The Northstars marching band from Waukesha North High School won its third consecutive Wisconsin State Music Association championship on Saturday by outpointing arch rival Waukesha West in the large schools division.
North has won five titles this decade, and the two Waukesha schools have dominated the Class AAAA category since 1996. Oak Creek High School took the third spot in the competition at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
In Class AA, Greendale High School scored a fifth consecutive victory, with a performance that topped bands from West De Pere and Fort Atkinson.
Kevin Thays, communications director for the music association, said more than 30 squads performed in the annual competition, and that spectators nearly filled the stadium, despite the cold weather.
Bands from two schools, Lancaster and Onalaska, withdrew from the competition because of illnesses, he said.