Warren Central High School’s Indoor Percussion and Winter Guard teams are this year’s top medal-holders in the Mississippi Indoor Association State Championship.

The percussion group won a gold medal, or first place, in the competition Saturday in Ridgeland, and the guard took home a silver medal, or second place.

“I felt we had a pretty good shot going in,” said percussion team director Chad Austin, who is also assistant band director for Warren Central.

Warren Central has competed within the MIA contest system for the past four years. Color guards are judged on a dance routine that is set to a soundtrack and uses flags, rifles or swords. The drum line performs routines that mix music and precision marching. The groups are scored by a panel of judges.

The Indoor Percussion team, which as 29 members, has been undefeated this year as it competed within the MIA, heading into the state contest. In 2009 and 2010, it placed third and second, respectively, at state.

On Saturday, the group faced 12 teams from across Mississippi, placing first in the three categories in which they were judged — general effect, performance analysis and visual.

“Our goal was to be the team everyone wanted to see,” Austin said. “We wanted to be the team that no one wanted to leave the auditorium for — in case they missed us.”

The Winter Guard has placed second in all MIA competitions this season, but has steadily increased its scores, said team director Melynn Arendale. It has 12 members, mostly freshman and sophomores. The group competed against four others Saturday night.

“The girls worked really hard,” Arendale said. “I am really happy we were able to maintain second place.”

The Indoor Percussion and Winter Guard teams are separate from Warren Central’s marching band, Big Blue.

Most of the students in the two groups perform with the regular band, which plays at football games.

The groups were formed four years ago.