The board honored the school’s football team and marching band for their recent state championship and title wins.
In addition to taking care of regular business at last week’s Lenape Regional High School District’s Board of Education meeting, the board also set aside some time to honor Lenape High School’s champion football team and marching band.
The Lenape Indians made school history this past season when the team became the first football team in school history to win a state championship with its win against Rancocas Valley High School in the South Jersey Group V final in December. The team finished its championship-winning season with 11–1 record.
For the Lenape Marching Band, this past season saw the band rack up its fourth consecutive win of the USBands Group II Open State Title in October, which also ranked as the band’s eighth title win overall in the past nine years.
Lenape Principal Tony Cattani was on hand at the meeting to praise the students for their hard work, as well as the teachers and coaches who led the students to their respective victories.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling when you’re at a variety of events or you’re walking through different stores in the Mt. Laurel community, and you’re asked about your marching band, you’re asked about the football team, you’re asked about academics — it’s just brings a lot of pride.”
Band director Steve Waldron thanked the board for setting aside time to honor the band’s students, calling it a “privilege and honor” to be invited before the board.
Waldron spoke on the band’s recent winning show, entitled “Abracadabra,” in which the band played music while also performing magic tricks on the field such as “levitation” and “sawing” a student in half.
Waldron thanked his students, band parents and fellow staff members for their work in making this year possible, while also noting core values such as hard work and teamwork are the true goals of the program.
“Winning is not the ultimate goal, it never is,” Waldron said. “Doing the best we possibly can, striving for that top level that we can possibly reach as individuals and as a team unit — that is the ultimate goal. We want to walk off the field knowing we’ve done the best we possibly can.”
Also at last week’s meeting was Tim McAneney, who led the football program’s much heralded turnaround since he began at the school in 2011.
Although his first three seasons at the school ended with a 4–6 record, in 2014 the team reached 9–1, and in 2015 the team had an 8–3 record and snagged its inaugural playoff game victory.
In 2016, the team reached the South Jersey Group IV final, and in 2017 the team ended its season with its historic state championship.
Although McAneney announced his decision to step down as coach in early January to spend more time with family, he had nothing but positive things to say at last week’s meeting about his work at Lenape and his team.
“To watch these guys play and to watch these guys practice — that’s what I’m going to miss,” McAneney said. “To see their efforts for not only themselves but for each other … all we know is what’s the outcome, meaning let’s put the effort out, and we don’t know if we’re going win or lose, but if we do win, it’s a team win, and if we do lose, it’s a team loss.”
