Tribune editorial board

The field has been prepped for the battle. One can almost feel the tension building in the air. The battle will soon begin.

The players are ready. Their equipment has been double-checked and tuned.

How the teams will play has been practiced to the point at which many of their moves are second nature.

Each player has honed his or her skills for months, if not years, in preparation for the war ahead.

As fans from all over the Tri-State prepare for the upcoming high school football playoffs, a group of equally important folks will be listening for the command, "Band, horns up," on Saturday.

That's when hundreds of high school band students making up 15 bands will converge on Ironton High School in hopes of claiming a little gridiron glory, music-style.

The Buckeye Classic band competition will get under way at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, but rest assured the participants have been practicing for hundreds of hours.

Often overshadowed by their fellow students playing on the field, the hard work of band students should not be overlooked.

They work through the heat of the summer to prepare the shows they perform during half-time shows all across this region.

High school football players have the state playoffs for which to aim, high school band participants have competitions such as the Buckeye Classic. This is their playoff weekend.

For many, their band performance will be the culmination of years of work. For some, their band skills will help pay for college, for others it might lead to careers in music.

With schools from all over our area coming to Ironton, we wish them all the best of luck. In addition, we thank them for coming to our city and hope they have a wonderful time here.

We take this moment to applaud all of their hard work, in advance of the competition, and to offer their parents a hearty "job well done" as well.

Good luck to all.