Marching Band Contest Results: October 24, 2026

Oct 26, 2026 | News

Marching Band Contest Results: October 24, 2026

Nine of my bands earned spots at the UIL State Marching Contest on Saturday. Argyle won 5A Area B and Mineola won 3A Area C, both taking 1st in prelims and finals. Harlingen South, C.C. Winn and Orange Grove each finished 2nd at Area, and Long Creek, Reedy, Hondo and Weiss also advance. Outside Texas, Garrard County moved on to the Kentucky state semifinals, Easley made the South Carolina 5A State Finals, and Floyd Central and Goshen advanced to Indiana State Finals. At Bands of America, Gatesville won Class A in Waco. Here are the marching band contest results for every band I could confirm.

UIL Area: headed to State

Getting to State in Texas means a Division I at Region and then a top finish in an Area final, and these nine bands did both. Argyle and Mineola won prelims and finals at their Areas. C.C. Winn won Area H prelims and finished 2nd in finals, and Long Creek moved up from 4th in prelims to 3rd. The 5A bands march State in early November, and the 3A bands march Nov 4.

State advancement in Kentucky, South Carolina and Indiana

  • Garrard County HS (KY)
    KMEA 3A East Regional Quarterfinal: 3rd of 10, 80.350
    Captions: GE Music
    Advances to the KMEA 3A State Semifinals
    Show: Fractured
  • Easley HS (SC)
    SCBDA 5A State Championships prelims: 7th of 20, 81.075
    Made the 5A State Finals (finals placement not posted yet)
    Show: Elysian Fields
  • Floyd Central HS (IN)
    ISSMA Open Class B Semi-State: advanced to State Finals
    Placement and score not posted yet
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Goshen HS (IN)
    ISSMA Open Class B Semi-State: advanced to State Finals
    Placement and score not posted yet
    Show: The Shape of Things to Come

Garrard County finished 3rd of 10 at its quarterfinal and took the GE Music award, and the top six move on. Easley was 7th of 20 in 5A prelims and marched the night finals. Floyd Central and Goshen are both among the ten Class B bands headed to ISSMA State Finals on Nov 7.

Bands of America Waco, Memphis, St. Louis and California

  • Gatesville HS
    Waco Regional, Class A: 1st (Class A champion), 65.800
    Captions: Class A Music, Visual, General Effect
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Aledo HS
    Waco Regional, Class AAA: 3rd
    Finals: 12th of 12, 83.050
    Prelims: 12th of 30, 82.925
    Show: The Other Side of Here
  • Collierville HS (TN)
    Memphis Regional finals: 6th of 12, 80.250
    Prelims: 6th of 27, 80.250
    Class AAAA: 3rd
    Show: On Air
  • Wylie HS
    Waco Regional finals: 8th of 12, 86.200
    Prelims: 9th of 30, 85.200
    Class AAAA: 7th
    Show: Luna
  • Corona del Sol HS (AZ)
    California Regional finals: 8th of 12, 77.350
    Prelims: 10th of 22, 76.050
    Show: Short Circuit
  • Wakeland HS
    Waco Regional, Class AAA: 4th
    Prelims: 13th of 30, 81.375
    Show: Sacred Spaces
  • Huntsville HS (AL)
    Memphis Regional, Class AAA: 4th
    Prelims: 15th of 27, 70.400
    Show: Mirror Mirror
  • Conway HS (AR)
    Memphis Regional, Class AAAA: 5th
    Prelims: 20th of 27, 68.400
    Show: Requiem
  • Waxahachie HS
    Waco Regional prelims: 16th of 30, 80.000
    Class AAAA: 12th
    Show: Get To The Point
  • Collinsville HS (IL)
    St. Louis Super Regional prelims: 33rd of 69, 71.950
    Class AAA: 15th
    Show: Requiem
  • Downers Grove South HS (IL)
    St. Louis Super Regional prelims: 38th of 69, 68.750
    Class AAAA: 11th
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Triad HS (IL)
    St. Louis Super Regional prelims: 54th of 69, 63.450
    Class AA: 18th
    Show: Midnight City: Where the Streets Have No Name

Gatesville was the only Class A band at Waco, won the class and swept the Class A caption awards. Aledo took 3rd in Class AAA and Collierville took 3rd in Class AAAA, and both marched finals. Wylie also made the 12-band Waco finals, Corona del Sol made finals in California, and Wakeland missed Waco finals by one spot.

