Westlake Tops Latest Metro Atlanta Band of the Year Rankings

Jonesboro and Pebblebrook lead the pursuit as tight scores and standout category performances keep the field competitive.

ATLANTA, Ga. (October 26, 2026) — Westlake High School holds the No. 1 spot in the latest Red Lobster Metro Atlanta Band of the Year High School Division rankings, using strong performances across all five scoring categories to establish a 23.5-point lead.

Westlake tops the standings with 358.25 points, followed by Jonesboro with 334.75 and Pebblebrook with 332. Creekside ranks fourth with 326.50 points, while Southwest DeKalb completes the top five with 321.75.

Behind Westlake, the standings leave little separation among the leading contenders. Jonesboro holds a 2.75-point advantage over Pebblebrook, and just 13 points separate second place from fifth.

Westlake’s position reflects its strength throughout the competition. The band leads Picture Drill and Design with 112 points and Auxiliary with 49.25. It also shares first place with Pebblebrook in Musicality at 80 points and Percussion at 59.

In Drum Major scoring, Westlake’s 58 points place it just behind category leader Southwest DeKalb, which earned 59.

Jonesboro remains Westlake’s closest challenger. The Cardinals rank second in Picture Drill and Design with 110 points, third in Musicality with 78 and third in Auxiliary with 44.75. Those results have helped Jonesboro maintain a narrow edge over Pebblebrook, whose shared leads in Musicality and Percussion anchor its third-place position.

The complete standings are:

Several programs outside the overall top five are making a strong impression in individual categories.

Carver, ranked 12th overall, holds second place in Auxiliary with 46 points. McNair ranks fourth in Musicality and shares third place in Percussion, despite sitting 10th in the overall standings. Langston Hughes, which is outside the top 15, ranks fifth in Picture Drill and Design with 106 points.

Percussion features one of the closest category races. Westlake and Pebblebrook share the lead with 59 points, while Arabia Mountain, McNair and New Manchester are tied just one point behind.

The Drum Major standings are similarly tight. Southwest DeKalb leads with 59 points, followed by Westlake with 58. Arabia Mountain and New Manchester share the next position with 57.

Those results underscore the depth of the competition, with programs throughout the standings earning recognition for specific strengths.

The race for a place in the overall top five also remains close. Sixth-place New Manchester has 317.50 points, putting it 4.25 behind Southwest DeKalb. Stephenson follows with 313.75, while South Cobb, Arabia Mountain and McNair are separated by just 1.25 points.

Farther down the standings, only four points separate Tri-Cities, Carver and Morrow.

For Westlake, the challenge is to maintain the consistency that has produced the lead. Jonesboro and Pebblebrook remain its nearest competitors, while Creekside, Southwest DeKalb and New Manchester continue to press for stronger positions.

The latest rankings offer a snapshot of a competitive field in which musical execution, field design, percussion, auxiliary performance and student leadership all contribute to the overall result. Westlake has set the pace, but close margins throughout the standings give bands across Metro Atlanta plenty to pursue.

For rankings and event information, visit BandOfTheYear.com.

The annual celebration will bring Hornet supporters together to benefit the Hornet NIL Fund.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins is coming to Alabama State University as the featured guest for the 2026 Basketball Tip-Off Dinner, now scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, at 7 p.m.

The event will take place at the John Garrick Hardy Student Center on campus, with proceeds benefiting the Hornet NIL Fund.

The annual dinner gives alumni, students, fans and members of the Montgomery community an opportunity to celebrate Alabama State basketball while supporting the program. Wilkins’ appearance adds another prominent basketball name to the gathering following last year’s sold-out dinner featuring Penny Hardaway and Cynthia Cooper.

This year’s event will continue that tradition, bringing supporters together ahead of the basketball season and highlighting the university’s athletic history.

Alumni, local businesses and community members are encouraged to purchase tickets early following the strong turnout for last year’s celebration.

Event Details

• Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Location: John Garrick Hardy Student Center, Alabama State University
• Special guest: Dominique Wilkins
• Proceeds benefit: Hornet NIL Fund

Purchase tickets here

Tags: Alabama State University, Alabama State Hornets, Dominique Wilkins, HBCU Basketball, Hornet NIL Fund, Basketball Tip-Off Dinner, SWAC Basketball, HBCU Sports, Montgomery Alabama, College Basketball, HBCU Original, Alabama State Athletics, 2026 Basketball Season

Coca-Cola is once again using the ESSENCE Festival of Culture to put a spotlight on HBCU pride, and this year Grambling State University is at the center of it.

The 2026 festival runs July 3-5 in New Orleans, and Coca-Cola has released its entertainment and cultural programming for the weekend. On the Coca-Cola Stage, the lineup includes performances from Destin Conrad, Coi Leray and Mario. But the bigger story for the HBCU community is a separate activation built around Coca-Cola’s “The World Is My Yard” platform, which brings actress Eva Marcille together with a performance from Grambling State’s World Famed Tiger Marching Band — one of the most recognized names in HBCU band culture.

The activation goes beyond a performance slot. Representatives from 15 HBCUs will be on-site holding office hours for prospective students and their families, covering admissions, academic programs, campus life and other pathways into HBCU education. That turns the festival into a recruiting and visibility opportunity as much as a cultural showcase — a chance for schools like Grambling State to reach families who may never set foot on a Southern HBCU campus otherwise.

