Kentucky State Marching Band Championships

The Kentucky State Marching Band Championships are an annual contest held by the Kentucky Music Educators Association that takes place each fall over the course of several weeks to determine the Kentucky high school marching band state champion in five respective classes.

Origins

The Kentucky State Marching Band Championships first began as we know it today in 1986, when the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) first sponsored the event, with the finals held at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington. Before 1986, several other contests claimed to be the Kentucky state championship, such as Murray State's "Festival of Champions" and Middle Tennessee State University's "Contest of Champions." The first state champions were George Rogers Clark High School (4A), Glasgow High School (3A), Bremen High School (2A), and Adair County High School (1A). Also that year, 4A champion George Rogers Clark was awarded the Overall Grand Champion title. However, this "overall champion" concept was discarded after the first year, and since then, state champions have been considered by the association to be equal in stature.

The KMEA championships have been held each year in late October and occasionally early November, and with one exception, have always been a multi-round contest. In 1993, an afternoon football game played in wet snow at the finals site resulted in the cancellation of the final round, and class championships were determined by bands' placements in the semifinals earlier in the day.

Format

Prior to the start of each marching season, all Kentucky marching bands are grouped into five different classes (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A) based on the enrollment of the bands' respective high schools(Before 2005, bands were grouped into four classes based on band size instead of school size). Beginning in September, all bands have the opportunity to participate in contests held throughout the state that have been sanctioned by KMEA. Bands that earn a "proficient" rating (any score above 60) are then allowed to continue to regional competitions within their classes that take place in mid- to late- October. The requirements for qualifying for regional competition has been lowered several times in the 1990s and early 2000s. During regional competition, 16 bands from each class (the top eight scoring bands from the east and west regions) advance to the state semi-finals, which take place the following week. After semi-finals, the top four bands from each class advance to the state finals held later that evening. The 20 remaining bands (four from each class) then perform one last time. After all performances have concluded, the top scoring bands from each class are then named State Champions.

List of champions

• In 1993, the finals round was cancelled.

Championship history

Early North Hardin success

After George Rogers Clark won the first state title in class 4A, a period elapsed in which North Hardin High School won each year from 1987-1989, with Lafayette High School finishing closely behind in second or third place. However, in 1990 North Hardin's director, Craig Cornish, left for a newly constructed high school in Lexington named Paul Laurence Dunbar. North Hardin fell out of the championship finals for the first time while Lafayette won their first state title in the 1990 season.

Lafayette dominance

What followed is considered by many as the greatest period of dominance in Kentucky marching band history in which Lafayette (first under the direction of J. Steven Moore, then later in 1996 under Charles Smith, who was previously the director of 3A school Elizabethtown) won class 4A for each of the next 13 years.

Paul Laurence Dunbar's entrance into 4A and the reemergence of North Hardin

Beginning in 1992 Paul Laurence Dunbar High School a class 3A state champion title band in only its second year of existence entered class 4A and proved a worthy adversary to Lafayette, finishing second or third every year through the rest of the decade. In 1993 North Hardin returned to the spotlight with a second-place finish based on their preliminary performance; state finals were cancelled that year due to snow. However, despite North's and Dunbar's successes, Lafayette still remained dominant. As the 1990s drew to a close, the period from 1996-2000 cemented what is widely considered to be one of greatest rivalries in Kentucky marching history in which North Hardin placed second behind Lafayette for five consecutive years, three of which the difference between the two bands' scores was less than 1 point. During this time, Dunbar dropped to the third-place position and in the 1998 made the transition from director Craig Cornish to previous assistant director Jeff Hood (previously director at George Rogers Clark & Beechwood).

North's departure and the end of Lafayette's years of dominance

For various reasons in 2001 North Hardin stopped competing in the state championships, which opened the door for Lafayette's cross-town rivals Tates Creek and Paul Laurence Dunbar to become their star competition. In 2001 Brian Morgan joined Jeff Hood at Dunbar as the assistant director and after a close finish in 2002, Dunbar dethroned Lafayette in the 2003 state finals. Paul Laurence Dunbar would go on to defeat Lafayette for the state championship again in 2004. And in 2005, when KMEA introduced the new 1A-5A classification system, Dunbar prevailed victorious over Lafayette once more, becoming KMEA's first ever 5A champion, and winning Dunbar's 3rd consecutive state championship (fourth over-all), thus tying North Hardin's three titles in a row from the late 1980s.

The 2006-2008 finals

The 2006 finals marked the 20-year anniversary of the KMEA state marching band championship. Going into the competition, many people believed that class 5A was solely a two-band race between Dunbar and Lafayette, and that Lafayette's time had ended and given way to Dunbar's new era. Both notions however, were proven false when Lafayette won their fourteenth title, and the third-place finisher, North Hardin placed only three-tenths of a point behind Dunbar, proving that neither of the top bands were unbeatable.

