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Ohio State Marching Band looks to soak in the 
moment in 118th edition of ‘The Game’

The historic rivalry football game be-

tween Ohio State and Michigan hasn’t 
been played in Ohio Stadium since 2018, 
and while it’s a dream come to life for 
many football players, there are other 
performers for whom this will be their 
first, or last time, playing the Michigan 
game in the ‘Shoe.

The Ohio State Marching Band is re-

nowned for its performances during 
games, and for many members, Nov. 26 
will be the first time performing “The 
Game” in front of a home crowd. Crosbee 
Lisser, a fourth-year in music education 
and psychology who plays the mello-
phone, said she’s looking forward to the 
atmosphere of Ohio Stadium and hopes 
to add to the “home team advantage” 
brought by the fans.

“I’m really excited to just play for all 

the fans at halftime,” Lisser said. “It’s go-
ing to feel like we’re a part of that day. 
I think that’s what’s going to be really 
special, all the fans are going to come all 
riled up for this rivalry.”

Lisser is one of many members of the 

program, also known as “The Best Damn 
Band in the Land,” who has performed 
during the rivalry game in Michigan 
Stadium, but not the ‘Shoe. The football 
teams were scheduled to play in Colum-
bus in 2020, but Michigan canceled the 
matchup as a result of rising COVID-19 
cases within the program.

Avery Voress, a fifth-year in zoology 

and sousaphone player, said the atmo-
sphere he experienced in Ohio Stadium 
during his first year was unlike anything 
he’s experienced since.

“Playing at home against Michigan, 

that was the loudest I think I’ve ever 
heard Ohio Stadium,” Voress said. “You 
know, everybody hates Michigan. But 
playing at home and then getting the 
win, and everybody storming the field, 
that was just amazing. That was a great 
experience.”

STEVEN KISHPAUGH

Lantern Asst. Sports Editor

ZACHARY RILLEY | PHOTO EDITOR

Band members celebrate an Ohio State touchdown during then-No. 3 Ohio State’s 77-21 win over Toledo Sept. 17.

Voress will have the honor of dotting 

the ‘i’ Nov. 26 for the performance of 
“Script Ohio.” He said although the band 
has several performances before the 
Michigan game, he knows the prepara-
tion leading up is going to be intense. 

For band members like Voress, the 

performance in the Michigan game is 
the final time they will perform in front 
of an Ohio State crowd. He said he gets 
the same “nerve wracking” feeling ev-
ery time he walks down the ramp, but he 
wants his final game to be perfect.

“I think that upcoming game, it’s defi-

nitely going to be reminiscent of the very 
first game,” Voress said. “Just because it’s 
my last one, I want it to be perfect. And 
I’m dotting the ‘i,’ and that needs to be 
perfect.”

Christopher Hoch, the director of 

Marching and Athletic Bands, said the 
band focuses on one routine for each 

performance. But specifically for the 
upcoming Michigan game Nov. 26, the 
preparation is more intensive because of 
Ohio State’s Thanksgiving break week, 
giving the band half the normal time to 
work with.

“We take every performance that we do 

very seriously,” Hoch said. “Everything 
is kicked up a notch because this game 
means everything to Ohio State fans, it 
means everything to us and it means ev-
erything to the team. It’s special.”

Lisser is playing her first home per-

formance in the next rendition of “The 
Game,” and knows she and other fellow 
band members take pride in the reputa-
tion they’ve built and want to put on their 
best performance. She believes practice 
for rivalry week will be “the most intense 
challenge I’ve ever had as a band person.”

Despite that, she thinks the atmo-

sphere will be incredible, even more so 

coming off last season’s loss.

“I’m looking forward to the atmo-

sphere,” Lisser said. “I’ve been looking 
forward to that my entire marching sea-
son. Getting to be in the stadium with all 
of those fans and getting to be a part of 
the whole rivalry. But having the home 
field advantage, I think is going to be 
amazing.”

Hoch also said while it will be a chal-

lenging week, he wants his students to 
soak in the moments in the stadium. For 
those whose final home performance will 
be Nov. 26, they will want to work extra 
hard to make it special, he said.

