Sparta High School Marching Spartans end a successful season

SPARTA — The Marching Spartans started off their outdoor competitive season by finishing in first place at the Mt. Olive Marching Band Competition, while taking home numerous caption awards. The SHSMB was all set for their next competition on Oct. 29 at Vernon High School when it was cancelled due to a rare October blizzard. Without a competition in over three weeks, the Marching Spartans went to the USSBA NJ Group 3A State Championships, where they received a participation award, as well as their highest score at a state championship in school history (89.688). Also, the color guard placed as the third best in the state. To finish their season, the SHSMB took part in the first ever USSBA Group 3A National Championships at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Penn. The students rose to the challenge of performing on a national stage, and received a final ranking of 20th in the nation. The student leaders of the SHSMB are Drum Majors Zachary Petrucci and Cristina Saltos; Percussion Captains Frank Murch and Dillon Feldman; Color Guard Captains Melody Tillyer and Marsha Sponheimer; Field Captains Victoria Reid, Brian Skalla, Sean DiStefano, Jenny Orth, Erin Lockett, Nicolette Schluter and Hayley Schluter. The instructional staff includes Director Andy Lopez; Assistant Director Scott Tomlin; Percussion Instructors Scott Miller and Rob LaFalce; Color Guard Instructor Lori Tomlin; Brass Instructors Josh Woldt and Mike Brennan; and Woodwind Instructor Joseph Gondek.