The 2007 finals competition was held in Louisville for the first time since 1987 and at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium for the first time. In class 1A, Williamstown regained the state-champion title after trailing Beechwood for the majority of the regular season. Cumberland County also made its first appearance in finals. In Class 2A, Muhlenberg South won its first state title in only its second finals' appearance. Adair county posted one of the highest scores ever in KMEA finals with a 96.11, giving them the highest score of the evening. In class 5A, Dunbar took the state title winning its fifth state championship over second-place finisher Lafayette by .22 of a point, after trailing Lafayette at quarter and semi-finals by surprisingly large point gaps. North Hardin, and Madison Central followed, in that order.

In 2008, numerous traditional finalists changed classes and new rivalries were instantly created. In class 1A, Williamstown successfully defended its title, the first time a class 1A band had done so since Williamstown did it in 2005. Mayfield also made its first-ever finals appearance, finishing fourth. In class 2A, Washington County was able to win its first state championship. Shelby Valley and Caldwell County also made their first finals appearances. In class 3A, Adair County's dominance was challenged, as Bourbon County led by Adair County alumni Eric Hale took the crown for the first time. In class 4A, newcomers and recent champions from other classes, Boyle County, Mercer County, and Calloway County, challenged for the title, thoguh in the end, Madisonville North Hopkins High School won its fourth straight state championship. In class 5A, Lafayette, coming back from an upsetting close call in 2007, reclaimed the title by a point spread of 1.88 over second place Dunbar. North Hardin took home third place, and a newcomer to 5A finals, John Hardin, finished fourth.

2009 finals and beyond

In 2009, for the first time in history, all of the previous state champions retained their titles. Though the evening was not without surprises, especially in 5A where Madison Central took 2nd place behind Lafayette, while Paul Laurence Dunbar placed in fourth place falling out of the top two for the first time since 2001. North Hardin placed 3rd, trailing Madison Central by only a few tenths and Lafayette claimed another state title, bringing their total to 16.

2010 proved to be an intensely exciting year for marching competition. In class 1A, Beechwood regained the governors cup after Williamstown had won it for three years in a row, and Mayfield made its second state finalist appearance in school history. In Class 2A, Glasgow took home its second state championship (the first being in 1986), upsetting the reigning state champion Washington County. Green County made its second consecutive state finalist appearance. Danville made their second finalist appearance in 2010, their first time and last time in finals was 1986. In class 3A, Adair County won another title, winning their 19th state championship, Bourbon finished second. Taylor County placed third and made its first appearance in state finals since 1992. The reigning 4A champion, Madisonville-North Hopkins, was challenged by Grant County, Madisonville placed fourth in the mornings semi-final round, but claimed the championship once again at finals. In class 5A, Dunbar, shaken by an upsetting finish in 2009, came back to defeat Lafayette in finals by less than a third of a point, making this their sixth championship, proving that even though 2009 ended in a surprising finish, Dunbar was still a force to be reckoned with. Lafayette placed second, after winning the semi-final round. Madison Central took fourth place, behind North Hardin, who finished third for a fifth consecutive year.

The 2011 KMEA SMBC Finals was held at WKU for the first time since the 2006 season. In Class 1A, Beechwood defended their title for their first ever Back-To-Back Championship. In Class 2A, LaRue County won the championship with defending champs Glasgow moving down to fourth. Adair defended its 3A title while Bourbon placed second. This gave Adair County's their 20th State Championship, a feat only they have achieved. Madisonville North-Hopkins won yet another Class 4A championship while Grant Co. stayed in second. In Class 5A, Eastern High School made the finals for their first time, being placed third and knocking out perennial finalist North Hardin. Madison Central, after finishing in sixth place in the quarter-finals, claimed fourth place. The fight for number one, between Dunbar and Lafayette, was particularly intense; repeatedly outscoring each other throughout the season, but on finals night Dunbar barely edged out the semi-final winner Lafayette to win the 5A championship, once again by less than a point.

The 2012 season was again held at WKU and had similar surprises to the 2011 season. In class 1A, Beechwood and Murray retained their results from the previous season, while Hazard Independent High School was awarded second and Williamstown was awarded fourth. In Class 2A, Glasgow High School claimed the state championship, with former champion LaRue County in third, Danville High School in second and Hart County in fourth, in their first ever state finals appearance. In class 3A, Bourbon County took the state title with former champion Adair County in second place. In class 4A, Madisonville North-Hopkins won their eight consecutive championship, along with former finalists Grant County and John Hardin in second and fourth, respectively, and Anderson County in their first ever finals appearance. In class 5A, Lafayette reclaimed the state title and won their 17th state championship, with former champions Paul Laurence Dunbar in fourth place, Madison Central high school in third, and North Hardin in second place for the first time since 2000.

