HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Delight of Mississippi marching band takes to Spirit Park tonight to pump up Southern Miss followers for tomorrow’s soccer season opener.

Band Director Travis Higa stated the band members spent numerous hours working all summer time making ready for the brand new season and paying tribute to the Golden Eagles’ Solar Belt Convention debut.

“Extraordinarily excited, extraordinarily pumped,” Higa stated. “That is my fourth 12 months with Delight of Mississippi, and annually will get higher and higher. And I’m simply actually excited to see them do what they do finest, which is carry out and preserve the excessive requirements of excellence.”

Emmanuel Carney, assistant drum main, stated the present this 12 months is sure to take USM “To The High.”

“We now have a very numerous present this season,” Carney stated. “We’re bringing the power, bringing you already know, the funk, and so y’all want to point out up and see what we’ve obtained.”

Assistant Director Eric Scott stated the work hasn’t been straightforward, however it’s been price it.

“Our college students have accomplished an unbelievable job making ready all through preseason and enduring all the warmth and the humidity and, after all, now the rain, and so they have been extremely resilient by the method of that, in addition to simply beginning off their first semester within the fall,” Scott stated.

On September 3, the band will begin sport day with a campus custom recognized by many and liked by loads, the Eagle Stroll.

“Eagle stroll is definitely my favourite a part of your complete sport day,” stated Kragen Lewis, piccolo part chief. “We stroll down the Eagle Stroll; you see all your pals, household, all of the those who you already know from throughout campus. Then we form of break up that block up, and we let the soccer group, the cheerleaders, dancers, all of them form of walkthrough, and it actually simply does get the sport day mode set for the remainder of the day.”

Along with the Eagle Stroll, the band additionally has a drumline efficiency, a pre-game present and, after all, the well-known half-time leisure. This would be the Delight’s first half-time present within the Solar Belt Convention.

“As part of that (first time within the Solar Belt Convention), we put collectively our first half-time as a celebration of that,” Scott stated. “And so, you’re going to see ‘Strolling on Sunshine,’ ‘I’m So Excited,’ ‘Home of the Rising Solar’ after which ‘Fly Like an Eagle,’ as a result of the (Golden) Eagles, after which ‘Free Birds.’ So, it’s going to be a whole lot of great music, and there’s going to be one thing for everybody.”

Members stated the joy is excessive, and the Delight is prepared for Saturday!

“I like soccer,” stated Colour Guard Captain Aji Touray. “So really, with the ability to do one thing I like and watch soccer on the similar time is simply superb and simply seeing the smile on folks’s faces; it brings pleasure to my coronary heart.

Higa hopes the followers will come out this 12 months to assist Southern Miss.

“I simply wish to say come and assist us all season,” he stated. “We’re right here to be sure that the power and the hype are up, and we’re simply excited to be again within the stands, in The Rock supporting the Golden Eagles.”

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