The Marcus Whitman/Penn Yan Marching Wildcat Field Band finished second in the Small School 3 class at the New York State Field Band Conference Championships on Sunday, Nov. 1, in Syracuse.
The Marching Wildcats scored 82.125 at the JMA Wireless Dome, earning the top visual placement and finishing behind division rival Norwich, according to the Marcus Whitman Band & Guard Boosters.
The result gave the group its highest championship score in five years after a season of competitions across Upstate New York in September and October.
“Phantom” closes the season
The band's 2026 production, “Phantom,” paid tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical “The Phantom of the Opera” and its adaptations.
The group consistently scored near the top of its class during the fall season, the boosters said. The championship performance also marked the final appearance for eight seniors, with vocal soloist Shiloh Dailey featured in the production.
Eight seniors take their final bow
The seniors and their roles were:
- Lyo Gray, guard.
- Brooklyn Hurlbutt, flute.
- Caleb Wedge, trumpet.
- Cam Gardner, guard.
- Gretta Webster, Christine Daaé.
- Lachlan Dickmann, the Phantom.
- Simon Virkler, assistant drum major.
- Trenton Ryan, mellophone.
!The eight 2026 Marcus Whitman/Penn Yan field band seniors.
From left: Lyo Gray, Brooklyn Hurlbutt, Caleb Wedge, Cam Gardner, Gretta Webster, Lachlan Dickmann, Simon Virkler and Trenton Ryan. Photo courtesy Marcus Whitman Band & Guard Boosters.
Austin Kephart directs the Marching Wildcats, with Erin Ormsby serving as assistant director and Amelia Rasmussen as color guard director.
The program is open to Marcus Whitman and Penn Yan students in grades 6 through 12.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
