Alcorn Central High School made history with a silver medalist finish as Northeast Mississippi reigned supreme in Class 3A at the MHSAA/MBA State Marching Championships this past Saturday, with area bands claiming the top four spots in the division.
The Alcorn Central “Pride of AC” Band achieved a historic milestone with their first-ever placement of second in the division, taking silver medals back to Glen. In addition to their overall placement, they tied for third in General Effects, placed third in Music Performance, and second in Visual Performance. The Kossuth Aggie Band placed fourth in the division. The Booneville Blue Devil Band claimed the top spot in the division, winning its sixth consecutive title and 16th overall for the program. Also from Northeast Mississippi, the Mantachie Mustang Band placed third, giving Northeast Mississippi the top four spots.
“We just got off of coming in last place the year prior,” said band director Lee Hopson. “We wanted to think of a new way of going about the show and design process.”
The Kossuth graduate, who was directed by KHS band director Brandon Harvell, has been rebuilding the Golden Bears’ program in his time at the school. He is aided by his wife Jana, who serves as assistant director.
“I’m just doing the same thing my directors taught me,” he said. “If you build excellence, you will attract more excellence, and I think that’s been our mantra as we’ve grown the program.”
This year marks the director’s fourth year with the band, and his first year with seniors marching since 2023.
“We’ve had great kids coming up,” Hopson said. “This freshman class is probably my biggest class with about 16 or 17 students. My seniors have done a terrific job being leaders and role models for the kids and trying to push that standard.”
The historic placement is being felt across the county, according to Hopson, who likened the accomplishment to finding “diamonds in a coal mine.”
“It’s a win for the county,” he said. “It’s great for Alcorn Central, but it’s amazing to do this for the county and show that we have great educators here from our early music programs, all the way through middle school and to our sister school Kossuth. These educators are doing a terrific job. We have great kids and excellent musicians.”
The rain presented an interesting challenge for everyone competing in Brandon. The rain brought delays and changes to the schedule. Additionally, there was a risk of damage to electronic equipment used in the front ensemble.
“Luckily, my kids know how to operate,” Hopson said. “We had great parents that went to local stores to get clear plastic shower curtains to cover the electronics. The kids didn’t let the elements distract them at all.”
Kossuth High School’s Aggie Band placed fourth, marking the 14th top five placement for the Aggies in the past fifteen years. Their show, entitled “Jailbreak,” was custom written for the band. In the show, a convict escapes, leading to a search by the band.
“I’m very proud of our students,” said KHS band director Brandon Harvell. “Each year, they continue to have an excellent program. It doesn’t matter what students are in the band, they have a legacy to live up to and they rise to the challenge.”
Additionally, the Aggies placed second in General Effect, sixth place in Music Performance and fourth place in Visual Performance.
To Harvell, the presence of so much local talent in the top five is a point of pride.
“We have a long history of placing in the top five,” the director said. “Most every year, the northeast region of our state always does very, very well in class 3A. We’re very proud of class 3A with Booneville, Central, Mantachie and Kossuth in the top four. It’s remarkable that there’s so much talent in this area.”
The Aggie Band credits the support of the community with their continued success both on and off the field.
“As far as Kossuth is concerned, our administration in both the middle school and the high school is very, very supportive,” Harvell said. “We have a strong booster association that always supports our kids, and our Kossuth community as a whole is very willing to help and pitch in with whatever we need.”
The high placements of both Kossuth and Central are wins for the directors in more ways than one. Hopson, ACHS’ director, is a Kossuth graduate and was directed by Harvell, who is a Central grad.
“It means a lot to me that I was able to do that for his alma mater,” Hopson said.
“I’m extremely proud of what [Hopson] has accomplished at AC and it’s great to see it come full circle,” Harvell said.