Annual Pigskin Jubilee to be held in La Joya and Donna

High school marching bands from Brownsville to Roma will showcase their talent at Pigskin Jubilee marching band competitions Saturday.

The events, sponsored by the University Interscholastic League, will be at La Joya and Donna high schools and will feature 39 high school marching bands from across the Rio Grande Valley.

This is the second year that there will be two competitions in the Valley. All of the schools from Brownsville to Roma were under one district, but last year the league split them because the region grew too big, said Hugo Gonzalez, executive secretary of the league’s Region 15, which includes schools from Alamo to Roma.

The event at La Joya High School Stadium, in its 65th year, will feature bands from 17 schools throughout the Upper Valley.

The league’s Region 28, which is in its second year and includes schools from Donna to Brownsville, will feature performances from 22 bands. The first band, Progreso High School, is scheduled to perform at 4 p.m., according to the league’s Region 28 Web site.

“We’re hoping for a smooth contest, clear skies and nice weather,” said Armando Robledo, Donna High School’s band director.

At each event, three-judge panels critique the bands’ performances based on standards the league has set, according to the organizers. Rather than being ranked first, second, third and so forth, bands are given a score from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest rating.

During the first part of the events, the various bands will perform at 15-minute intervals.

The La Joya competition is set to begin with Valley View High School at 5:30 p.m. and will continue until 9:45 p.m., when McAllen Rowe High School is scheduled to perform, Gonzalez said.

Texas A&M University’s marching band has been tapped to perform at 10 p.m. After the university band’s performance, the high school bands will march and perform their schools’ fight songs, Gonzalez said.

Jim Egger, McAllen High School’s band director, said no matter what scores the bands receive, Valley marching bands enjoy a reputation throughout the state as being among the best.

“Almost every band here is a solid band,” he said.

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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments at The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.