Huntington Beach High School’s (HBHS) marching band and colorguard team performed its 2025 California State Band Championships (CSBC) show at the So Cal Division Championships 4A on Nov. 22, 2025, at HBHS’s ‘Cap’ Sheue Field, earning 18th place.

The show was an eight-minute long, 1950s-style murder mystery—a culmination of months of hard work. What appeared as a tight, polished routine on the field was the result of many late-night rehearsals and the story of the students who made it possible.

All band shows start with learning the drills. Sophomore band member and flute player Reese Tan said, “The hardest part of our show is learning the drill… it can be hard to collaborate with others when everyone has their own specific spot.”

An important characteristic all band members maintain is endurance.

“By the end our show was great and many memories were made during Tuesday night rehearsals,” said freshman trombonist Kristopher Baliton.

This program leaned into the style of a mid-century American drama-murder mystery.

The performance consisted of four movements. A movement in band is a contained portion of a larger show that is denoted by a specific marching style and song.

The first movement establishes the roles and characters and ends with the murder of a member of colorguard said Baliton. The middle two movements focus on building suspense and revealing clues.

During the fourth movement, Baliton said, “the killer starts to hide and thinks he’s in the clear… but everything goes downhill for [him].” A solo and more clues slowly build more suspense going into the big reveal.

Senior trombonist William Dawley had a special uniform for the show. This uniform differed from the others members, with its removable sleeves that revealed red sleeves underneath.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Theo Sullivan

Senior trombone player William Dawley after removing his outer sleeves to reveal the red sleeves underneath.

This moment is what the show has been leading up to. Baliton said, “The clues match up: his shako, his trombone and his red sleeves.”

For the students, the performance represented more than just a competition score. Baliton said, “You need to do it to understand how much work is put into it, and can’t just judge it just by sitting in the stands and watching.”

While the judges evaluated timing, music and visual clarity, students described the performance itself as the most lasting part of the experience. “Band is just as much of a performing arts thing … it’s really through the performance that we remember this wonderful experience,” said sophomore tenor saxophonist Preston Lyn.

The final reveal was the moment the entire season was building toward for many band students. Off the field, the show and its production forged lasting friendships.

“It was really fun because I got to spend time with friends and learn new drills,” said Tan.

In eight minutes on the field, the HBHS band transformed months of work into a complete story and made lasting memories for years to come.

A video of the show, recorded at an earlier competition, is available on YouTube.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Theo Sullivan

Spectators watch the SoCal Division Championships 4A performances from bleachers of Sheue Field.