Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School's marching band won the Group V Open state championship at the USBands Pennsylvania State Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The band scored 93.1 to claim first place in the division, according to official USBands competition results. Downingtown West High School finished second with 92.4. West Shore Marching Band placed third at 90.9, and Hempfield High School took fourth with 90.2.
The competition was held at Downingtown West High School in Downingtown. Mechanicsburg Area performed at 4:58 p.m., the final competitive slot before an exhibition performance by West Chester University.
ABC27 also covered the results across multiple divisions.
Four bands competed in the Group V Open division at Downingtown. Mechanicsburg Area's winning score of 93.1 topped second-place Downingtown West by 0.7 points.
The Mechanicsburg marching band's 2026 program is titled "Gravity," according to its USBands band profile. Ben Goldsborough is listed as the band's director.
The band is scheduled to compete again Saturday, Nov. 7, at the USBands Open Class Championships at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Mechanicsburg is listed for a 10:05 p.m. performance in Group V Open, according to the official national championship schedule.
Other national championship divisions compete Nov. 7 and 8 at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