Around the country

  • Bearden HS (TN)
    Trojan Marching Invitational, Class 4A: 1st, 91.000 (highest score of the day)
    Captions: 1st in every Class 4A caption
    Show: Fractured
  • Sulphur HS (LA)
    Gulf Coast Marching Band Championship, Class AAAA: 1st, 87.375 (highest score of the day)
    Captions: Class AAAA General Effect, Music, Visual, Percussion
    Show: Common Threads
  • Arcadia HS (CA)
    SCSBOA Mt. Carmel Field Tournament, Class 6A: 1st, 84.800 (top score of the show)
    Show: Fractured
  • Highland HS (AZ)
    ABODA Dobson Invitational, Division I: 1st, 83.775 (top score of the show)
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Eldorado HS (NM)
    NAU Band Day, Division I: 1st of 5, 79.350
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Cascade HS (TN)
    Forrest Rocket Tournament of Bands, Large Division: Grand Champion
    Class E: 1st
    Captions: Highest Music, Highest Visual (Large Division)
    Show: New Frontier
  • Shawnee Mission South HS (KS)
    UCM Festival of Champions, Class AAAA: 2nd in prelims, 83.883
    Finals: 8th of 10, 83.783
    Show: The Liminal Space
  • Jordan HS (NC)
    Capital City Band Expo finals: 6th overall
    Class: 2nd
    Captions: 1st Percussion; 2nd Music Performance and General Effect
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Boulder Creek HS (AZ)
    NAU Band Day, Division I: 3rd of 5, 75.563
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Del Norte HS (CA)
    SCSBOA Mt. Carmel Field Tournament, Class 5AA: 3rd of 5, 73.300
    Show: On Air
  • Grand Junction HS (CO)
    CBA 5A State Quarterfinals: 9th of 14, 72.250
    Show: Hieroglyphics

Bearden, Sulphur, Arcadia and Highland each posted the top score of the day at their contests. Cascade posted on its own account that it was Large Division Grand Champion at the Forrest Rocket Tournament of Bands, with the highest music and visual scores in the division.

Late results

  • Madison Central HS (KY)
    Estill County Tournament of Champions (Oct 17) finals: 1st of 10, 87.000
    Prelims: 1st in Class AAAAA, 86.850
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Easley HS (SC)
    Lake Hartwell Marching Festival (Oct 17): Grand Champion
    Class AAA: 1st
    Captions: Class AAA Percussion, Color Guard, Drum Major
    Show: Elysian Fields

These two came in after last week’s post. Madison Central won finals at Estill County, and Easley posted that it was Grand Champion at the Lake Hartwell Marching Festival.

More from UIL Area

What’s next

Next Saturday is 6A and 4A Area in Texas and Bands of America heads to Middle Tennessee, while the State qualifiers above get ready for their state contests. I’ll keep posting marching band contest results as they come in.

If your season just wrapped, here’s how I’d run your season debrief.

Already thinking about next fall? Browse the 2026 show catalog, see my full list of marching band shows, or start sketching your own with the Build Your Show tool. When you’re ready to talk, reach out here.

Planning next season?

Plan a show that fits the band you’ll actually have in October.

A 54-page fillable workbook for band directors, from the season debrief to a plan you can hand to any arranger. Start with the free sample.

See the planning guideGet the free sample

FAQ

How do bands get from UIL Region to State? A band has to earn a Division I rating at its UIL Region contest to march at Area. Area runs prelims and finals, and the top finishers in finals advance to the UIL State Marching Contest for their conference.

Why do some bands have a class placement and an overall placement? At Bands of America and many invitationals, bands are grouped by school size in prelims. Each class has its own placements and caption awards, and the top scores overall, regardless of class, make finals.

Can an adaptable show win at this level? Yes. Several of the bands on this page play adaptable shows or a mix of selections from my catalog, adjusted to the band before they started 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.

Sources