Marching Band Contest Results: September 19, 2026 Recap

Sep 21, 2026 | News

Marching Band Contest Results: September 19, 2026 Recap

BOA McAllen, a big day in Kentucky and wins up north

Updated October 8, 2026: added River Bluff and Middleton, and moved the results into lists so they read better on phones.

These are the marching band contest results from Saturday, September 19, 2026, for the bands performing my shows this fall. Most of my Texas bands were still a week or two away from their first contest, so South Texas carried the state. Out of state, the season was already rolling.

Here are the headlines. Harlingen South won Class AAA at the Bands of America South Texas Regional in McAllen and took the finals visual award. Ryle won the Lafayette Invitational in Lexington, Goshen won its class at Concord with every caption it could take, and Pipestone won the Class A sweepstakes at Waseca. River Bluff won the Mustang Classic in South Carolina, and Middleton swept BandFest in Wisconsin the next day.

I spent nine years as a band director, and I remember how much of September is guesswork. You don’t really know where a show stands until it’s in front of judges. These bands got their answers, and most of them should like what they heard.

Bands of America South Texas Regional: Harlingen South leads the way

Eight of my bands marched at Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, in a 24-band prelims field.

  • Harlingen South HS
    Class: 1st in AAA, with Visual and GE
    Finals: 2nd, 79.800, Outstanding Visual
    Prelims: 2nd, 78.800
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Los Fresnos HS
    Class: 2nd in AAAA
    Finals: 5th, 75.600
    Prelims: 6th, 72.150
    Show: Short Circuit
  • Sharyland HS
    Class: 2nd in AA, with GE
    Finals: 10th, 71.550
    Prelims: 11th, 70.550
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Rio Grande City HS
    Class: 4th in AA
    Finals: Did not advance
    Prelims: 14th, 64.150
    Show: Chain Reaction
  • Gladys Porter HS
    Class: 5th in AA
    Finals: Did not advance
    Prelims: 16th, 62.600
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Grulla HS
    Class: 1st in A, with Music, Visual and GE
    Finals: Did not advance
    Prelims: 17th, 61.550
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Economedes HS
    Class: 12th in AAA
    Finals: Did not advance
    Prelims: 21st, 56.100
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Port Isabel HS
    Class: 2nd in A
    Finals: Did not advance
    Prelims: 23rd, 53.150
    Show: Into the Deep

Harlingen South won Class AAA, took the class visual and general effect awards, and then won Outstanding Visual in finals on the way to 2nd overall. Los Fresnos added 3.45 points between prelims and finals, the biggest jump of my three finalists. Sharyland made finals and won the AA general effect award. Grulla swept all three Class A captions. For a Class A band at a BOA regional, that’s a great September result.

Five of these programs are running a mix of selections from my catalog of adaptable marching band shows, each one adjusted to the band in front of it. Harlingen South’s finals visual award came from a show built the same way.

Kentucky and Ohio: Ryle wins Lafayette

  • Ryle HS (KY)
    1st in Class AAAAA prelims (76.350), 1st in finals (77.000)
    Lafayette Invitational, Lexington
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Madison Central HS (KY)
    3rd in Class AAAAA prelims (75.250), 3rd in finals (75.400)
    Lafayette Invitational, Lexington
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Garrard County HS (KY)
    2nd of 13 overall and 2nd in Class AAA, 78.250
    Boyle County Rebel Showdown, Danville
    Show: Fractured
  • Dixie Heights HS (KY)
    2nd in Class AAAA, 66.000
    Taylor Band Premiere, Cleves OH
    Show: Mixed selections
  • Stebbins HS (OH)
    5th of 11 in Session 1, 61.500
    Lakota West Invitational, West Chester OH
    Show: Light & Shadow
  • Finneytown HS (OH)
    7th of 11 in Session 1, 59.200
    Lakota West Invitational, West Chester OH
    Show: Mixed selections

Ryle and Madison Central went 1st and 3rd in the Lafayette finals, and Ryle led from prelims on. Two weeks later Ryle placed 2nd in Class AAA at the BOA Kentucky Regional, so this was an early sign of a strong fall. Garrard County finished 2nd of 13 at Boyle County, behind only Campbell County. Dixie Heights placed 2nd in Class AAAA at Taylor, 1.5 points behind Oak Hills.

Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia and Minnesota

  • Goshen HS (IN)
    1st in Open Class B, Best Music, Best Visual, Best General Effect, People’s Choice
    Concord Invitational, Elkhart
    Show: The Shape of Things to Come
  • Hendersonville HS (TN)
    2nd in Class A, 75.725
    Station Camp Marching Invitational, Gallatin
    Show: Midnight
  • Rock Ridge HS (VA)
    1st in Group 5, 87.575
    VMBC Freedom Showcase, South Riding
    Show: Fractured
  • Pipestone Area HS (MN)
    1st in Class A field (73.65) with the Class A Sweepstakes, 1st in Class A parade with the hornline award
    Waseca Marching Classic, Waseca
    Show: Choose Joy

Goshen won its class at Concord and took every caption award on the table, plus the crowd’s vote. Two weeks later they won Class AAA at the BOA Northwest Ohio Regional. Rock Ridge was the only band in Group 5 at the Freedom Showcase, but its 87.575 was the second-highest score of the day. Pipestone swept Class A at Waseca in both parade and field, and Hendersonville finished less than a point behind Mt. Juliet in Class A at Station Camp.

Garrard County and Rock Ridge are both marching Fractured this fall, in two different states. If your band is getting ready for its own fall stretch, my list of ways to make your show stand out at UIL Area is worth a read.

South Carolina and Wisconsin: River Bluff and Middleton win

  • River Bluff HS (SC)
    1st overall of 16, 77.950
    1st in Class B 4A, Excellent rating
    Mustang Classic, Graniteville
    Show: Paradox
  • Middleton HS (WI)
    1st place, with every caption award
    Waukesha North BandFest, Waukesha (Sunday, September 20)
    Show: Light & Shadow

River Bluff topped a 16-band field at Midland Valley and came home with an Excellent rating. Middleton marched the next day at Carroll University and swept the caption awards. They’re one of three bands marching Light & Shadow this fall, along with Stebbins in Ohio and Klein in Texas.

What’s next

The full Texas contest season starts the next weekend, along with four more BOA regionals. I’ll keep posting marching band contest results for my bands as they come in. Congratulations to every student, director and staff member who made September 19 worth writing about.

If you’re already thinking about next fall, browse the 2026 show catalog or start sketching your own with the Build Your Show tool. When you’re ready to talk it through, reach out here and we can set up a call.

FAQ

Where can I find official marching band contest results? Bands of America posts class awards and finals scores on each regional’s results page at marching.musicforall.org. Many state circuits post recaps through CompetitionSuite or their own sites, such as kyband.com in Kentucky and InBands in Indiana. Fans also share scores on HornRank and TxBands.

Why do some bands have class results but no finals? At a Bands of America regional, every band is ranked within its class in prelims, but only the top 12 overall march finals. A band can win its class and still miss the finals cut, which is what happened for Grulla in McAllen.

Can an adaptable show win at a Bands of America regional? Yes. Harlingen South won Class AAA and the finals visual award at the BOA South Texas Regional with a mix of selections from my catalog. Every show is adjusted to the band’s instrumentation and strengths before they start learning it. See how adaptable shows work.

About the author

I’m Evan VanDoren, a composer and arranger based in Austin. I spent nine years as band director at Cedar Park High School, where we won three UIL State Championships, and I now write for Santa Clara Vanguard. My work is published through RWS Music and Alfred Music, and I write adaptable and custom marching band shows for programs across the country.

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