Burnet Esprit de Corps finishes season with ‘best performance of the year’ at state
The Burnet High School Esprit de Corps wrapped up its 2021 marching season with a strong performance in the University Interscholastic League's Class 4A state marching contest Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School Esprit de Corps’ marching contest season closed on a good note. The group, made up of the marching band and Highlandettes dance squad, finished 12th in the University Interscholastic League Class 4A state marching contest Wednesday, Nov. 10, in San Antonio’s Alamodome.
In 4A, 20 bands advanced to state out of about 200. At state, the top 10 bands in the preliminary round make the finals.
Burnet band director Andrew Hicks said this contest season was one of the toughest in his career.
“There were so many amazing groups that we competed against, and, at the end of the day, we just didn’t have the score to move on,” he said.
However, making the podium wasn’t the main mission of Hicks, band staff, and Highlandettes director Caity Clinton.
“Our main focus as a team of teachers is to make sure our students are learning skills and processes that will make them more successful in their lives,” he said. “It’s always nice to win trophies and hardware, but the real reward is the feeling of doing our best and performing at the highest level possible.”
Though the group did not make the finals with its “November Rain” routine, Hicks had high praise for his students.
“The students had their best performance of the year on Wednesday morning, and it just wasn’t in the cards to advance to the final round,” he said. “Sometimes, that’s just life. Sometimes you do well and other groups do well, too.”
Argyle High School won its second state championship in a row on Wednesday followed by Canton High as runner-up and Melissa High in third.
Hicks said the seniors in Esprit de Corps have every reason to be proud of what they’ve accomplished over the past several years and the legacy they’ve helped build.
“Our band is very young this year. We’re almost 70 percent ninth- and 10th-graders in our numbers,” he said. “The amount of improvement and growth we’ve seen from our students this year has been monumental, and we know that the future for our program is very strong.”
