Local Marching Bands Earn State Honors Ahead of Wednesday Exhibition
By Levi Gwaltney for Las Cruces Digest
Multiple Sources
Feature Photo: Courtesy Las Cruces Public Schools
LAS CRUCES — Marching bands from Organ Mountain, Santa Teresa and Centennial high schools earned recognition at the 2026 New Mexico Activities Association State Marching Band Contest on Saturday, October 24, in Rio Rancho, as Las Cruces Public Schools prepares to host a free exhibition featuring its four high school bands Wednesday evening.
Photos of Organ Mountain’s Royal Knight Regiment Courtesy Las Cruces Public Schools (via Facebook)
Organ Mountain High School’s Royal Knight Regiment finished second in Class 5A with a score of 86.888, behind state champion V. Sue Cleveland High School, which scored 88.513. Centennial High School placed sixth with 80.463 and earned the classification’s Color Guard caption award.
Members of the Royal Knight Regiment from the 2026 LCPS Fall Sports Media Day. (From Left: Drum Majors Hailey Smith, Emilie Hernandez and Cassandra Sinsay.) Las Cruces Digest Photo By Kcenia Gwaltney
The Organ Mountain Royal Knight Regiment entered the season with the motto A.I.A.T.T. — “All In. All the Time” — and spent months perfecting their show, Canyon Echoes.
During an August interview, drum major Hailey Smith described the production as “very abstract,” explaining that it was “not just a playlist … not very gimmicky.”
“You have to really think about the music and where it comes from, and how the notes fit together, and the chords,” Smith said. “And if you think about the structure of the chords, they have a story.”
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The Royal Knight Regiment's performance earned second place in Class 5A at the state contest.
The band is scheduled to extend its competitive season into November at the Bands of America Utah Regional Championships in St. George, Utah. Among approximately two dozen marching bands representing Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Hawaii and California, Organ Mountain will be the only New Mexico representative.
Copyright protections governing music and performance arrangements can restrict the broadcasting of marching-band shows. Those wishing to experience the performances in person can attend the free local exhibition detailed below.
Beyond the musical performance, drum major Emilie Hernandez also took time during Media Day to teach this reporter the words to the Organ Mountain fight song:
Hail to the Black and Silver,
Hail, we will never waver,
Hail, hail, Organ Mountain Knights of the Southwest.
You know that Knights never yield,
You know that Pride is our Shield,
Come on and hail, hail, Organ Mountain Knights of the Southwest.
Drum major Cassandra Sinsay offered another perspective on the band's role, describing what happens in the stands after the halftime performance. “We love playing our stand tunes and being together as a band, and being there to hype up everybody,” Sinsay said.
Santa Teresa Earns Second Place in Class 4A
In Class 4A, Santa Teresa High School's Diamond of the Desert earned second place with a score of 72.288, trailing Los Alamos High School, which won the championship with 76.738.
Santa Teresa High School Marching Band poses with Red trophy following second place finish at the 2026 NMAA State Marching Contest. (Photo Courtesy Gadsden ISD via Facebook)
Gadsden High School, Mayfield High School and Las Cruces High School also participated in Saturday's preliminary competition.
The contest, now in its third year, is organized by the NMAA in partnership with the New Mexico Music Educators Association. It brings together eligible high school marching bands from across New Mexico, with trophies awarded to the top three finishers in each classification and additional awards recognizing individual performance categories.
Four Las Cruces Bands to Perform Wednesday
Las Cruces Public Schools will host its Marching Band Exhibition on Wednesday, October 28, at 7 p.m. at the Field of Dreams, featuring bands from Mayfield, Las Cruces, Centennial and Organ Mountain high schools.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, with a clear bag policy in effect.
The event provides a local opportunity to see all four LCPS marching bands following the state competition, including Organ Mountain's runner-up Royal Knight Regiment and Centennial's award-winning Color Guard.
Las Cruces Public Schools and Gadsden Independent School District congratulated their participating students, band directors, flag teams and families for their work throughout the marching season.
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