Saint Peter High School’s Marching Band is heading to Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida on December 28th to take part in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly known as the Outback Bowl) festivities to bring in the new year. This year’s game pits Wisconsin of the Big Ten Conference against Louisiana State University of the Southeastern Conference at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1, and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The Saints, under the direction of Dave Haugh, will be one of 15 high school marching bands taking part in the bowl game events. The travel group will consist of 40 SPHS musicians and three adult chaperones on this five-day trip to the Sunshine State. For the Saints Marching Band, this adventure will be part business trip with some fun built into the band’s schedule during their Florida stay.
“This is my first time being part of a mass band performance, and the idea of playing with other band students from other states in that setting is so exciting,” SPHS senior band member Grace Tollefson said. “I’m also excited to spend some time in the warmer weather for a few days.”
“This is a great way to spend the holiday break during my senior year,” SPHS senior band Ryan Domras said. “It’s going to be a thrill to play with other high school bands from states like New York, Florida, and Georgia as well as hang out with our other band members.”
The Saints depart around 8 a.m. on Thursday (Dec. 28th) via charter bus and arrive in Tampa approximately 26 hours later. The Marching Band will have rehearsals over the weekend in preparation for the ReliaQuest Bowl Parade in Ybor City, a suburb of Tampa, and they will also be part of the pre-game and halftime shows during the bowl game itself. In addition to the 15 high school bands, there will also be around 700 Just for Kix dancers from around the U.S. participating.
In addition to their musical duties, the group will get to visit the famed Busch Gardens family theme park as well as a dinner cruise on a yacht in the waters around the Tampa Bay area. There is some beach time also on their schedule.
The Saints Marching Band has a history of making bowl-game trips over the holiday break. In the past two decades they have traveled to perform in Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl); Orlando, FL (Russell Athletic Bowl); San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl), Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl); and Miami, FL (Orange Bowl).
For more information on the ReliaQuest Bowl’s marching band program please click HERE
(ABOVE) The Saints Marching Band in action before the 2023 SPHS Homecoming football game at Floyd B. Johnson Field.
(BELOW) The Marching Band rehearsed earlier this past week in the SPHS gym for their upcoming Florida trip.