“You will remember that performance 

for the rest of your life,” Hoch said. “You’ll 
remember this game, that moment, your 
last time putting on the uniform in Ohio 
Stadium, and you’ll remember that for-
ever.”

Block ‘O’ making sure to ‘dot our I’s and cross our 
T’s’ for first rivalry game in Columbus since 2018

Most Ohio State students haven’t wit-

nessed “The Game” between the Buck-
eyes and Wolverines at Ohio Stadium.

Sam King, a fourth-year in neurosci-

ence and vice president of the Block 
“O” student section, traveled to Ann Ar-
bor during his freshman year in 2019 
and watched Ohio State play Michigan. 
He said the excitement built for when 
he could see “The Game” take place on 
campus as a student in Columbus for the 
2020 season.

But the COVID-19 pandemic sent 

plans astray.

Not only could fans not witness the 

2020 rivalry meeting, but “The Game” 
didn’t take place at all, as increasing 
numbers of COVID-19 cases among the 
Wolverines’ program forced its cancella-
tion, snapping a streak of 102 years.

“I was just kind of disappointed,” King 

said. “Excited to see it on our home turf 
— and then have our hopes dashed.”

JACOB BENGE

Lantern Sports Editor

Block “O” plans to pack the stands at 

Ohio Stadium Nov. 26 for the first meet-
ing between Ohio State and Michigan in 
the ‘Shoe since 2018.

Yusty Sanchez, a fifth-year in commu-

nication technology and Block “O” foot-
ball director, recalled when the Buckeyes 
defeated the Wolverines 62-39 during his 
first year at Ohio State. Sitting in Block 
“O” North and storming the field after 
the game, Sanchez said he could sense 
the pressure on campus before “The 
Game” in 2018.

“I can’t really put words together to ex-

plain what that game feels like there in 
the ‘Shoe,” Sanchez said. “That Monday, 
everyone’s here on campus, but you feel 
the tension in the air. Tuesday, Wednes-
day, Thursday, campus kind of dies. It be-
comes a ghost town. It’s really eerie just 
because of Thanksgiving, and then you 
see people slowly coming back Friday 
and then game day.”

Four hours before kickoff, the Block 

“O” student section arrives at Ohio Sta-
dium and sets up the traditional card 
stunts, 

which collectively display a thematic 
image and has been tradition since the 
organization’s founding in 1938. Sanchez 
said they’re among the first inside on 
game day.

Preparation begins long before game 

day, Mackenzie Swartz, a fourth-year in 
psychology and president of Block “O,” 
said. 

Come game week, Block “O” takes part 

in the Rivalry Run 2022 on campus Nov. 
20 with a 1- and 3-mile course beginning 
near the RPAC, Swartz said. Block “O” 
will also partner with the Student-Alum-
ni Council and Ohio Staters to hold a ri-
valry rally at the Ohio Union Nov. 21.

“It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime op-

portunity for people — at least my year. 
This will be our only chance as students,” 
Swartz said. “You can already hear peo-
ple start talking about it, how excited 
they are, so I can’t wait. I think that week 
is just going to be electric.”

Both Ohio State and Michigan are on 

track to meet in Columbus with playoff 
implications, as both placed among the 
top-five teams in the first two College 
Football Playoff rankings.

With high stakes and as bitter of a ri-

valry, King said he can sense emotions 
trending in a particular direction come 
time to take part in “The Game” in per-
son.

“Everyone’s really excited,” King said. 

“All season, just kind of building up, espe-
cially with Michigan and Ohio State both 
being very good teams this year.”

Sanchez said preparation for Nov. 26 

will be “business as usual” for the student 
section.

Overseeing both the Block “O” North 

and South sections, Sanchez said excite-
ment continues to build as Ohio State 
students get closer to witnessing “The 
Game” on campus for the first time in 
four years.

“For us, it won’t be any different,” San-

chez said. “It’s just making sure that we 
kind of dot our i’s and cross our t’s and 
make sure that from our perspective, 
we’re ready to go. Whether that’s the 
card stunt, any other logistics that we 
have for that game in particular, just so 
that when it’s kickoff, we’re rocking and 
rolling for that game.”

Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022 | The Lantern | 5

