Last Saturday, the Manchester Township High School (MTHS) Marching Hawks hosted their first competition in the 2026 Tournament of Bands. The Hawks’ Nest was filled to the brim with music as bands arrived from surrounding townships in the Central Jersey region: Toms River, Brick, Point Boro, and even as far out as Neptune and Hightstown!
Starting the year off on home turf, our team took full advantage of saving the best for last. As an endcap to the competition, they marched, they played, and they brought Mangia - the theme of their show for the 2026-2027 school year. “Mangia” is to eat in Italian, a fitting title as their performance takes place within an Italian restaurant. Donning their chef hats and smocks, the MTHS Marching Hawks blended presentation with precise movement and musicality, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with.
“The students worked incredibly hard to put that performance together,” said Andrew Fodor, Director of Bands at MTHS, “and having members of our school community there to see them perform makes the experience even more special.”
While music still rings in the air at MTHS, the show must go on. The MTHS Marching Hawks are set to participate in the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association competition at Williamstown High School this Saturday, 9/26, starting at 12:30PM. The following weekend, they will be returning to the Tournament of Bands for a competition at Brick Memorial High School on Saturday, 10/3, starting at 3:00PM.
Be sure to come out and support our Hawks as they Mangia the competition!