As he stares off into the distance, his mind is on replay. He can’t get any note or sound that he performed on his trombone out of his head.

Then the doubt settles in and he knows he didn’t make it. He takes a deep breath and scans the QR code to a live feed of chair placements. As the document opens, he’s relieved. His name was on the list.

Senior Moses Eboh was the only band student to advance to All-State and will perform with the Texas All-State Band in San Antonio, this Saturday, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

“Waiting for results is probably the most intense part of the whole audition day,” he said. “You start to pick apart every little thing that was wrong with your performance.”

Before auditioning, Eboh said he was not nervous.

“I was actually more calm than I’ve ever been at an audition, which is weird considering how important this one was,” he said. “The nervousness didn’t kick in until I was about to play.”

Participants performed certain measures from three songs.

“The biggest thing that I took away from this experience is that success only comes with an incredible amount of preparation,” Eboh said. “There’s hardly any room for error at this level.”

All-State participants auditioned with other band members in the same room.

“It’s probably one of the most nerve-wracking things a student can go through, it’s hard for anyone who hasn’t experienced it to understand,” senior Anthony Reilly said. “The process isn’t just a measure of skill, it’s a psychological game that you can either win or lose very quickly.”

Eboh chose to compete in 6A district, instead of 5A-1.

“This year, our area has changed to a more difficult one,” Band Director Eric Mullins said. “So we were very pleased that Moses was able to place in that group.”

Eboh said his friend and former Band Director, Paul Heuer motivated him.

“He (Heuer) made me fully realize my potential and I haven’t lost my drive ever since,” he said. “But I’ve also always been pushed to get better as a result of competition with my friend Anthony Reilly. He and I have been at it toe-to-toe since sixth grade, and I don’t think I would be as good as I am today without this constant rivalry.”

Reilly said that after the audition, he knew Eboh would make state.

“Last year he had a bad audition and I was able to advance to state, and this year we switched, which I’m still happy with,” he said. “It’s a bummer I didn’t make All-State again, but since we got the music last year, I knew the only way I’d be content with not making it this year would be if Moses made it instead, and he did.”

Eboh has been a section leader for three years.

“The Texas band culture is very inclusive,” he said. “The relationships that you build with people over time are more valuable than most other clubs can offer.”

Mullins said that Eboh will have successful years ahead of him.

“He has a desire to be great in everything that he does,” he said. “Moses is a great band kid and has a bright future ahead of him in whatever he plans to do. He has the skills to work hard at something and achieve.”

Reilly said he wishes the best for his friend.

“I’m just glad he gets the incredible opportunity to play in the best ensembles in the state,” he said. “He deserves to play in higher level groups.”