ISU Finals Results:  Updated with Scores

1. 89.15  Marian Catholic - Grand Champion
2. 86.15  Prospect
3. 85.05  Lincoln-Way North
4. 83.55  Downers Grove South
5. 83.15  Lake Park
6. 82.95  O'Fallon
7. 77.05  Victor J. Andrew
8. 76.60  Lockport
9. 76.10  Lincoln-Way East
10. 76.00  Normal West
11. 75.50  Plainfield North
12. 75.25  Morton
13. 72.65  Lincoln-Way Central
14. 67.50  Illinois Valley Central

DGS TAKES 4th PLACE IN FINALS!!! What a great night & finish to a Great Season! Congratulations to All.

While awaiting results- Reminder Fall Awards Banquet Tues Nov 1st, tickets avail at the door. And congrats to Football Team on last nite's playoff win!
(Photo courtesy of ILMarching)

DGS set to take the field for ISU Finals Competition. Will post scores & details as soon as available. GOOD LUCK!
Photo below courtesy of ILMarching:

In Prelims, DGS takes 2nd Place to Lake Park in Class 6A. DGS also awarded Best (General) Effect in Class 6A.  DGS scheduled to perform last in Finals at 1046 pm. Likely means band scored among Top 7 of all bands in Prelims!  At the very least, one of the Top 4 bands in the Large Schools group - 5A & 6A, along with Lake Park, and Prospect and O'Fallon from 5A. 

WOW!!!
Terrific performance! Looked & sounded great!

DGS now taking the field. New uniforms look great at Redbird Stadium!

DGS has arrived at ISU.

The Marching Mustangs are on the road to ISU- Good Luck to all & do well!

Best wishes to DGS today at ISU, and Congratulations on a terrific marching season!
Mike K

Illini Marching Band Championships–Results & Recap

Updated, with scores, links to scoresheets, link to video.

• View a video of the Marching Mustangs' Performance
• Download the complete Scoresheets: Classes 4A-6A // Classes 1A-3A
• See the original article

9:10pm Large School Results Just Announced:
DGS takes 1st Place in Class 6A, 4th Place in the Large Classes Group, and 5th Place Overall at the Illini Marching Band Championships.  The Mustangs also received Caption Awards for Best Auxiliary, Best Visual, and Best Music in Class 6A.  Placements follow below.  The band now adjourns to a well-deserved party in Champaign before returning to the hotels.  Check back later for any additional updates tonight, and for an updated ETA Sunday morning.

Large School Grand Champion: Prospect

Class 6A
1. 90.05  Downers Grove South  (Aux, Visual, Music)
2. 86.50  Waubonsie Valley  (Perc)
3. 82.90  Neuqua Valley

Class 5A
1. 93.85  Prospect  (Aux, Perc, Visual, & GC)
2. 90.60  Hersey  (Music)
3. 89.80  Stagg

Class 4A
1. 91.60  Lincoln-Way West  (Visual, Music)
2. 88.90  Dunlap
3. 88.40  Bloomington
…  Rock Island  (Aux, Perc)

Small School Grand Champion: Morton

Class 3A
1.  90.90  Morton  (Visual, Aux, Perc, & GC)
2.  87.90  Limestone Comm  (Music)
3.  83.70  Highland

Class 2A
1.  89.70  Macomb  (Music)
2.  87.70  Eureka  (Aux)
3.  87.70  Illinois Valley Cent  (Visual)

Class A
1.  75.00  ROWVA  (Music, Visual, Aux, Perc)
2.  70.40  Tri-Valley
3.  68.10  Blue Ridge

Prospect Knight of Champions Results & Recap

Summary:
The DGS Marching Mustangs took 1st Place in Class AA, and 3rd Place Overall, at the Prospect Knight of Champions.  The band also received the award for Best General Effect in Class AA.  The Marching Mustangs' score of 74.30 was the 3rd highest overall, behind Class AAA bands Plainfield North (76.55), and Grand Champion Lincoln-Way East (79.70).  Placements shown below from Saturday have been updated with scores.  The band now takes a week off for Homecoming, before traveling to the two final competitions -- Oct. 22nd at the University of Illinois in Champaign, and Oct. 29th at Illinois State University in Bloomington.

• View a video of DGS' Performance at Prospect HS
• View the complete Competition Scoresheet (pdf)
• Oct 8th - Prospect Knight of Champions Original Article

8:20pm ETA Update:  The Band is on the way home - ETA at DGS is 9:00pm.

7:47pm Results:  DGS Marching Mustangs awarded 1st Place in Class AA.
DGS also awarded Best General Effect in Class AA.  Further details, and an update on the band's ETA will be posted when available.

Preliminary results:
Class AAA

1. 79.70  Lincoln-Way East  (Auxiliary, Music, Visual, Gen'l Effect)
2. 76.55  Plainfield North
3. 73.25  John Hersey
   ...
   Romeoville (Percussion)

Class AA

1. 74.30  Downers Grove South   (Gen'l Effect)
2. 73.25  Waubonsie Valley   (Music, Auxiliary)
3. 71.60  Wheaton-Warrenville South
   ...
   Lincoln-Way Central (Visual),  Batavia (Percussion)

Class A

1. 65.00  Lincoln-Way West   (Visual, Music, Percussion)
2. 61.75  Wheaton North    (Gen'l Effect)
3. 61.15  Sandwich   (Auxiliary)

Oct. 24th: Illinois State Marching Band Championships

The Marching Mustangs conclude their competition season today at Illinois State University at the 42nd State of Illinois Marching Band Championship. Illinois State is located in Normal, IL, about 115 miles SW of Downers Grove. There are 42 bands competing throughout the day in the Preliminary Round, concluding with the Awards Announcement at around 7:00pm. The 10 highest-scoring bands will then perform in Finals Competition beginning at 8:00pm.

