Marching Band Contest Results: October 31, 2026

Nov 2, 2026 | News

Marching Band Contest Results: October 31, 2026

Eight of my bands punched tickets to the UIL State Marching Contest on Saturday. Davenport won 4A Area D after taking 1st in prelims and finals, Grulla won 4A Area E, and Waxahachie won 6A Area C prelims before finishing 2nd in finals. Rouse, Cedar Park, Los Fresnos, Andrews and A.C. Jones also advance. Outside Texas, Ryle and Madison Central finished 3rd and 4th at the Kentucky 5A State Finals, C.E. Jordan was Grand Champion of the 1A-3A bands at Cary Band Day, Finneytown won Class AA at West Clermont, and Mountain Ridge won Division I and four caption awards at the Barry Goldwater Invitational. At Bands of America, Cascade took 2nd in Class A in Middle Tennessee and Cambridge made finals in Central Florida. Here are the marching band contest results for every band I could confirm.

UIL Area: headed to State

UIL Area is a long day: prelims, a wait, then finals with a State trip on the line. If you’re getting ready for next year’s Area run, here are 10 ways to make your show stand out at UIL Area.

UIL 6A Area

UIL 4A Area

Bands of America

  • Cascade HS
    Middle Tennessee Regional, class A: 2nd, 73.600
    Prelims: 22nd of 38
    Captions: General Effect (Class A)
    Show: New Frontier
  • Cambridge HS
    Central Florida Regional, finals: 6th of 7, 74.900
    Prelims: 5th of 7, 75.650
    Class AA: 3rd
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Collierville HS
    Middle Tennessee Regional, finals: 11th of 14, 82.800
    Prelims: 12th of 38, 81.000
    Class AAAA: 4th
    Show: On Air
  • Hendersonville HS
    Middle Tennessee Regional, class AA: 10th of 18
    Prelims: 24th of 38, 72.625
    Show: Midnight

Cascade’s Class A General Effect award in Cookeville is a good reminder that the smallest class at a BOA regional still gets judged on the whole package.

Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio

Arizona and California

  • Mountain Ridge HS
    Barry Goldwater Invitational: 1st in Division I, 90.363
    Captions: Music, Visual, General Effect, Auxiliary
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Sandra Day O’Connor HS
    Millennium Invitational (Oct 27): 1st in Division I, 88.075
    Barry Goldwater Invitational (Oct 31): 2nd in Division I, 87.694
    Captions (Goldwater): Percussion
    Show: A Picture’s Worth
  • Catalina Foothills HS
    Sahuarita Invitational (Oct 27): 1st in Division I, 85.475 (high score of the night)
    Show: Listen
  • Corona del Sol HS
    Millennium Invitational (Oct 27): 2nd in Division I, 87.763
    Show: Short Circuit
  • Boulder Creek HS
    Barry Goldwater Invitational: 6th in Division I, 76.538
    Show: Mix of Selections from Evan’s Catalog
  • Del Norte HS
    Del Norte Field Tournament (host): exhibition, 77.100, unranked
    Show: On Air

Late results

  • Hendersonville HS
    MTSU Contest of Champions (Oct 24): 1st in Class A, 75.075
    Prelims: 12th of 25
    Show: Midnight

What’s next

This week is UIL State for 5A and 3A at the Alamodome, with Argyle, Reedy, Long Creek, Harlingen South, C.C. Winn, Weiss, Mineola, Hondo and Orange Grove all marching. Bands of America is in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday, and Indiana and South Carolina hold their state finals Saturday. The 6A and 4A State contest follows on Nov 9-11. 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 many bands advance from UIL Area to State? It depends on the size of the Area. Each Area runs prelims and finals, and UIL sets how many finalists advance from each one, so one Area might send three bands while another sends seven.

What is a Grand Champion at an invitational like Cary Band Day? Many invitationals group bands by school size and name a Grand Champion for the highest score in a group of classes. That award sits on top of the class placement, so a band can win its class and the Grand Championship on the same night.

Can an adaptable show compete 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.

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