Ward was named first chair in both piccolo and flute, while Carrasco earned first chair honors in clarinet. Conner was named first chair clarinet in the 5A second band.

All-region band honors are nothing new to Steer Band members — 55 earned a spot on the Class 4A band this year — but having three members excel at a higher level is unprecedented.

“I don’t know that it’s ever been done, to have two kids finish at the top of the heap at the 5A level,” BSHS Band Director Rocky Harris said.

Harris said the honor was doubly important because the BSHS trio succeeded against competition that was tougher both quantitatively and qualitatively than what they usually experience.

And the three agree with Harris’ assessment.

“It was a pretty big deal,” said Ward, who earned a spot on the all-state band her sophomore year. “It may not be as imprint as some on the upcoming competitions, but it was a honor to be included ... There were about 40 flute players competing for a spot on the band. About three-quarters of them were people I knew, and they were pretty good.”

Carrasco, who has twice landed a spot on the all-state band, echoed Ward’s comments.

“I was happy-dance excited. I’ve never finished that high in Class 5A,” she said. “To compete against those kind of players and see how I ranked was a great feeling.”

Conner may be the newcomer to this elite group, but was no less excited.

“I was happy,” she said. “I felt I hadn’t performed that well in tryouts, so when I saw how I placed, the first thing I felt was that if I had played better, I would have placed higher”

Conner added she wants to reach the heights attained by her two senior colleagues.

“This year, I really want to make the all-state band, and now I know just how hard it is to qualify,” she said.

The three will attempt to earn a spot on the all-state band Jan. 5 during tryouts at Odessa Permian High School.