By Arte Reed, Nebraska Contributor
Only two finalists from last season's edition return to the Lincoln Southwest Showdown this year - and both are from the same school. The rest of the field has shuffled out, allowing an entirely new group of ensembles to battle it out in this western-themed event.
Prep Division
Lincoln High "Momentum"
This is Momentum's first year of existence as a mixed prep group after being a womens group last year. The prep group took the original varsity group's name after they changed it to Chain Reaction. Momentum placed 4th in prep last weekend at Lincoln East. While there is no competition in division, there is always an outside chance that they make the finals round.
Single Clef Division
Papillion-La Vista "Monarchy"
Pius X "Prism"
Sioux Falls Washington "Stage Lights"
Papillion-La Vista "Heart and Soul"
The theme of this division is Papillion-La Vista versus everybody else. Monarchy is looking to be the top group out of four despite being a womens group. So far they have made finals twice, placing third and seventh. This will be their second time competing in the single clef division against other womens groups this season. Heart and Soul is the womens group from Papillion-La Vista and has placed second at two of their competitions. They beat Elegance at Ralston, making them a good contender against other womens groups.
Sioux Falls Washington is returning to Nebraska with both of their groups. Stage Lights placed first in the womens division at Sioux Falls Jefferson. However, they were unable to place at their most recent competitions. They have an opportunity to turn it around and place higher than the groups here. Prism debuted last weekend at Lincoln East and placed third in their division. Each of these groups brings something to the table. All have a chance for that top spot based on their recent accomplishments.
Mixed Division
Lincoln High "Chain Reaction"
Pius X "Spectrum"
Wahoo "Royalty"
Lincoln Northwest "First Class"
Bellevue East "Take II"
Sioux Falls Washington "Classic Connection"
Atchison "Adrenaline"
Papillion-La Vista "Free Spirit"
Eight groups total make up the mixed division and only six can make finals. Chain Reaction had a great result last weekend at Lincoln East and shocked everyone by making finals. They overall placed sixth and beat close contenders such as St. Thomas Aquinas and Lincoln Northwest. Speaking of them, while First Class did not place last weekend, they have a chance to turn it around and beat Wahoo, Bellevue East, and Lincoln High on Saturday. All groups are close in skill to the point where it can be anyone's game. Atchison is a small school located in Kansas and often competes in that state's 3A division. They will have an opportunity to beat similar choirs to prove themselves in a distant land. This competition is truly a showdown for some smaller programs to see who will come out on top as the best.
Moving to the bigger programs, Spectrum, Classic Connection, and Free Spirit each have placed at least third or above once during the season. Spectrum debuted last weekend and placed third overall. This is Classic Connection's fourth competition and they have placed sixth, fourth, and third at their previous competitions. Free Spirit started the year strong with a Grand Championship but recently has placed fifth and fourth at Ralston and Glenwood Community.
Final Predictions
GC: Pius X "Spectrum" (BV/BC)
1RU: Papillion-La Vista "Free Spirit" (BB)
2RU: Sioux Falls Washington "Classic Connection"
3RU: Wahoo "Royalty"
4RU: Atchison "Adrenaline"
5RU: Papillion-La Vista "Monarchy"
Any group could make finals. The majority of these contenders are from smaller programs, and anyone could take the last three spots in finals. Wahoo has had a good season so far, placing fifth at Hastings despite being a small school group. Atchison is the next best contender, but Lincoln Northwest, Lincoln High, and Bellevue East could also attain those spots. Monarchy has made finals twice, so they could take a spot here. However, any of the womens groups could garner a spot in finals, proving themselves to be just as good as the ones in the mixed division. On the podium, the bigger three groups will all look to make one more notch in the win column.
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