The Lake Orion High School marching band placed third in Flight 1 at the Michigan Competing Band Association state finals on Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit.

The marching band’s Nov. 6 performance of “Darkness Rising” earned them a total score of 90.85, just two points behind first place Rockford High School’s score of 92.85. Plymouth-Canton High School finished second at the MCBA state finals with a score of 91.45.

The Dragons competed against nine of the best bands in the state in Flight 1, the top flight in the state, and bested other tops bands from Walled Lake, Novi, Clarkston, Grand Blanc, Hudsonville, Huron Valley and Macomb Dakota.

The Lake Orion marching band is consistently ranked as one of the top bands in the state. In 2019, the band, under the direction of Michael Steel, placed second at the Michigan Competing Band Association state finals.

In 2018, Lake Orion finished fourth at the MCBA state finals.

The Lake Orion High School marching band is also scheduled to march in the Orion Area Parade Group’s annual Lighted Parade on Dec. 4. – By Jim Newell

All band photos by Mark Snyder