core style marching show. So, I'm sorry if you took my comments to be disheartening. I apologize. This is supposed to be about John Tyler, and I truly feel that they've come a long way. They deserve to be recognized for it.... Whether it's by a rating or not.

It's difficult for any core style band in region 21 to get a 1. When the region is primarily military style marching, the judging is one-sided and core bands must have a PERFECT performance to receive a 1. Region 21 directors are having a hard time seeing their military style of marching die, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. NONE of the military style bands that made 1s from region 21 or region 4 are attending Area Marching contest. They had every opportunity to go, but Region 21 directors realize that once they leave their little "East TX bubble" that they have no chance even ranking anywhere close to all of those AMAZING core style bands from Region 3. I also applaud John Tyler. I was at the game the on Friday night, and they looked and sounded amazing on the field. Kudos to that team of directors and kids who are doing an amazing job. If that keeps up, in the future, those Region 21 contests will have no choice but to reward them a 1.

What a lot of peope forget is that we have the "no pass no play" rule here in TX. Also, people forget that these students are still in high school and that their academics need to come before their athletics. With that being said, Marshall has had to bench and suspend some of their best players due to poor grades and bad behavior and the classroom. So, don't down the coaches for not playing their most talented players. For these past couple of games, they've had no choice. It seems to me that the students of Marshall need to get their head on straight as far as being disciplined in and out of the classroom in order to benefit their own football team. You're useless if you can't keep your grades up or if you can't behave in your classes.

Hallsville by a touchdown. I think that Marshall is a good enough team to beat them, but they have made too many careless mistakes for me to put them up for a win against Hallsville on their home turf.

Marshall has never had more than 180 in their band. You can walk down the hallway of the band hall and look at the pictures and count for verification, and yes, this does include the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Pictures are worth 1,000 words. In 2003, the band had 130. In 2004, it was 120. Things always seem "bigger and better" back in their day. It's going to take several years for the band to recover from the damage that has been done in the recent past. Rome wasn't built in a day. It's going to take this year's current 6th grade band students to become freshman before the band numbers are going to be in the 100s again. You cannot invent band students from thin air. Thank you for your encouragement and support. The band students are working very very hard and they know that hard work does pay off.