The Ponca City High School Band attended OSSAA State Marching Band Contest this past Wednesday, 10/28/25. The Band received a rating of Excellent for their performance of their 2025 marching show, “Forever Young.” This final contest performance marks the end of the competitive marching season for the Po-Hi Band. This season, the Band attended three marching contests, two parades, worked with nationally recognized clinicians, and put in hundreds of hours of dedicated rehearsal time. On Friday, the Band will perform their final performance of their competitive marching show at the varsity home football game vs. Putnam City West. This final performance is also a special moment for the Band seniors, as it will be their final time to march together as a Band on Sullins Field.
Connor Pratt, Director of Bands for PCPS, said, “This is the strongest marching season I have seen from the Po-Hi Band during my time teaching in Ponca City. The students really turned a corner this year and have accomplished so much together. I am especially proud of the way we have rehearsed, getting to a point where we could polish and refine even the most intricate details of our show. We gained valuable insight from our judges and have already discussed as a Band how we can apply what we have learned to create our strongest performance of the year for our seniors Friday night. Thank you to Trent Davis, Jason Salazar, Dylan Labon, Alyssa Walker, and Susan Clothier for all of their help this season. I am also so grateful for the support provided by Paula Cochran and the PCPS orchestra students who helped the Band with performances this marching season.”
Paula Cochran, PCPS Director of Instrumental Music and Director of Orchestras, said, “Mr. Pratt’s vision and commitment to excellence has set our Band program up for success. I am so proud of our students. Their dedication and work ethic has resulted in a show that impresses judges and the community alike. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for them!”