The Marching Mustangs have had a very strong season thus far, and have an excellent chance at making Finals for the first time in many years. If you're travelling to watch as a spectator, dress warmly (Finals should end around 10:30) and cheer proudly for your Marching Mustangs.

Students should bring a sack lunch to practice in the morning; dinner at ISU will be provided by the Mustang Band Boosters. The band is expected to return to DGS around 1:15am.

Tentative Schedule:
morning Sectionals (Time/Place TBD)
9:45 AM Rehearsal @ DGS
11:15 AM Rehearsal ends – eat sack lunch (bring from home)
12:00 PM Depart DGS for Illinois State University
4:36 PM Performance
7:00 PM Preliminary Awards Announced
8:00 PM Finals Competition Begins
11:00 PM Load busses and return to DGS
1:15 AM Estimated Return to DGS
-- THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED SATURDAY EVENING WITH RESULTS AND AGAIN WITH A LATE CONFIRMATION OF THE BAND'S ETA --

Links & Downloads
1. Saturday's Itinerary
2. Map & Directions to Illinois State University
3. ISU State Marching Championships Website & Ticket Information
4. Schedule of Competing Bands (pdf file)

Driving Directions to Illinois State University
Take I-355 SOUTH toward the Stevenson Expy for 4.5 mi (partial toll rd)
Take the I-55 SOUTH Exit (towards St.Louis)
Continue SOUTH on I-55 for 104.4 mi
At Exit 164/165, Take ramp RIGHT for US-51-Br toward Bloomington-Normal 0.6 mi
Turn LEFT onto US-51 Bus / N Main St for 2.1 mi
Turn LEFT onto W College Ave and follow the signs & cars to Hancock Stadium

Estimated Travel from DGS: 115 miles / 1 hr 45 min

Oct. 10th: Lincoln-Way Invitational

The Marching Mustangs return to competition today in Frankfort, IL at Lincoln-Way East High School, at the 14th Annual Lincoln-Way Marching Band Invitational. LW East is located at 201 Colorado Ave, on LaGrange Road, about 3 miles south of I-80 in Frankfort, IL. The competition boasts a strong field of 22 bands, including many of those that will vie for the Top 10 at ISU. If you're travelling to watch as a spectator, dress warmly, arrive early (seating is at a premium for the larger bands), and cheer proudly.

Tentative Schedule:
morning Sectionals (Time/Place TBD)
12:45 PM Rehearsal @ DGS
5:00 PM Rehearsal ends; – eat dinner (bring from home)
6:00 PM Depart DGS for Lincoln-Way East HS
8:45 PM Performance
10:15 PM Awards Announced; Depart for DGS
10:15 PM Load busses and return to DGS
11:00 PM Estimated Return to DGS
-- THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED AROUND 10:30PM WITH RESULTS AND CONFIRMATION OF THE BAND'S ETA --

Links & Downloads
1. Saturday's Itinerary
2. Map: Lincoln-Way East HS, 201 Colorado Ave (at LaGrange Rd.), Frankfort, IL 60423
3. Lincoln-Way Invitational Website & Information
4. Schedule of Competing Bands (pdf file)

Driving Directions to Lincoln-Way East HS
201 Colorado Ave., Frankfort, IL 60423
Take I-355 South toward Joliet for 17.2 m (partial toll rd)
Take the I-80 East exit (towards Indiana) for 5.9 m
Take exit 145 for US-45 (LaGrange Rd) and turn Right (South)
Continue South on LaGrange Rd for 2.7 m
Turn Right at Colorado Ave to LW East HS
Traffic Personnel will direct you to your parking area.
Estimated Travel Time from DGS: 35 min.

Morton Recap

Congratulations to the Marching Mustangs on another successful competition! The band was awarded 2nd Place in Class AAA, and 3rd Place Overall out of 22 Competing Bands. The band also received the award for Best Drum Majors in Class AAA.
Other items of note:
- The Winds were rated as 2nd Best Overall just behind LW-Central. 1 of the 2 judges actually rated DGS' Winds in 1st Place!
- Our Color Guard also had a strong performance. They were rated in 2nd Place in Class AAA, and 4th Best Overall.
Links to More Information:
Morton Competition Recaps and Captions

Week 1 Wrap-Up: Lake Park Lancer Joust

Last week the Marching Mustangs stepped off in fine fashion to begin the season. They started the day in the fog at Cypress Cove to kick off the Bike & Hike for Mike, then moved to DGS for practice before boarding the buses for Lake Park. The band unveiled this year's show with a great performance in the preliminary round against some very stiff competition. The Mustangs earned a score of 64.80, a tie for 7th Place, and a spot in the Finals Competition Round for the first time in many years. In Finals, the band received a score of 63.95 and improved to 6th Place Overall. Congratulations to the Directors, Staff and all the Marching Mustangs on a great start to this year's competition season.

LANCER JOUST LINKS:
Preliminary Round Recaps
Finals Round Recaps