Lemont marching band repeats as Class 3A runner-up at state competition

Lemont High School’s marching band wrapped a highly successful competition season with a terrific performance at the Illinois State University Marching Band Championship, which was contested at Hancock Stadium on the campus of Illinois State University on October 22. Led by director Dave Nommensen and assistant director Matt Doherty, Lemont repeated as the runner-up at the Class 3A level. Lemont has placed among the top two in its class at this event 14 times since 1998.

Lemont finished as the Class 3A runner-up to state champion Marian Catholic after posting a prelims score of 77.050, and for the second time in as many years, earned the Class 3A “Crowd Appeal” caption award. Its prelims score earned the band a trip to the nighttime finals, where it competed against the top bands from all six classes. This marked just the sixth time in the program’s history it reached the nighttime finals based solely on its score placement. It placed 13th among 15 bands at the nighttime finals.

The band’s 2022 show - “Voodoo” - included music arranged by Steven Pyter specifically for the Lemont band. Show selections included “Dark Lady” by John Durrill, “Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra, Waltz No. 2” by Dmitri Shostakovich, “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and “Coven” by Steven Pyter.

Lemont’s state runner-up placement finished off an awards-filled season. The band was tops in its class at the Plainfield South Marching Invitational (2A) and Downers Grove South Mustang Music Bowl (1A), third at the Lincoln-Way Invitational (2A), and fourth at the Andrew Marching Invitational (2A). The band also won caption awards for Visual Performance and General Effect at Plainfield South, and for Visual Performance, General Effect, and Percussion at Downers Grove South.

Lemont’s 2022 drum majors include seniors Alyssa Greer and Toni Sarussi and junior Destina Sarussi. The band’s section leaders include seniors Arnav Anand (Low Woods), Amanda Bechtlofft (Clarinet), Suzie Knutte (High Brass), Elise Mandel (Color Guard), McKinley McManus (Flute), Jessica Popper (Percussion-Drumline) and Belle Zogby (Percussion-Front Ensemble), and junior Krystian Bawiec (Low Brass),

Anand (Alto Saxophone), junior Luke Zolecki-Freemantle (Tenor Saxophone), sophomore Anna Treanor (Vocals) and freshman Luke Rupert (Alto Saxophone) were soloists.

Lemont placed as the state runner-up in 2006, 2007, 2012, 2016 and 2021 prior to this year. It won eight consecutive Class 3A state titles from 1998-2005, prior to Marian Catholic moving from Class 4A to Class 3A.