The Edgewood Marching Mustangs won the 2026 ISSMA Marching Band State Championship last Saturday -- their fifth consecutive championship in Class C -- at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Aaron Wells, the marching band’s director, is in his 21st year leading the Marching Mustangs. Preparation for this year’s show “The Ties That Bind” started last March with design meetings, working closely with Director of Pageantry Derek Latham. Show rehearsals started in July.
Wells said five of the 13 musicians in this year’s senior class were a part of the last four consecutive wins. Those five were part of the marching band as eighth graders.
“We try to filter through and make sure that we're bringing up some pretty strong humans that can take the time and the commitment,” Wells said, “Luckily, five of those survived through and made it all the way from eighth graders to seniors and have never lost to state finals.”
The state win made Wells emotional and proud. As director, it took him 12 years to lead the band to its first state win in 2018. Wells believed it was not just about fighting for just another state championship, but for a place in history.
“There's only one other band in our class that's ever won five in a row, and that is a monumental task,”he said.
Wells said there was a moment on the field when he knew the band was determined to win.
“I knew it was over when I looked up at the [one of the drum majors] Carly, and she had just changed,” Wells said. “Like her whole demeanor, her whole posture, her whole just aspect of who she was different.”
“I kept watching, and I was like, ‘she knows.’”
