Alcorn Central Band Takes 2nd at Crossroads Marching Classic

Alcorn Central’s Purple Pride marching band brought home a second-place finish and two caption awards from the 2026 Crossroads Marching Classic, the annual band competition hosted by Corinth High School on Saturday, Sept. 26. Tishomingo County High School also placed in the same class. New Albany was named grand champion of the day.

Organizers posted the final recap, score, and placement sheets on the competition’s official Facebook page after the awards ceremony. Bands from North Mississippi and West Tennessee competed in four classes, and judges scored drum majors, color guards, percussion sections, and each band’s overall show.

Alcorn Central Shines in Class 3A at the Crossroads Marching Classic

Class 3A was the most crowded class of the day, and it had the strongest local results. Alcorn Central, from Glen, won two of the three caption awards in the class:

• Best in Class 3A Drum Major: Alcorn Central
• Best in Class 3A Percussion: Alcorn Central
• Best in Class 3A Color Guard: Hardin County

In the Class 3A band standings, Mooreville placed first and Alcorn Central placed second. Hardin County, from Savannah, Tenn., was third, and Tishomingo County, from Iuka, was fourth.

Results in Classes 1A, 2A, and 4A

Hatley swept Class 1A, winning best drum major, best color guard, and best percussion plus first place in the band standings. Smithville placed second.

Potts Camp did the same in Class 2A, taking all three caption awards and first place in the class.

Tippah County’s Ripley High School had a big day in Class 4A. It won best drum major, best color guard, and best percussion. New Albany won best majorette and first place in the Class 4A band standings, with Ripley second.

Division Winners and Grand Champion

Beyond the class awards, bands also competed for overall honors in two divisions. The Red Division covered Class 1A and 2A bands, and the Black Division covered Class 3A and 4A bands.

• Red Division: Hatley first, Potts Camp second, Smithville third. The best soloist award went to Sophia Shaw of Potts Camp on flute.
• Black Division: New Albany first, Ripley second, Mooreville third. The best soloist award went to Conner Namie of Mooreville on trombone.

For the whole competition, New Albany was named grand champion, Ripley was reserve grand champion, and Mooreville placed third overall.

What’s Next for Area Bands

The Crossroads Marching Classic is one of the first fall competitions for many North Mississippi bands. Directors often use the judges’ comments to sharpen their shows for the rest of the fall competition season.

The full recap, score, and placement sheets can be found on the Crossroads Marching Classic Facebook page. Congratulations to Alcorn Central, Tishomingo County, and every student who took the field in Corinth this weekend.

Read more: Crossroads Marching Classic Returns to Corinth Saturday and Area Football Scores: Kossuth, Booneville, Alcorn Central Win.

Source: Crossroads Marching Classic (official Facebook page)