The competition was stiff Saturday at Memorial Stadium, but unlike football, it was the bands front and center competing for trophies.

Selma High School Marching Saints Band of Blue hosted the 13th annual Battle of the Bands.

Marching bands from Alabama and Georgia took the field to give it their all.

But it’s what goes on behind the scenes that makes a day like Saturday a success.

“Before it starts, I’m always nervous,” said Selma’s band director Brandon Williams. “It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of promotion.”

Williams said the competition is the number one way that the band makes money throughout the year.

“It’s the biggest fundraiser we have every year. With this money that we raise just from this event alone, it helps us travel. It helps us get students’ instruments repaired. It helps us with a lot of things,” Williams said.

Saints’ band members could be seen running around making sure band were where they were supposed to be and making it to the field on time.

“During the battle of the bands, it’s really hectic, and it’s really busy,” said band member Justin McCants. “It really is important because after all, whatever we have raised up, it goes into our band account and gets saved up for our upcoming events.”

McCants said he was excited about this year because after a few years of not performing, the hosts took the field to show how it’s done.

“I enjoy it a lot. I’m a band head. I enjoy it a whole lot,” McCants said. “I’m very excited because this is the first time that we’ve performed [at the competition] in three or four years.”

Another band member, Kamau Little, agreed that he was ready to march at this year’s competition and to see the other bands perform.

“I love performing,” Little said. “It’s very exciting because it’s the battle of the bands, and I like to see bands perform. You get to see different aspects of different bands. You get to see how they are and compare them to how good we are and how good other bands are.”

Williams said he was thankful for his students and boosters along with the community for the support that they have shown them through the years.

“We have people in the community that support us and have always supported us, and to them I say thank you so much,” Williams said. “Without the people supporting us, we wouldn’t be able to do any of this.”