Forty-two high school marching bands descended on the Alamodome on Monday, all chasing just 14 spots in Tuesday's UIL Class 6A state championship finals, and San Antonio's Ronald Reagan High School was among them, stepping onto the field at 3 p.m. under a brand-new band director in his first year leading the program.
That director is Connor Vaughn, who took over the Reagan marching band program this year after previously leading the band at McKinney North High School, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Vaughn brought in a new leadership team with him, and the Express-News reported he has emphasized precision, discipline and attention to detail in rehearsals since arriving. He previously served as head band director at McKinney North, according to a Crossmen program staff biography, and under his leadership that program reached the UIL State Finals for the first time in its history in 2024.
Reagan senior drum major Lila Blair told the Express-News that the new directors have pushed the band to higher expectations this season.
A Long Day of Performances Before the Cut
The 2026 UIL State Marching Band Championships for conferences 2A, 4A and 6A run November 9-11 at the Alamodome, according to UIL Texas, with 6A preliminaries scheduled all day Monday and finals set for the afternoon session. The Class 6A preliminary round kicked off at 8:30 a.m. Monday with Cy-Fair High School taking the field, per the Express-News, and the day's lineup included programs from across the state, among them The Woodlands, Flower Mound, Hebron, Laredo Alexander and Vandegrift.
Reagan's 3 p.m. slot sat between Waxahachie High School, scheduled for 2:45 p.m., and Wylie East High School at 3:15 p.m., the Express-News reported. The marathon of preliminary performances was set to wrap up at 9:15 p.m. with Carroll Senior High School, followed by an exhibition performance from the University of North Texas Green Brigade Marching Band at 9:30 p.m. Reagan and the 41 other competing schools had prepared for months of rehearsals ahead of the single day of judged performances.
Waiting on the Finalist Announcement
The top 14 bands were set to return for Tuesday's championship round. Reagan was among the bands seeking one of those spots. Yahoo Sports identified Ronald Reagan High School with North East ISD in its 2025 recap, which noted that Reagan was among the bands that placed in the 6A rankings at last year's contest, that the top 14 scores earned recognition and that Vandegrift High School placed third overall in the 6A class that year.
Other Texas Programs Chasing Streaks
Reagan isn't the only band with something riding on this week's results. Bridgeland, Cy-Fair and Cypress Woods high schools all qualified for the state contest. Bridgeland was named Area I champion, while Cy-Fair notched its fifth straight and 10th overall state appearance. Those three schools had their own preliminary slots Monday, with Cy-Fair performing at 8:30 a.m., Bridgeland at 4:45 p.m. and Cypress Woods at 7:45 p.m.
Tickets for the Alamodome sessions run $22 per person per session or $38 for a double-session ticket, according to UIL Texas. For Reagan's band, Blair's sense of a program already leveling up under Vaughn's new staff may matter just as much heading into next season, whatever Tuesday's finalist list looks like.
