Hackettstown High School marching band finishes third at national championships after undefeated season
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (Warren County) — The Hackettstown High School Tiger Marching Band capped its 2026 season with a third-place finish at the national championships Saturday, Nov. 7, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, following an undefeated regular season and its second consecutive state championship.
The 43-member band earned a score of 92.20 at nationals, finishing less than one point behind first-place Ridley High School of Pennsylvania, which scored 93.00. Heritage High School of Virginia finished second with a score of 92.40, leaving less than one point separating the top three bands.
The national competition marked the conclusion of another successful season for the Tigers under the direction of Adam Freeman, who led the program to back-to-back state championships in 2025 and 2026 after winning a national championship in 2024.
Hackettstown entered nationals after capturing its second consecutive state title Saturday, Oct. 31, at Mount Olive High School. The Tigers earned first place with a score of 87.2 and received caption awards for Best Music, Best Overall Effect, Best Percussion and Best Color Guard.
The state championship followed the band’s first undefeated regular season in school history, during which Hackettstown finished first in all five competitions and swept every available special caption award. The color guard also completed its second consecutive undefeated season.
The Tigers’ final regular-season competition took place Oct. 24 at Vernon High School, where they earned a first-place finish with a score of 86.8, their highest regular-season score. They improved that mark to 87.2 at the state championships before earning their season-high score of 92.20 at nationals.
The band’s 2026 production, “Influencer,” explored the impact of social media through music by artists and composers including Lady Gaga, Muse, Richard Strauss and John Adams.
The marching band includes students ranging from seventh grade through high school seniors and has been rehearsing since late June under Freeman’s direction, with assistance from Andrew Seeley, Jeff Klein and Angelo Oliver.
With a third-place national finish, two consecutive state championships and an undefeated regular season, the Tigers concluded another successful year for the Hackettstown High School marching band program.
