Band puts the pep in Sammies' step.

Byline: Kevin O'Malley

SUTTON - There are six seniors on Sutton's Dual Valley Conference championship basketball team, Jon Copeland, Stefan Forsberg, Nick Kania, Ben Bickford, Rob Magner and Ken Oulette, but the Sammies' sixth man is their Pep Band.

"The band is phenomenal. They do a great job and their sound is just wonderful. They definitely get everyone going and the kids love it. The kids value the band, if the band's not there then we're sort of flat," Sutton coach Jim Donnelly said.

"I've got to get them up if the band is not there. The band sets the tone for a wonderful atmosphere. They do such a great job. They are definitely our sixth man - they get it started for us."

Bandleader Mark Smith is slow to take any credit away from the kids on the floor, unaware of the impact their presence on the sidelines plays in providing the Sammies one of the greatest home court advantages in all of Central Massachusetts.

"I hope some of that's true, but we're having so much fun ourselves over here I'm not sure how much we actually do for the team - they are a pretty intense group," Mr. Smith said. "It's really a privilege to be associated with this school system and this classy athletic department. They always have good teams. They may not be the best, but they are always in the running. The games are very exciting. It's a unique environment, and we are just happy to be a part of it."

The Sutton Pep Band has been part of every Sammie success in the past 20 years since Mr. Smith implemented it in 1989.

"Well, we have kind of a niche," Mr. Smith explained. "It started when I first came here 20 years ago, and I am always quick to give credit and recognize my late colleague Steve Romasco, who gave us tremendous support and not just the Pep Band but he gave the music program, generally, a lot of support. When we first started, we were not all that good, but the coaches encouraged us."

Mr. Smith now builds the Pep Band from the best and brightest of the Sutton music program, and it shows in the stellar sound they produce from the National Anthem to covers of the Dropkick Murphys.

"The Pep Band is made up of our best student musicians. It is very popular and gives younger players something to work for," Mr. Smith said. "We have a pretty serious music program here and the kids come with pretty advanced skills. This is just fun for them. The charts are generally not hard for them but they are just fun to play, a different kind of audience, a different style of music and the kids keep me up to date. Some of this stuff I don't even know where it came from but the kids arrange it and it works very well."

You never know what you might hear from the Sammies from typical rock 'n' roll to "Shipping Up to Boston."

"We play a broad range of literature from big band to Zappa to jock rock and even some Broadway, and we try to set an exciting tone and provide a musical commentary and accompaniment to the game," Mr. Smith said. "This symbiosis that we have with the music department and the athletic department, I think, is pretty special."

The band regularly receives compliments from the fans that surround the band, including the ones rooting for a Sammies loss.

"We get tremendous support," Mr. Smith said. "The fans give us great appreciation; even the opposing fans frequently give us compliments. And when we go on the road in the playoff season, when we visit WPI, we hear from their staff how glad they are to see us. We can't help but enjoy it when so many other people seem to be enjoying it, too."

The current Pep Band consists of musicians Cara Dilorio, Alissa Rakauskas, Daniel Orpen, Elizabeth Aiello, Amanda Mattero, Trent Baltzell, Casy Hibbard, Andrew Rice, Reece Poirier, Mike Valerio, P.J. Machunski, Jamie Pierce, Rachel Hall, Greg Rodriques, Alex Ton, James Carlson, Zack Brogie, Michael Beinor, Dan Hall, David Giza, Anthony Pacheco and Tyler Keith.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Bandleader Mark Smith says he builds his ensemble from the best student musicians at Sutton High School.

PHOTOG: SUBMITTED PHOTO