By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief
As the saying goes, the only predictable thing about show choir is that it’s unpredictable. This past weekend certainly proved that – not just in the four Comps of the Week, but all the way down the competition list for the weekend.
Beavercreek Midwest Show Choir Classic
Final Results
GC: Solon “Music in Motion” (BV/BC)
1RU: Noblesville “NHS Singers”
2RU: Grove City “Touch of Class”
3RU: Piqua “The Company”
4RU: Loveland “By Request”
5RU: Olentangy “Keynotes”
Solon took a win that will earn them plenty of respect in Ohio and around the nation, taking two major captions and holding first in both prelims and finals. Noblesville put up a good showing for Indiana, proving that even at the start of the season, the border battle is still alive and well. The road gets tougher from here, as a matchup with Center Grove and Franklin Central awaits in two weeks. Grove City showed that their show is just as good in January as it is in November, notching a podium finish and taking key head-to-head wins against Piqua and Loveland. Fourth is The Company’s lowest placement since February 22, 2020 – but that is much more a measure of the competition at Beavercreek than anything else. Loveland tumbled from third in prelims to fifth in finals; they will see Olentangy and Marysville next weekend at Winfield. Behind Olentangy, the next highest-scoring groups were Noblesville New Dimension and Grove City Class Act, showing the depth of the top programs at this competition.
Gretna Primetime
Final Results
GC: Gretna East “Equinox” (BV/BC)
1RU: Papillion-La Vista South “Titanium” (BB)
2RU: Elkhorn South ”Blackout”
3RU: Hastings “Riverside Company”
4RU: Millard North “Infinity”
5RU: Omaha South “The Ambassadors”
Flip the switch, because the current is shifting in Nebraska show choir. Gretna East is in only its second year of existence as a school and has already ascended to the very top tier of Nebraska groups. Under the new direction of Nathan Wallace this season, Equinox has (within 24 hours) gone from a group that many considered to be a nice, growing program stepping into its varsity identity to a group that will challenge for the win wherever they go and no matter who they are up against. It’s almost a little bit of history repeating itself… because this same conversation was happening about Gretna two years ago. Equinox is now the favorite to win at Hastings this weekend and will face Papio South and Elkhorn South again in two weeks at Lincoln East. In other news, Papio South still has a killer band, and they staked a claim that they are a force to be reckoned with this season. The Hastings machine may have started a little slow this year, but it will get there in due time. Riverside will be back in action in two weeks at Bloomington Kennedy. At the bottom of finals, Omaha South started off the season on the right foot, taking head-to-head wins against Norris and Sioux Falls Roosevelt.
Linn-Mar Supernova
Final Results
GC: Waukee Northwest “Eos” (BV/BC)
1RU: Johnston “Innovation”
2RU: Cedar Rapids Kennedy “Happiness, Inc”
3RU: Iowa City “4th Avenue Jazz Company” (BB)
4RU: Prairie “The Ambassadors”
5RU: Johnston “Synergy”
The Cedar Rapids party here was spoiled in a big way. Waukee Northwest, fresh off getting swept at Sioux Falls Jefferson, took a statement victory over metro rival Johnston. They’ll see each other (and Waukee, Millard West, Broken Arrow and Mitchell) at Urbandale on February 15. Cedar Rapids Kennedy showed up for the local schools, taking the final podium spot. A week after placing three spots behind Prairie, Iowa City leapfrogged The Ambassadors and took fourth while Prairie placed fifth. Johnston Synergy transferred from the prep division to take the sixth finalist spot over Cedar Rapids Washington Momentum. Washington’s streak of 54 consecutive finals appearances was broken at this competition. It was a streak that dated back to January 22, 2011. The last time Momentum missed finals? Also at Linn-Mar.
Waukee Starstruck
Final Results
GC: Ankeny Centennial “Spectrum” (BV/BC)
1RU: Indianola “Side One”
2RU: Valley “Choralation” (BB)
3RU: Ankeny Centennial “Vortex”
4RU: Urbandale “Studio”
5RU: Southeast Polk “RAMification”
If the first two weekends of the season are any indication, Des Moines is in for an incredibly wild ride this year. If there were any doubts about where Ankeny Centennial is as a program, they are gone now. Spectrum won their season opener for the first time since 2023 and Vortex’s fourth place was above multiple varsity mixed groups in finals. Indianola is continuing its rise and has now firmly placed itself on the top shelf of metro show choirs, besting a perennially great Valley. Urbandale’s fifth place was a shock to some, as it hasn’t happened in a while. The last time Studio placed fifth or lower was at Wheaton Warrenville South in 2013, where Studio didn’t make finals at a competition headlined by Waubonsie Valley beating Clinton. Southeast Polk went from fourth in prelims to sixth in finals, which may be a disappointment, but placing fourth in prelims shows that RAMification will be a dangerous group in the future when the stars align.
Now that the results have sorted themselves out and the choirs have gone back to rehearsal, there’s just one thing left to do – look forward to next weekend’s marquee competitions. Comps of the Week will be back in just a few days!
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