In a crowded multistate field of 14 Class V marching bands, and with a mere fraction of one point separating the top three winners, the Newtown High School Marching Band & Guard took top Connecticut honors, brought home the division’s coveted Best Music Award, placing third Saturday, November 7, at the USBands National Championships at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Marching Band & Guard’s performance marks the first time Newtown has placed in the top three at the National Championships.

The judges also awarded Newtown with the prestigious Esprit de Corp Award for the band and guard’s commitment to precision and professionalism.

USBands judges cited Newtown’s “consistently high-level physical demands, musical demands, and technical demands” and praised the band’s “great sophistication and musicality.”

Band director Kurt Eckhardt said, “The band did great. It was their best show of the year.”