NORWICH – The NHS Purple Tornado Field Band wrapped up its 2011 season with a fifth place finish at the NYS Field Band Conference Championship on Sunday, held at the Syracuse Carrier Dome.

In the Small School II division, the Norwich ensemble edged out Jordan Elbridge (78.40) and Roslyn (77.35) with a final score of 79.00, according to first-year director Jamie Carrier. The top four finishers were announced as Malverne (83.50), Phoenix (82.80), Corning East (81.80) and Johnson City (81.10).

“They performed really well ... this was one of our higher scores for the year,” said Carrier, who noted the band was less than five points away from a first place finish. “I’m proud of them [the students]; it was a very competitive group and I think all of their hard work paid off.”

This year’s show – based on the 1992 Walt Disney musical “Newsies” – was a challenging one, said Carrier. Regardless, she added, the staff and students are excited with the direction the band is going.