Unfortunately area judging is usually like this, especially because the prelims judging is mainly focused on getting the “right bands” into finals, meaning that as the bands get further from the finals mark, the scores tend to get more inconsistent.
Additionally, you referenced a contest that was over a month before the area contest. Many bands didn’t have their full shows on the field at that time, or changed them drastically in the month between contests. It is also a bad habit to compare results from contests with entirely different judging panels especially over a long period of time.
Although the judging may not have been perfect (it never really is), saying one group got underscored is highly opinionated.
Congrats to all the bands that competed this past weekend and remember that the results don’t define you or your program!