The Alpharetta High School Raider Band claimed the Grand Champion title at the 12th Annual Legacy of Champions marching band competition, beating out 20 other bands in Carrollton on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The Raiders took first place in both band and percussion and earned the Don Hall High Music Award, given for the highest music score at the competition. The color guard placed second. The band also won Open Class Champion honors with first-place Open Class finishes in band and percussion, according to the Raider Band's Instagram account.
Alpharetta High School said on Instagram that the Raider Band "represented Alpharetta immensely well" against what the school called a "challenging" 21-band field. The band performed its 2026 marching show, "The Art Shaped Box," at the competition.
The Legacy of Champions, hosted by the Carrollton High School Trojan Band, drew nearly 3,500 performers this year, according to the host program's website. Twenty-one high school bands and three college marching bands performed from noon to 8:30 p.m. Bands competed for the Legacy Sword Traveling Trophy and, for the first time, custom Grand Championship rings.
The Raider Band program is listed as the largest student organization at Alpharetta High School on the band's website. The program is led by Director of Bands Todd Manson and Associate Director Jared Kaufman, according to the band program's site.
Three performances of "The Art Shaped Box" remain on the schedule. The band plays a Cluster Concert in the AHS Gym on Wednesday, Nov. 4, performs at Senior Night against Lanier High School on Friday, Nov. 6, and competes at the West Forsyth Wolverine Classic on Saturday, Nov. 7.
