For the second year in a row and for the second time in school history, the Fountain Hills High School marching band has qualified for the state competition.

On Nov. 2, the band competed in the semi-finial competition and ranked eighth, the last state qualifying position.

The state competition is this Saturday, Nov. 16, at Glendale Community College. The Falcons will be one of the first bands to perform at 8:30 a.m.

The band’s show this year is made up of classic Beatles songs, from early hits in the band’s catalogue like “Can’t Buy Me Love” to later songs like “Magical Mystery Tour.”

“This is some of the hardest music that we have ever done,” Drum Major Sophie Boeshans said.

On top of the music being difficult to master, the band has a large freshmen roster this season, meaning a lot of the musicians were new to the marching world at the start of the school year.

“I knew we could do it, I had a feeling we would get it,” freshmen Avery Jenkins said. “Because, this year, we are really pulling it out and we could all see that. But when it did happen, it hit me that I’m a freshmen, 40 percent of our band is made up of freshmen and we are doing this well. So I just feel proud of the freshmen class.”

Now, going into the state competition, the upperclassmen veterans have some advice for their freshman bandmates.

“I remember last year, we didn’t know we were going to place first,” Roman Bachman said. “The thing we did know was that we had been doing really well and we all knew that we were going out there and giving a great show. That’s all that matters.”