Two Alcorn School District bands brought home top-five finishes from this year’s state championships in Brandon. The Alcorn County marching bands from Alcorn Central High School and Kossuth High School both placed among Mississippi’s best Class 3A programs, and each also won awards in individual categories, the district announced this week.
Alcorn Central’s Pride of AC finished third overall at the 2026 MHSAA State Marching Band Championships. The Kossuth High School Aggie Band placed fifth overall. Both bands qualified for state by earning All Superior ratings at the MHSAA North Regional State Marching Evaluations.
Alcorn County Marching Bands: Pride of AC Takes Third
The Pride of AC placed third in three major judging categories: Music, Visual Performance and General Effect. Its percussion section also finished third, and its color guard placed fourth.
Alcorn Central Band Director Lee Hopson said the students left everything on the field.
“Every ounce of energy, every bit of emotion, and every second of hard work they’ve poured into this season was left on that field. I could not be prouder of them,” Hopson said in the district’s announcement.
He said the clearest sign of where the program is headed came after the contest, when students started asking what comes next.
The finish continues a strong stretch for the Glen school’s band:
2024: First All Superior regional rating in 12 years and a return to state, finishing ninth
2025: Second place in Class 3A, the program’s first state runner-up title
2026: Third place overall, with third-place finishes in Music, Visual Performance, General Effect and Percussion
Hopson credited Assistant Band Director Jana Hopson, ACHS Choir Director Tina Downs, parents, administrators, local businesses and community supporters. “It’s not ‘just band.’ It’s OUR band,” he said.
Kossuth Aggie Band Adds Another Top-Five Finish
Kossuth’s Aggie Band placed fifth overall in Class 3A. Its color guard finished second in the state, the group’s highest placement in school history. The band also took third in Visual Performance Ensemble and fifth in General Effect.
This year’s Kossuth show, “All Gave Some, Some Gave All,” honored people who have served in the U.S. armed forces and remembered those who gave their lives in service.
Kossuth Band Director Brandon Harvell praised his students for working through adversity. “I love the fact that they shed many tears for our 5th place finish. They always want to win!” he said.
According to the district, Kossuth has finished in the state’s top five in every championship year since 2011 except one, not counting the year the event was canceled because of COVID-19.
Area Bands Share the Spotlight
Harvell also pointed to the close ties among area band programs, including Kossuth, Alcorn Central, Booneville and Corinth, and congratulated the other Class 3A bands that qualified for state. Booneville’s Blue Devil Band won its seventh straight state title this year.
District leaders congratulated both bands’ students, directors and supporters on what they called outstanding 2026 seasons.
Jon R Myers is the executive editor of Alcorn County News and the founder of the Mississippi News Group, which he started in 2013 to cover communities across North Mississippi. He also founded the Mississippi Sports Group in 2006, which grew from a single community publication into a statewide network covering high school and college athletics. He reports on local government, public safety, schools and community life in Corinth and Alcorn County, working from public meetings, agency records and interviews with the people involved. Contact him at editor@alcornnewsms.com with news tips or corrections. For a correction, include the article link and supporting source material.
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