Andy Brosig/News-Sun Bryan Cheney came full circle when he took over as band director at Houston Middle School in Hobbs some 18 years ago. Houston was where, in seventh grade, he first picked up a set of drumsticks — learning percussion under the tutelage of then band director David Allen. From the start, Cheney said, there was a thrill to …

Starla Jones/HMS Just like his signature trumpet solo, Rusty Crowe has “Got to Fly Now.” After spending 19 years at the helm, Crowe retires next month as Hobbs High School band director in order to move closer to his daughters and grandchildren. Known during basketball games for his red-faced rendition of the upper-range, ear piercing notes from that Rocky song, …