The Randolph High School Marching Rams kept tradition alive as they hosted marching bands from across northern New Jersey for the 51st annual Under the Stars (UTS) marching band competition, located on Bauer Field from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27.
“We had a great turnout for Under the Stars this year,” director Nick Fantazzi said. “The competition was a packed house full of great performances by bands from across North Jersey. Our own Marching Rams brought an energetic performance that we can all be proud of.”
Participating ensembles travelled from Bergen, Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset and Union counties to perform for an enthusiastic home crowd and fight for a gold finish.
The evening kicked off with performances in the Class A division, which featured the smallest bands participating. Various show themes, recognizable music and captivating visuals took over the new turf as each ensemble delivered a unique experience. Wayne Valley High School won the division with a score of 75.7 and swept the Best Music, Best Visual and Best Effect awards.
“I enjoyed watching the other bands in the beginning of the show and seeing their themes and music,” junior Everett Palumbo said. “We rarely get to hear other performances, so it’s cool to see what everyone is doing this year.”
A brief intermission followed before the larger bands of the evening competed, featuring five Class AA ensembles and two Class AAAs. Roxbury performed first after the break, followed by local schools like Morris Knolls, but also more distant schools like Voorhees and Rahway. Morristown closed the competition before Randolph took to its home field to perform in exhibition.
The RHS Marching Rams 2025 debuted their new program “Watched,” featuring seletions from “Severance,” “Psycho,” and “Vertigo” and Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.” With theatrical acting, large eye props and a suspenseful musical score, the performance evoked a theme of paranoia and being observed.
“Playing in the sax quartet was a lot of fun,” senior Katelyn Ford said. “Luckily, it didn’t rain this year either, so it was a memorable last home show.”
Soon after the Rams ended the evening of music, an exciting awards ceremony took place with participating drum majors eagerly awaiting their scores. Roxbury won Class AA, receiving a score of 81.5 and West Orange sealed Grand Champion status with a score of 81.6. Roxbury took Best Overall Music and West Orange obtained Best Overall Effect, with the two tying for Best Overall Visual, a rare feat for high school marching ensembles.
The Marching Rams next take the field to perform “Watched” on Saturday, Oct. 11, in a competition at Mahwah High School.
