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Surely you’ve seen marching bands
before.’
    “‘Yes,’ said Coach.
    “‘Well, that’s what they do. They march.’
    “‘But how ?’ asked
Coach.
    “‘You were in the Army,’ said Gladys. ‘You
know how to march. Teach them.’
    “So what could he do? Not much. Coach
Franklin went into his classroom the next day, told one of the boys
to grab a bass drum to keep time with and took them all down to the
football field. They spent the rest of the week learning how to
march, up and down the field. Back and forth, back and forth. Over
and over again until they got it right, everyone in step.
    “He went to the library over the weekend, and
Madge Bennett helped him find books about marching bands and music.
He took them home and read them. He went back to school on Monday
and had a whole routine planned out. You see, what he realized was
that a band routine isn’t that different from a football play. It’s
just longer and set to music. So where before the X’s and O’s
represented players, in marching band routines they represented
trombones, and trumpets, drums, clarinets, flutes...”
    “...tuba, saxophone...” chimed in Al,
again.
    “...and so on,” finished Cliff.
    “Now, through some fluke of scheduling, the
Homecoming game was the second game of the season, and their first
game was out of town. Being a new school, Newtonberg didn’t have
that many buses, so Coach Franklin decided that the band would only
play at home games, since there wasn’t enough room for the band
students, the instruments, and the football players on the same
bus. So that meant that the second game of the season would be the
Homecoming game, and the debut of the Newtonberg
High School marching band.
    “The kids worked hard. I have to give them
that. They worked really hard. Practiced in school and after
school.
    “Of course, there were people in town
talking. Saying how it was wrong to put these kids through all
that. We didn’t even have a proper band director, why should we
send them out to be embarrassed, blah blah blah. But the kids
didn’t pay them any mind. They kept working and practicing and
rehearsing. And when the day came, they were as ready as they could
be.”
    Cliff paused at this point to take a drink,
giving Rick Murchison another chance to ask “But, what does all
this have to do with the football game?”
    “Keep your pants on, Rick, I’m getting there.
So anyway, football season comes and things get off to a good
start. Newtonberg won the first game, out of town against Potter’s
Grove. Won it 21-7, if I remember correctly. Al’s son, Mike, was
the starting quarterback in that first game.”
    “Sure was,” agreed Al. “Big Tom here played
defensive end.”
    “That’s right,” said Cliff. “Almost forgot
you were in there, Big Tom.
    “Anyway, the Homecoming game came and
everyone in town showed up. Even some from out of town. People came
from as far away as Houston and Dallas to see the game, old
townspeople who had moved away and made good elsewhere. And of
course, everyone from Garrison’s Mill came because of the school
rivalry.
    “They had all the preliminary proceedings,
introduced the candidates for homecoming queen, introduced the
senior class...”
    “...all ten of ‘em,” said Big Tom. A wave of
appreciative laughter rippled through the group.
    “...the national anthem, and everything else.
The first half of the game was hard-fought. For every touchdown we
scored, which wasn’t many, Garrison’s Mill would score one. When
halftime came, the score was tied 14-14.
    “Halftime came, and as is the custom, the
visiting team’s band went first. Garrison’s Mill High School’s band
was a model of precision. They matched each other step-for-step and
beat for beat. Their lines were straight, and every note was in
tune and on time. They got a standing ovation at the end, and not
just from their side. Newtonberg people were just as impressed, and
for good reason.
    “Next they