Hackettstown High School marching band completes undefeated season with fifth straight win
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (Warren County) — The Hackettstown High School Tiger Marching Band completed its first undefeated regular season in school history Saturday, Oct. 24, capturing first place at Vernon High School with a score of 86.8 and sweeping all special caption awards for the fifth consecutive competition.
The victory capped a historic regular season for the 43-member band, which finished first in all five competitions while earning every available caption award throughout the season. The band’s color guard also extended its own undefeated streak to two consecutive years.
Led by band director Adam Freeman, the Tigers have continued building on their recent success, which includes a national championship in 2024 and a state championship in 2025.
“The Tiger Marching Band has had an incredibly historic regular season. It was our first ever undefeated season. Not only did the band take first place at all 5 of our competitions, we did not lose a single special caption award all season. This means we won best music, best visual and best overall effect at every show. To add to all this, our colorguard is now undefeated for two straight years. Lastly, 3 out of 5 weekends we had the highest score in the nation for USBands Group 2a and the remaining two weeks we had the second highest score. This season follows our 2025 State Championship and 2024 National Championship seasons,” Freeman said.
The band’s latest score of 86.8 marked its highest of the season, improving by 14.5 points since its opening competition Sept. 12 at Passaic Valley, where it earned a 72.3 and captured first place along with awards for Best Overall Effect, Best Music and Best Visual.
Hackettstown continued its winning streak Oct. 3 at Sparta, earning a score of 77.1 and sweeping the awards for Best Overall Effect, Best Music, Best Visual and Best Color Guard. The band followed with another first-place finish Oct. 10 at Pequannock, scoring 79.1 and again winning all four caption awards.
On Oct. 17, the Tigers earned first place at Lenape Valley with a score of 82.2, once again capturing Best Music, Best Overall Effect, Best Visual and Best Color Guard. Saturday’s victory at Vernon completed the five-competition sweep and secured the band’s undefeated regular season.
The band’s 2026 production, “Influencer,” explores the impact of social media on everyday life through three musical segments. The opening section, “The Algorhythm,” features music from “Hand Covers Bruises” from The Social Network, “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss and “The Chairman Dances” by John Adams.
The performance transitions into “Subscribe,” featuring Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” before concluding with “Control,” set to Muse’s “Uprising,” symbolizing a break from the influence of social media.
The marching band, which includes students ranging from seventh grade through high school seniors, has been rehearsing since late June under Freeman’s direction, with assistance from Andrew Seeley, Jeff Klein and Angelo Oliver.
With the regular season complete, Hackettstown will turn its attention to defending its state championship Saturday, Oct. 31, at Mount Olive High School. The Tigers are scheduled to take the field at 12:02 p.m.
The band is also scheduled to compete at the national championships Saturday, Nov. 7, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where it will seek to reclaim the national title it won in 2024.
