The Downers Grove South Marching Mustangs earned their first division win since 2019 on Saturday, Sept. 26, scoring 79 out of 100 at the Red & Black Fall Classic at Northern Illinois University.

The score was the third-highest in the field, according to a Sept. 28 report in the DGS Blueprint, the school's student newspaper. The win also marked band director Aaron Kennedy's first division victory leading the Marching Mustangs.

The NIU event was only the band's second competition this season and the first time the 108-member group performed its complete show. In their season opener, the Mustangs placed fourth with a score of 66. The jump was dramatic.

Kennedy credited the improvement to his design team's third year working together. He said the continuity produced a more cohesive musical and visual presentation. He called the result a payoff of years of effort by staff and students, noting that some seniors have spent four years building the program.

Senior mellophone co-section leader and soloist Lydia Jayne described the suspense as placements were announced in reverse order. The band's section of the crowd grew louder each time DGS wasn't called, she told the Blueprint. By the time they realized they'd finished in the top three, Jayne said she thought the announcers had forgotten them.

"All the seniors were crying. It was just a giant hug pit, honestly, of everybody laughing and crying over each other and just in total disbelief and excitement and pride that we finally did it …" Jayne said.

Junior quad drummer Grayson Ruyle said earning a division win this early in the season is a motivator. He noted the band performed all four movements at a high level and said the group can only improve from here.

Jayne said the win adds pressure but also validates years of performances where the scores didn't reflect the effort. The 108-student roster is the largest Kennedy has worked with at DGS.

The Mustangs perform next at the 23rd Annual Music Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Downers Grove South High School. Eighteen Illinois high school bands will compete, and the Marching Mustangs will give an exhibition performance. Advance tickets are available at tinyurl.com/MusicBowl26Tix.