Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced directly and in its entirety from Mr. Glenn Parrish, Director of Communications, Booneville School District. Mr. Parrish is a RNN Sports contributor, and we thank him for sharing this story with our readers.
LITTLE ROCK- By 12:45 p.m. on most weekdays the members of the Booneville High School marching band are in their fifth period class.
At 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday band members were hitting the field at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock for a performance that would earn the first state title in school history.
That march, the one performed at halftime of most football games, is centered around a clock, and is actually named Clocks.
“The show is all about clocks, clockwork. The first (song) is just called the windup,” said Brian Rhodes. “Then the second one is by Coldplay called ‘Clocks’ which I got the rights to arrange and everything.
“The third part is two sections called Gears, which is a composition I wrote for concert band and after that we go into Time Unending, basically being back the beginning.”
“For the concept of the show we like to pick a song that our crowd can wrap their head around and enjoy, in this instance Coldplay’s Clocks, then he’ll write the rest of the show around that,” said Angela Rhodes. “That way the cost of licensing rights we can handle ourselves.”
“And a lot of people don’t know this but Mrs. Rhodes writes all the drills,” said Brian Rhodes.
It was in that aspect that the final march ends with what reflects the hands of the clock moving from 12:15 to 12:25, which is when Brian Rhodes tells is students to “pack it up” each day.
That, Brian Rhodes, said becomes a secret weapon in that the direc
tors know their kids and consequently their strengths.
The clock is also specific on the shirts the band and its supporters wear which shows 11:40, which is the start of the period that ends with the pack-it-up command.
At the end of Tuesday’s program, it was apparent to many in attendance who would be named the winner – band director Brian Rhodes said his son TJ, a BHS alum told him “that’s it.”
A bold statement considering the five time reigning Class 3A champion band from Fouke was in the field.
“From the field level I saw lots of little issues but then we saw the video from the pressbox and it looked real good. It was real solid,” said Brian Rhodes.
The scores reflected it.
“A two point spread when you’re looking at hundredths of points,” said Brian Rhodes.
It was actually 2.1 more than second place Paris.
“I think when we were second in 2020 there was tenths of a point different,” said Angela Rhodes.
“During the announcement it was high visual and then high music and at that point we had to have the highest score,” said Brian Rhodes.
“I know it’s not realistic but inside my mind I was still thinking we have a first division, we have high visual, we have high music, but Fouke still won,” said Angela Rhodes.
There are 50 members in the band this year, only six of whom are seniors, and another seven who are juniors.
Leading the band onto the field was a sophomore, Cale Smith.
“It’s happened before,” Angela Rhodes said of the drum major being only a sophomore. “The tryouts just went his way and he did a really good job.”
The makings of a state title began with percussion and color guard camp led by specialists in July but it actually has even deeper roots.
“What I have said about the band this year, I tell my band directors since COVID every year I feel like I’m just starting over, they weren’t retaining ” said Brian Rhodes. “I felt like this year for the first time I taught them all these concepts and stuff in the spring and they remembered it.
“They showed up this year and they were ready to play. And I threw a lot of music at them this year.”
To qualify for the state march the band had to score a first division at a region competition, held at Fort Smith Northside.
“I told the band, you remember region, it was good, it got you in, but I did tell them good is the enemy of great,” said Brian Rhodes.
“They did it they stepped it up. The week and a half between region and state we got to nitpicking. Every day they brought the level up a little bit,” said Angela Rhodes. “They must have brought their best performance (Tuesday).”
Now they all have gold medallions for winning the state title.
Brian Rhodes was also complimentary of runner-up Paris, calling the top two placement a Logan County sweep.
Today Brian Rhodes said it had started to sink in, but Angela Rhodes said it was still kind of surreal.