The 2013 season was moved back to Louisville, Kentucky and was the second year in the contest's history in which all five of the previous state champions defended their titles. In class 1A, Murray and Williamstown high school were named finalists in second and third place, respectively, with newcomer Paris High School in 4th. In class 2A, Trigg County was named the second place finalist with two newcomers in third and fourth, Owensboro Catholic and Christian Academy of Louisville. In class 3A, Adair County was named second place being .5 points behind Bourbon County, with two former finalists, Russell and Garrard Counties in third and fourth. In class 4A, South Oldham returned for a performance with two previous competitors, Anderson County and Grant County taking second and third. Class 5A had some very different placements from the previous year as Lafayette claimed their 18th state championship, trailed by Madison Central, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and North Hardin.

The 2014 championships had been relocated to Roy Kidd Stadium and proved to hold a multitude of surprises. In class 1A, Williamstown finally reclaimed the title from defending champion Beechwood, with Murray and Hazard in third and fourth, respectively. In class 2A, Garrard County won their first ever state championship after being relocated into the class from 3A, with other previous 2A competitors Trigg County and Washington County in fourth and third. Estill County also made their first ever finals appearance and claimed the second place spot. In class 4A, Madisonville North-Hopkins claimed their tenth consecutive championship, trailed by Grant County, Anderson County, and John Hardin. The biggest upsets occurred in classes 3A and 5A. In class 3A, neither Adair or Bourbon County claimed the championship, instead, Russell County won their first championship under the new KMEA format. In class 5A, Madison Central became the third school to win a class 5A championship, trailed by Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and North Hardin

High scores

1. 1999 4A Lafayette 97.25
2. 2003 4A Dunbar 96.75
3. 1999 3A Harrison Co. 96.35
4. 1996 4A Lafayette 96.23
5. 2000 4A Lafayette 96.16
6. 2007 3A Adair Co. 96.11
7. 1989 4A North Hardin 95.71
8. 2003 4A Lafayette 95.65 (Runner-up)
9. 1988 4A North Hardin 95.60
10. 1992 4A Lafayette 95.58
11. 2013 5A Lafayette 95.54
12. 1988 4A George Rogers Clark 95.50 (Runner-up)
13. 2006 5A Lafayette 95.30
14. 1991 4A Lafayette 95.23
15. 2004 4A Dunbar 95.12
16. 2014 5A Madison Central 94.75
17. 1996 3A Harrison Co. 94.75
18. 2007 5A Dunbar 94.70
19. 2008 5A Lafayette 94.67
20. 1994 4A Lafayette 94.53

Records and notable events

• Of the top 20 scores, the old 4A/new 5A class has by far the most with 17 (85%), 3A has 3 (15%).
• Three of the top 20 scores were by runner-ups.
• Lafayette has more top 20 scores than any other school, with 11 (55%); Dunbar is second with 3 (15%), while North Hardin and Harrison County are third with 2 each (10%).
• There has been one tie score for State Champion, 87.50 in 1990 between Dixie Heights and Harrison County. Harrison held a short lead in semi-finals. Regardless of the tie score, according to KMEA rules Dixie was awarded the Championship by way of Overall Music Score; 35 out of a possible 40 to Harrison's 34.40.
• The longest winning streak is held by Lafayette with 13 consecutive championships (1990–2002), followed by Adair County with 10 and Madisonville North Hopkins with 10 consecutive championships including wins in A, AA, AAA and AAAA.
• The Adair County Band has won more state championships than any other, claiming their 20th in 2011.
• 12 schools have been in finals 10 or more times.
• Only 2 schools have been in finals each of the 26 years of its existence (Adair County and Lafayette).
• Only 3 schools Adair County (1A, 2A, 3A) Paul Laurence Dunbar (3A, 4A, 5A) and Madison Central (2A, 3A, 5A) have been state champion in three different classes.
• Since the adoption of the current five class format, only one school has won class 4A (Madisonville-North Hopkins High School).
• 32 schools have won a state championship.
• 8 schools have won 5 or more state championships (Adair County, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Elizabethtown, Harrison County, Lafayette, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Beechwood and Williamstown).
• Only 7 schools have won more than 5 state championships (Adair County, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Harrison County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Williamstown, and Beechwood).
• 2009 and 2013 are the only two seasons in which all of the state champions repeated
• Currently, Madisonville North Hopkins has the longest on going winning streak with 10 state championships. The other four current State Champions are tied at 1.

References

• The Kentucky Bands Website