Comps of the Week Recap: 3/22/25

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

From Tennessee to California to Indiana, Indiana choirs took home wins against big competition this weekend.

ISSMA Large School Finals

Mixed Results

1st) Avon “Accents” (BV/BC)

2nd) Plainfield “Belles et Beaux”

3rd) North Central “Counterpoints”

4th) Castle “Knight Sensations”

5th) Lawrence North “Legacy”

6th) Lawrence Central “Central Sound”

This year has been a program-defining year for Avon. Accents entered the season on the fringe of Indiana’s top ten and did not lose to anybody the entire season. They took three key matchups against Plainfield, including the state championship. Defeating North Central is a big accomplishment, as well. Plainfield finishes the season with a win, four second-place finishes, and a third-place finish, although this second came a week after losing to North Central. Castle, a program whose season centers around ISSMA State, performed well. Fourth is Knight Sensations’ best finish at state since they were second in 2018. In the womens division, Plainfield Femmes Fatales took its second straight division win. Femmes beat Fishers Sound last week and beat Avon Attraction this week to end the season on a huge run. North Central and Castle were third and fourth. Whiteland Expressions, making their first appearance at state since 2018, finished fifth.

Powhatan Diamond Classic

Large Mixed Results

1st) Cosby “Spotlight” (BV)

2nd) Manchester “Capital Swing” (BC/BB)

3rd) Midlothian “Just for Show”

4th) Atlee “Illusion”

5th) Jefferson “Pop Singers”

Medium Mixed Winner: Clover Hill “New Dimensions” (BV/BC/BB)

Small Mixed Winner: Poquoson “Evolution” (BV/BC/BB)

Powhatan’s results leave plenty to ponder as Virginia moves into the offseason. Cosby and Manchester met for the second time this season, and it ended exactly the same as the first meeting – Cosby in first with vocals, Manchester in second with choreo and band. The race to be Virginia’s best show choir will be a tight one heading into next season. Midlothian only lost to Cosby, Manchester, and Matoaca this season, and they will factor into the large mixed discussion next year as well. Clover Hill took another middle mixed division win this year as that program remains competitive among its peers. Poquoson’s division win in small mixed is its first since winning middle mixed at Menchville in February 2020. On the womens side, Cosby, Manchester, and Atlee all scored division wins with Best Vocals and Best Choreography.

Show Choir Nationals

Final Results

GC) Carmel “Ambassadors” (BV/BC)

1RU) Los Alamitos “Sound FX”

2RU) Zionsville “Royalaires”

3RU) Petal “Soundsations”

4RU) Auburn “Varsity Singers”

5RU) Daniel Hand “VIBE” (BB)

After a preliminary round that saw Carmel place second in ranks and first in points, Ambassadors sealed the deal on Saturday, sweeping first-place votes from the judging panel. After losing to Linn-Mar and Center Grove in its first two competitions of the season, Carmel won its final three competitions of the season. Los Alamitos jumped from third in prelims to second in finals, and they will go right back to the ringer this weekend when they face John Burroughs and Burbank at Oceanside. Zionsville held the lead in rankings after prelims but slipped to third in finals. Royalaires faced either Center Grove, Carmel, or Franklin Central at every competition this season and went winless for the first time since 2010. The two southern groups to make finals, Petal and Auburn, finished right next to each other, although Auburn jumped from sixth to fifth from prelims to finals. Petal’s fourth-place finish is its highest at Nationals since they were runner-up to Sullivan in 2008. Daniel Hand made its first appearance at Nationals since 2018 and represented New England in front of a national audience in both prelims and finals. Olentangy came up short again, placing seventh in prelims after failing to make Nationals finals in 2023. In the womens division, Los Al Soundtrax won the division with vocals and choreo over Carmel Accents and Zionsville Choralaires.

Wildcard: Heart of America Los Angeles

Final Results

GC) Center Grove “Sound System” (BV/BC)

1RU) Broken Arrow “Tiger Rhythm”

2RU) Fishers “Electrum”

Womens Finals

GC) Center Grove “Debtones” (BV/BC)

1RU) Fishers “Sound”

2RU) Broken Arrow “Tiger Mystique” (BB)

In what is (for now) a one-off opportunity, Heart of America Los Angeles didn’t disappoint. While it wasn’t an incredibly deep lineup, it was a very top-heavy lineup. Center Grove and Broken Arrow had a combined one loss heading into the competition, and those two groups put on a show. The prelims margin was mere points in between these two groups, although Sound System pulled through with a signature win in finals. Broken Arrow still has a competition left – they will head home to Oklahoma for the Jenks Trochella on April 12. Fishers snagged the last finals spot over Brea Olinda, getting back to the evening round after missing finals at Lawrence Central last week. In the womens finals, Debtones proved that they are on top of the Indianapolis (and possibly national) single-gender scene with a convincing two-caption win over Sound, who wound up having more seconds this year than firsts. Brea Olinda did not make the finals round in either division, but did put out a solid showing and served as the de facto host program for the event.

While everyone in Indiana is done competing for the season, that just opens up more opportunities for those in other states to shine. Check in later in the week for previews of competitions in Mississippi, Florida, West Virginia, and California.