The Mercer Island High School (MIHS) marching band program kicked off its season in grand style.

On Sept. 8, the Islanders strutted into the spotlight during the inaugural FOX Local Halftime Show when the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns took a mid-game break amid the NFL’s national coverage.

For roughly two to three minutes, football viewers enjoyed a compilation of the band’s “best of” footage from past years that was assembled with the help of the school’s media and physical sciences teacher Michael Ketchum. The full 11-minute video can be viewed online at: https://sports.yahoo.com/fox-local-halftime-show-183000364.html.

MIHS band director Kyle Thompson is elated that FOX 13 Seattle is handing the proverbial ball off to local talent this football season. Halftime is go time for MIHS and other Washington schools to be featured in the segment this fall.

“Their producers came up with the idea of featuring marching bands from the community and asked if we’d like to kick things off as the first band,” said Thompson. “Of course, we were excited to join in. It’s always a privilege to shine a spotlight on our amazing, hard-working students — they truly are the pride of the Island.”

Added Jake Wiederrich, FOX 13 vice president and news director: “We can’t think of a better way to entertain the hundreds of thousands of fans in Seattle watching FOX NFL Sunday than with an electrifying performance that captures the excitement and pageantry of a football game.”

MIHS paired with FOX 13 again on the morning of Sept. 9 when Thompson guested on Good Day Seattle to discuss the previous day’s halftime segment and the band’s schedule for this season.

As previously noted in the Reporter during band camp week in August, MIHS’s first performance of the year will occur at the Islanders’ home football game at 7 p.m. on Sept. 13 against Foss. The contest will take place the night before the University of Washington versus Washington State University Boeing Apple Cup at Lumen Field, and the Wazzu Cougars’ band will join MIHS for its local show at Islander Stadium.

Senior center snare drummer and section leader Erika Sutkus said it’s a special experience to be involved with the 220-member band.

“The band is a big, big program, and I’m super proud to be a part of a program that’s this big,” Sutkus told the Reporter in August at band camp.