This marks Coca-Cola’s 31st consecutive year as an Essence Fest partner. The company’s 2026 platform theme, “Every Side Shines,” is centered on music, wellness, culture and connection. Stephanie Eaddy, Coca-Cola’s senior director of cultural marketing, framed the festival as something bigger than a single weekend, calling it “a powerful platform for connection, community and impact.”

The festival’s footprint extends well past culture and music. Coca-Cola noted that the 2025 event generated more than $321 million in economic impact for New Orleans, supported upwards of 2,400 jobs, and produced over $103 million in income for local workers and businesses — numbers that underscore just how much weight Essence Fest carries for the city each summer.

For Grambling State, the appearance is another example of HBCU culture reaching a national audience through a mainstream platform — band culture, brand partnership, and student recruitment all overlapping in one weekend in New Orleans.

The Penn Relays once again turned Franklin Field into a proving ground, where technique, endurance, and toughness were on full display. With a full slate of 400m hurdles and the men’s 3000m steeplechase championship, the day delivered both elite performances and unforgettable moments.

🏃🏾‍♀️ 400m Hurdlers Battle Through Grueling Heats

The 400m hurdles demanded precision and endurance, and across multiple heats, athletes pushed through fatigue, barriers, and tight competition.

🔥 Top Performances Across Heats

• Sanaa Hebron (Miami) – 55.30
• Gloria Guerrier (Yale) – 59.02
• Avery Clark (Ohio State) – 57.71

These performances set the tone, with athletes maintaining rhythm and speed through all ten hurdles.

🦬 HBCU Hurdlers Show Grit and Determination

HBCU athletes stepped into competitive fields and made their presence felt.

Howard University

• Cenaiya Billups – 56.87
• Aniya Woodruff – 58.14
• Lindsay Johnson – 58.87
• Carrie Vannoy – 1:00.65

Howard’s group showed depth and consistency, competing strong across multiple heats against top-tier programs.

Delaware State

• Chidubem (Miriam) Okwudibonye – 1:01.54

Her race became one of the defining moments of the day:
After clipping the final hurdle, she went down—but got back up and finished, showing resilience that went beyond the clock.

Johnson C. Smith

• Janya Barnes – 1:03.53

Barnes battled through a competitive heat, continuing to build momentum for the Golden Bulls program.

🏃🏾‍♂️ Delaware State’s Marian Drazan Charges to Steeplechase Podium

While the hurdles tested rhythm, the 3000m steeplechase tested everything else.

Delaware State’s Marian Drazan delivered one of the most impressive races of the meet, finishing 3rd in 8:43.97.

📊 Race Breakdown

• Early race: Positioned near the back (as low as 18th)
• Mid-race: Gradually gained ground
• Final laps: Surged into podium position
• Final lap: 1:04.09

🏆 Top Finishers

1. Brian Boler (Princeton) – 8:40.29
2. Billy Carlton (Georgia Tech) – 8:43.32
3. Marian Drazan (Delaware State) – 8:43.97

His performance highlighted strategy, patience, and a powerful closing kick under pressure.

🎤 What Defined the Day

The Penn Relays isn’t just about fast times—it’s about execution under pressure.

And on this day, two themes stood out:

• Technical excellence in the 400m hurdles
• Endurance and strategy in the steeplechase

But above all, it was about resilience:

• A hurdler getting back up
• A distance runner climbing from the back to the podium
• HBCU programs competing with confidence

🔥 Final Take

At Franklin Field, the results tell part of the story.

The rest comes from moments:

• Every cleared hurdle
• Every water jump
• Every athlete refusing to quit

And for HBCU programs—especially Delaware State—it was a day of impact, pride, and progress.

In a dramatic shift from the brink of catastrophic escalation, President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, hours before a midnight deadline that threatened the total destruction of Iranian national infrastructure. The pause in hostilities follows an intense period of military strikes and an international outcry over the President’s rhetoric.

From Ultimatum to Ceasefire

Earlier on Tuesday, the situation reached a fever pitch when President Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not meet his demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz—a vital global energy artery. The President had explicitly threatened to target civilian infrastructure, including every bridge, power plant, and water treatment facility in the country, a move legal experts warned would constitute a war crime.However, by late afternoon, a stark reversal was announced. The two-week ceasefire, brokered in part through diplomatic efforts in Pakistan, is contingent on Iran opening the Strait and adhering to specific terms to de-escalate the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign.

Domestic and International Reactions

The President’s threats sparked a firestorm of condemnation in Washington. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the rhetoric “unhinged,” while other Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), characterized the proposal as “genocide” and called for the President’s removal from office.While most Republicans remained supportive of a “strong” approach, some, like Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), broke ranks to condemn the threat against an entire civilization. International leaders and human rights organizations also voiced grave concerns over the potential for massive civilian casualties.

Developments on the Ground

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Tuesday began with significant military activity:

• Kharg Island: U.S. forces conducted “restrikes” on military targets at Iran’s primary oil export hub.

• Civilian Defiance: In Tehran, Iranian officials and citizens staged demonstrations near power plants, vowing to act as human shields to protect public infrastructure.

• Casualties and Displacement: The conflict has already taken a heavy toll, with over 1,900 people reported killed in Iran and more than 1,400 in Lebanon.

The Path Forward

The two-week window provides a narrow opportunity for diplomacy. Iran’s 10-point proposal for a permanent peace includes guarantees against future aggression and an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon. While the ceasefire brings a temporary reprieve to the region, the situation remains “critical and sensitive” as both sides weigh their next moves in what has become the most significant military conflict of the Trump administration’s current term.