Far more than a halftime show

It’s local high school marching bands, not football teams, that are battling it out today at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. Perennial favorite Central Valley High School took the lead in the AA division after the preliminary competition this afternoon at the “Sounds of Thunder 2010” Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships. They’re performing “Criminal,” an original composition by Lewis Norfleet. The 10-minute show used a lot of props. Some students performed behind platforms with vertical bars to tell the story of a prison break in marching and music. The band’s score during preliminary competition was 84.475, followed by Cheney High School with a score of 80.44; Mt. Spokane at 78.585; and Hanford at 76.79. The bands are judged by their musical abilities, their visual performances and more. In the A-large division, Pasco High School led after prelims with a score of 75.05, followed by Kamiakin with 66.18; Kennewick with 62.75; and AC Davis with 59.515. In the A division, University High School is in the lead with a score of 74.675, followed by West Valley at 68.64; Richland with 63.2; and East Valley at 60.4 The finals competition began at 3:30 p.m.