Ripley Band Named Reserve Grand Champion at Crossroads Classic
The Ripley band came home from Corinth with the second-best overall score of the day. The Ripley High School Band was named Reserve Grand Champion at the 2026 Crossroads Marching Classic on Saturday, Sept. 26. It swept all three caption awards in Class 4A and earned Superior ratings from every judge.
Final score sheets posted Saturday night by the Crossroads Marching Classic show Ripley finished with an overall score of 90.0. That was second only to New Albany at 91.7. New Albany won Class 4A and was named the event’s Grand Champion, and Mooreville was the third-place band overall.
Ripley Band Sweeps Class 4A Caption Awards
Judges at Corinth High School’s Warrior Stadium score each band’s drum major, color guard, drum line and overall show. In Class 4A, Ripley won three of the four caption awards:
- Best Drum Major, Class 4A: Ripley (Superior rating, score of 95)
- Best Color Guard, Class 4A: Ripley (Superior, 91)
- Best Percussion, Class 4A: Ripley (Superior, 92)
- Best Majorettes, Class 4A: New Albany
In the Class 4A band standings, New Albany took first place and Ripley took second.
How the Judges Scored Ripley
All three band judges gave Ripley a Division I (Superior) rating. Their scores were 86, 94 and 90, which averaged out to the band’s 90.0 overall mark. Ripley’s drum major score of 95 was the highest caption score any band received all day.
That 90.0 put Ripley ahead of every band in Classes 1A through 3A. In those classes, Mooreville posted the next-best score at 87.0.
Full Crossroads Marching Classic Results
Nine high school bands from North Mississippi and West Tennessee competed in four classes:
- Class 1A: 1. Hatley (83.0); 2. Smithville (62.0). Hatley also swept the 1A drum major, color guard and percussion awards.
- Class 2A: 1. Potts Camp (81.3), which also won the 2A caption awards.
- Class 3A: 1. Mooreville (87.0); 2. Alcorn Central (84.0); 3. Hardin County (83.7); 4. Tishomingo County (77.3). Alcorn Central won best drum major and best percussion, and Hardin County won best color guard.
- Class 4A: 1. New Albany (91.7); 2. Ripley (90.0).
- Overall: Grand Champion, New Albany; Reserve Grand Champion, Ripley; third overall, Mooreville.
North Tippah had been listed on the pre-contest schedule, but it does not appear on the final score sheet. The contest is a showcase and fundraiser for Corinth High School’s band program. Northeast Mississippi Community College’s band played an exhibition before the awards.
What’s Next for the Ripley Band
Saturday’s finish continues a strong run for the program. Ripley’s band was runner-up at the MHSAA State Marching Championship in 2024, and the Crossroads results suggest the band is again in the mix at the top of Class 4A. The marching contest season continues through October, leading up to the MHSAA regional and state championships.
Tippah News will share more Ripley band results as the fall contest season continues.
Related: North Tippah, Ripley listed for Crossroads Marching Classic | Tippah County News Today, Sept. 27
Source: Crossroads Marching Classic (official results and score sheets)
