By Leon Worden/SCVNEWS.com

An airtight Thousand Oaks High School marching band took home the sweepstakes trophy with a score of 86.35, but it was Hart High’s band that posted the highest point score in Saturday’s 28th annual Rampage field show competition at College of the Canyons while West Ranch took top honors for its auxiliary and percussion sections.

Hart wasn’t eligible for trophies because it hosted the event. But the band’s score of 87.65 out of a possible 100 counts toward its overall placement against other Division 4A schools for the year, Hart Band Director Anthony Bailey said.

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“It was a great day,” he said. “First and foremost, we want to create a great event for all of the bands, and we did that.”

Thousands of spectators braved frigid temperatures to watch 30 high school bands and flag teams take to the field at Cougar Stadium for a full day of musical pageantry.

The West Ranch Wildcats wowed the crowd with a visually stimulating repertoire called “White Out” that culminated with a character conquering a snow-capped peak – the peak consisting of the entire marching band covered with a white cloth material.

West Ranch garnered three separate sweepstakes trophies for the performance, besting all other ensembles in all divisions: one for its percussion section, one for its auxiliary section (flag and dance team), and one for overall visual presentation.

The lone SCV band in Division 5A, West Ranch’s musical performance was judged second to Westlake High School’s.

Division 3A marching band results were tight, with 0.6 points separating first-place winner Valencia High School (68.95) from third-place finisher Canyon High (68.35), with Golden Valley in the middle (68.65).

Saugus High School walked away with the top trophy in Division 2A with 69.6 points, besting Monrovia, Buena, San Pedro and Dos Pueblos high schools.

A thundering drum corps capped the evening as host Hart High led the percussion sections from all 30 schools in a unison finale.

“We keep hearing every time we host this event that it really is the premiere event in Southern California,” Bailey said, praising the parent volunteers who organize the Rampage competition each year.

“One of the band directors came up to me and said we should really be teaching all the other schools how to host events like this, and that kind of compliment really makes me happy,” he said. “My (band) parents did a great job.”

2011 Hart Rampage Tournament Results

CLASS 1A Black

57.60 Littlerock

55.30 Santa Barbara

54.50 Rosamond

54.35 Fairfax

39.20 Canoga Park

CLASS 1A Red

64.35 Simi Valley

59.20 Lancaster

57.80 Highland

57.70 El Camino Real

54.50 Nordhoff

CLASS 2A Black

56.20 Van Nuys

53.90 Bakersfield

53.70 Centennial *

53.70 Arvin

44.60 Birmingham Charter

* music breaks tie

CLASS 2A Red

69.60 Saugus

63.55 Monrovia

62.25 Buena

60.80 San Pedro

56.00 Dos Pueblos

CLASS 3A

68.95 Valencia

68.65 Golden Valley

68.35 Canyon

67.00 Liberty

62.35 South

CLASS 4A

60.10 Quartz Hill

CLASS 5A

85.85 Westlake

83.40 West Ranch

HOST EXHIBITION

87.65 William S. Hart

SWEEPSTAKES

Auxiliary –  West Ranch

Percussion – West Ranch

Visual – West Ranch

G.E. – Thousand Oaks

Music – Thousand Oaks

BAND – Thousand Oaks (6A)