Lakewood Ranch High bands earn awards at Peach Bowl competitions

Seventeen-year-old Nathan Gross knew his bandmates were ready to compete when they left Dec. 27 for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The Lakewood Ranch High School senior wasn't disappointed.

Gross and the more than 115 other Ranch marching band, jazz band and color guard students brought home two awards after playing in five competitions leading up to the football game Dec. 31.

The marching and jazz bands won the Grand Champion Award and the Marching Mustangs took home the Most Outstanding Marching Gold Band Award.

They competed against thousands of students from nine different states, Band Director Ron Lambert said.

"It’s really important for students to be a part of an organization that reaches outside of its area to compete," Lambert said. "It gives them a sense of representation and they gain a lot of respect for what other students their age are doing. These types of trips are really important; they brings us closer as a group, too."

To view one of the band's performances, click here.