The Bison Brigade started their marching season in August and have been working towards their UIL competition this week. To help prepare, they attended an invitational competition at Lake Whitney Saturday, where they made finals.

“I think that having two contests this year was good for the band,” Drum Major Zach White said. “I think the band will feel more comfortable at the UIL contest after experiencing the contest at Lake Whitney.”

Every practice since the first day of practice has been working up to these contests.

“The Brigade has been working hard since August,” White said. “I have a feeling that we’re going to do so much better this year at the UIL competition.”

Since 2011, when band director Jeff Villarreal started here, the band has grown a lot.

“I’m proud of this band,” Villarreal said. “They have come so far and they have grown, met, and exceed many expectations.”

The Bison Brigade competed against nine other bands, ranging from 28 to 120 members.

“We placed high enough to make finals and perform again,” Villarreal said. “We then improved our rating from division II to division I.”

The Brigade received multiple comments about their show.

“We received several compliments on our show about how “fun” and “exciting” it was,” Villarreal said. “We also received a lot of constructive criticism that hopefully will lead us in the right direction at the UIL competition.”