SYRACUSE – Meghan Murray, the director of bands at Jamestown High School, first noticed it months ago.

”From day one, (the band members) practiced well together,” she said. ”There was a level of performance in practicing, and you don’t get that all the time. I could tell it was a special group.”

After their performance Sunday afternoon at the New York State Field Band Conference Championships at the Carrier Dome, the Red Raiders aren’t just ”special.”

They’re No. 1.

Competing in the Large School 2 classification, Jamestown posted a winning score of 89.60, which was 2.5 points better than second-place Webster. The state title is the third in school history, joining the marching bands from 1991 and 2002.

”We received a plaque and, more importantly, the Governor’s Cup, which we’ll keep for a year for being champions. It will be engraved and our name will be on it forever,” Murray said.

The victory capped a remarkable season for the band, which began preparation during the summer, culminating with ”intensive week” just before the start of school. From there, the band competed in five competitions – the Fall Festival in Jamestown, and at Corning East, Lancaster, West Seneca and Webster – before heading to Syracuse early Sunday morning.

Murray said the plan was to rehearse outside at Genesee High School, but the band was forced indoors because of the rain and cold. They arrived in Syracuse at mid-afternoon and went to their warmup location, but barely got off the buses because of the poor weather.

But it didn’t matter.

Buoyed by strong practices in the days leading up to the trip, Jamestown took the field at 4:27 p.m. to perform ”Gold Rush” – right after Webster – and turned in ”their best performance of the season,” Murray said.

”The hard part is you never know what the judges are going to think,” she said. ”It seems to be pretty subjective and it changes from week to week.”

Beginning in mid-September, Jamestown traveled to five weekend competitions, posting scores of 79.00 at the Fall Festival; 82.40 at Corning East; 83.05 at Lancaster; 86.50 at West Seneca; and 88.45 at Webster.

The score at Webster was only 5/100ths of a point in front of Webster, leading to some anxious moments for Murray, the band staff and the band members.

”In hindsight,” Murray said, ”it was a good thing, because the kids really worked hard (last week).”

A total of seven bands competed in Large School 2 and the finishes were read beginning with the seventh-place school.

”That’s the worst part, the waiting,” said Murray, who is in her ninth year as the director of bands. ”I was pretty confident as they were reading the scores that we were pretty safe up to third place.

”When they read the second-place score, I didn’t think it was us, because it was pretty low.”

Murray’s prediction was correct. That 87.10 belonged to Webster.

The only band left was Jamestown.

”My initial reaction was to burst into tears,” Murray said. ”I couldn’t help myself. It was overwhelming and emotional. The kids didn’t know how to react. They kind of stood there in shock. None of them, including (most of the staff) has been part of a winning band.”

Standing in formation with the rest of the bands, the Red Raiders ”kept their cool,” Murray said, as Webster accepted its second-place award and Jamestown’s first-place score was read.

”They kept it really classy until the end,” Murray said. ”I’m proud of them.”

But once the band was no longer required to be at attention, the kids began jumping up and down in celebration.

”We certainly deserve it, in my opinion,” Murray said.

Jamestown was one of two area bands competing in the state championships. Falconer, which was in the Small School 3 classification, posted a 70.55, which was good for eighth place among 12 schools.

Murray noted that the Jamestown band was staying overnight in Syracuse on Sunday night and would arrive back at Jefferson Middle School between 4:30-5 p.m. today. Supporters of the band are encouraged to welcome them in the parking lot upon its return, she said.