Cindy Gilbert sees a different air about this year’s Polk County Cadets, a focus on excellence that she hasn’t seen for several years.

The results of that dedication continue to show.

The Cadets brought home another armful of trophies from Saturday’s Burns Cup Marching Band Festival at Burns High School in Lawndale, winning six first-place awards, including top overall honors in the 1A class.

Polk County’s marching band also earned awards for drum major, guard, percussion, music and marching. That makes 19 trophies in three competitions this fall.

“This has been a great season for this ensemble,” Gilbert said. “They have worked very hard and have been focused, committed and driven this year.

“Once these students got onto the field, they were all business and focused on their show. They understood that nobody else could come in and march their sets – it was written specifically for that individual. There are no substitutes. This is a really special group of students and the staff and parents are very proud of this hard-working group and the awards they have won.”

Submitted by PolkSports.com