Merrill Marching Jays earn new high score at State Championships

On Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, the Merrill Marching Jays traveled to Whitewater to compete at the Wisconsin State Marching Championships.
At the State Championships, the Marching Jays performed in Class AA competition, one of four classifications based on high school enrollment size: A, AA, AAA, and AAAA (from smallest to largest).
The Merrill Marching Jays scored an 84.163 — a new high score for Merrill High School — earning them a third-place finish in their division out of 11 other bands.
The overall competition brought in a total of 34 bands from across Wisconsin to compete in the four classes, and the Merrill Marching Jays ranked fourth overall, a significant accomplishment.
Band Director Elli Wilk said it was a great way to close out the season, noting it was “their best run of the season.”

That’s saying a lot, considering the Marching Jays already took first place in Class AA at Sauk Prairie on Oct. 12 (and third place overall regardless of class, along with second in percussion). They also earned second place in Class AA on Sept. 27 at the Waukesha South competition, where they won the caption for Best Musical Presentation and placed fourth overall against 17 competing bands. Earlier in the season, they took third place in the larger AA/AAA division at the Cumberland competition on Sept. 20 (and second in percussion) and first place in the AA/AAA division at Baldwin on Sept. 13, where they also earned first in percussion and first overall.
That’s in addition to marching in parades like the Athens Fair Parade in August and being featured on WAOW Channel 7 News.
It’s been a very successful and rewarding season for the Merrill High School marching band.
“What an accomplishment,” Wilk said. “Congratulations, Marching Jays — we are so proud of all of you!”