Here are the Herald area marching bands that will face off for a state title
Twelve area schools will move on to the most exciting week in South Carolina marching band, all in contention for a state title.
Catawba Ridge, Indian Land, Nation Ford, Northwestern and York high schools square off on Saturday. So do, in separate smaller divisions, bands from South Pointe, Andrew Jackson, Lewisville and York Prep high schools. Bands from Clover, Fort Mill and Rock Hill high schools square off the following Saturday.
Bands don’t use the same size and region classifications traditional sports do. In band, the top two dozen schools by enrollment compete in 5A. Clover (sixth highest enrollment), Fort Mill (No. 20) and Rock Hill (No. 22) are listed in 5A. The next 40 schools by size are 4A, then 3A and 2A. All smaller schools are 1A.
The 4A and 2A upper state competition Saturday at Boiling Springs High School featured several area bands. Catawba Ridge, Nation Ford and York marched in the afternoon, followed by Indian Land and Northwestern. All those schools are 4A. Chester and Andrew Jackson marched in 2A competition.
Belton-Honea Path High School hosted the other half of the upper state competitions on Saturday. South Pointe marched there in 3A. Lewisville and York Prep marched in 1A.
State championships come Saturday for 4A and 2A at Spring Valley High School, and for 3A and 1A at Westwood High School.
The 5A classification is different. Both the preliminary and final rounds are held the same day, this year at Irmo High School on Nov. 5. Rock Hill will march at 11:15 a.m. in the prelim round, followed by Fort Mill at 1:15 p.m. and Clover at 1:45 p.m.
The top 10 bands will advance to the championship round, with performance start times from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Marching band wins
The greater Rock Hill region is a powerhouse in marching band. Fort Mill has almost twice as many state championships as any other school in the state, despite only competing in state events every other year. Nation Ford is tied for sixth most wins all-time, despite opening in 2007. Indian Land (8), Lewisville (7) and York(5) high schools each rank in the top 20 schools all-time.
In all, 10 tri-county schools have won a combined 60 state championships. Seven schools have multiple wins. One that doesn’t, Catawba Ridge, has one title in its first two years of competition.
The list of area bands who compete and win beyond the state competition each year, grows. Catawba Ridge won a Bands of America regional event in North Carolina this month. Nation Ford finished third in its class and fifth overall at the same event. Clover won its class and finished fifth overall at a regional in Tennessee. Fort Mill finished fourth overall at a regional in Delaware.
“Our students represented our school, community and state with enormous pride,” Clover director Rick Langdale Jr. said after the Tennessee event, “and both of their performances demonstrated the best of our young people.”
