Flags, batons, and smiles were all ready Saturday as the Redhawk Winterguard performed in an all-day championship competition against teams across states in the southwest area. 

After months of preparation, the team closed out the season with a victory by placing first in the competition.

Although the outcome was a surprising to Winterguard performer and sophomore Ashtyn Hatch, Hatch believes that the experience was rewarding. 

“I was expecting us to get something like seventh place,” Hatch said. “Then they kept moving up. There was fourth place, and it wasn’t us. Then I saw Mr. Mills [Winterguard coach] come down, and that’s when it kind of hit me. I think it was just a really emotional moment. I was right behind all of the seniors, and then looked out in the audience to see all the people that had graduated last year and the band kids that were there for us.”

For Junior Isabelle Raid, although she was not able to make the award ceremony, receiving a phone call with the news was gratifying in and of itself.  

“Once I heard them call Liberty, I dropped my phone in shock,” Raade said. “I just was like ‘wow, we really did it.’ It was quite a memorable experience. Everybody got in a line, and all went up as they called the final three teams.”

According to Raade, the team’s evident dedication throughout the season shone through. 

“We started working on the show in late November,” Raade said. “From there we worked on our one piece to perfect it. We had two practices during class, and two after school every week. At times it was overwhelming, but everyone loves doing colorguard. It’s something I look forward to and it gets me through the day.”