The Poteet Pirate Band from Dr. Ralph H. Poteet High School in Mesquite, Tx has advanced to the UIL State Marching Competition in San Antonio, Texas. The Poteet Pirate Band will take the field at the UIL State Marching Competition Monday November 1st, at 10:00am at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Pirate Band took 3rd place at last weekend's UIL Area C 5A marching competition making them one of only two Dallas County 5A bands to advance to the state competition. 12 Bands took the field Saturday in hopes of being ranked as one of the top three bands that would advance to state.
These students have overcome many hurdles with Covid Restrictions including physical distancing, virtual band camp, and masking. The Pirate Band is also under new leadership. Director of Bands Tish Downs, a former Poteet Pirate Band member now Head Band Director, tells us “Last year was different and tough for everyone. We had marching band but it looked much different. One thing that has become very evident to me is that when something is important to students, they will do whatever it takes to get back in and make it a memorable experience.”
Their show is entitled “Imagineered '' featuring music selections including Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka. “We wanted our show to be fun and light. When we started planning last school year, Gene Wilder’s version of “Pure Imagination” kept coming to mind and that’s where we began building our show.”
The Pirate Band has had a long history of excellence with 32 years of straight 1st division ratings at the UIL Region Competition and 17 consecutive trips to the UIL State Marching Competition.
“The level of competition and excellence in bands across the state of Texas is extremely high. The tradition of advancing to the State Marching Contest is one that we strive to continue with each new year. It is something our students really take pride in,” said Downs. “I am so proud of our students in the Pirate Band for working to make each performance throughout this season better than the last. We can’t wait to have our best show of the season in the Alamodome next Monday!”
The Pirate Band will have a send off at Mesquite Memorial Stadium Sunday October 31st, at 1:30pm. The send off is free for the community, families, and Pirate Band supporters.