Columbia’s Marching Wildcats and West Marion’s Trojan Marching Band are headed north for the weekend to compete in the state marching competition.
Columbia and West Marion, both competing in Class 3A, will march at Northwest Rankin High School Saturday. The two bands will compete back-to-back with Columbia playing at 2:30 p.m. and West Marion at 2:45.
The bands each earned their way to the competition by earning high marks in Gulfport on Oct. 13. CHS earned all 1s in every category and finished first in Class 3A and fourth overall against Class 6A bands in Battle of the Beach. West Marion earned an overall band rating of 2, with 1s in color guard, drum line and drum major. Saturday at Wayne County, West Marion earned an overall score of 1.
Columbia performed Saturday at the West Harrison Hurricane Classic, earning first-place in color guard, percussion, visual, music and general effect. The Marching Wildcats were the first-place band in Class 3A.
“We performed against five other bands in our class,” Director Leslie Fortenberry said. “We and Bay High School were the only ones who performed in the rain all night, but the kids worked hard and pushed through the rainy conditions.”
The Marching Wildcats have taken their show, which includes a variety of music from “Avatar,” to Oak Grove, Gulfport and West Harrison in addition to performing at each football game.
“The band loves the music, and the drill is much more intense,” Fortenberry said. “It’s much more fast-paced this year, and the kids have automatically clicked into it. They are 100 percent into it this year.”
Columbia High School had a long tradition of winning state championships in Class 4A, and the Wildcats are determined to bring the championship-winning ways back to CHS.
“We want to get back into that upper echelon again,” Fortenberry said. “We want to be back up there. They are really determined and working hard for it.”
West Marion’s 58-member band has been rehearsing since late July and is busily putting the finishing touches on its show, “Checkmate,” this week. The show depicts the game of chess and the strategy involved, according to Director Ryan Pippin.
“I think the music reflects what happens in a game of chess in terms of suspense on dramatic moments about moves,” he said. “We’ve gotten out of the generic playing of Broadway shows or movie scores like we have for the past two years. This is all original music. No one has really heard of it. It’s a real challenge.”
A group of Columbia residents and businesspeople are urging people to put up signs and balloons Saturday to wish the band well. The Marching Wildcats will leave CHS at 10 a.m. and travel west on Broad Street to Main Street and north on Main Street out of town.
