The Newtown High School Marching Band & Guard are headed for the USBands National Championships on Saturday, November 15.

Competing in Class V Open, the competing bands will take the field at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, N.J., with Newtown slated to compete at 8:27 pm.

The National Championship features the best of the best from across the United States. Newtown Band Director Kurt Eckhardt said he believes his band could be in the top five.

“Guys, I know you can do this,” Mr Eckhardt told his charges, adding, “Focus. Focus and determination. You have the talent.”

With roughly 130 musicians and color guard members, Newtown is one of the smaller Class V bands, but that has not stopped the group from being a strong competitor this season.

Last Saturday, November 8, at the USBands Preview of Champions held at Cheshire High School, Newtown once again bettered it’s score to a 94.35, narrowly missing taking second place from Connecticut rival Southington High School, which scored a 94.75. Powerhouse Dartmouth High School out of Massachusetts won the event with a score of 96.9, but Newtown’s color guard was once again named Best Guard, scoring higher than any other guard in the show, including Trumbull and Norwalk who competed in the higher Class VI battle.

“This is one of, if not the, most talented fall guard ensembles Newtown has ever had,” said instructor Janos Pergely. “This makes me even more excited to see what we can do this winter,” he added, referring to the Winter Guard competitive season.

Newtown children in fifth grade and higher are eligible for Winter Guard competitions. Anyone interested in signing up is encouraged to send an email to nhswinterguard@gmail.com. Practice begins the week of November 24, with the first competition slated for February 7.