By A.J. Prentice and Justin Ternet, Fort Wayne contributors
The Carroll Classic has been a common stop for Fort Wayne show choirs for years now, occasionally attracting the attention of groups from other circuits as well. Last year, Center Grove swept both large divisions. There were also upsets, like New Castle Red Hot Blues beating Homestead Class Royale and Norwell Knight Stars beating multiple large groups. This year's lineup is as follows:
Large Mixed
Lafayette Jefferson “First Edition”
Northrop “Charisma”
New Castle “Red Hot Blues”
Homestead “Class Royale”
Small Mixed
Bellmont “Brave Generation”
East Noble “Knight Rhythms”
Bishop Dwenger “Summit Sound”
Crestview “Knight Vision”
Anderson Prep “Vocal Velocity”
Bishop Luers “Minstrels”
Churubusco “New Era”
Columbia City “City Heat”
Norwell “Knight Moves”
Large Womens
Northrop “Allure”
New Castle “Dynamiques”
Homestead “Elite”
Small Womens
East Noble “Premiere Edition”
Wawasee “Warrior Soundscapes”
Columbia City “City Lights”
Norwell “Knight Stars”
Who are some contenders?
Lafayette Jefferson “First Edition” - FE has yet to compete this year; however, they historically do well against Fort Wayne groups.
New Castle “Red Hot Blues” - Despite losing Best Vocals and Grand Champion to DeKalb at Ball State, New Castle, usually considered a small school, did manage to outpace Homestead and Northrop last year.
Homestead “Class Royale” - Homestead started their season strong, nabbing first runner-up at Northrop. Though in the last few years they’ve struggled against smaller Fort Wayne groups, at Northrop they managed to stay above Jay County Patriot Edition in finals.
Northrop “Allure” - Northrop had the unique opportunity to debut their show in front of judges as an exhibition at their own competition. Now that their first year with a new director has passed, the awkward phase that comes with a director change hopefully has passed as well.
New Castle “Dynamiques” - Last year Dynamiques made their welcome debut to the womens division. Since then, they’ve grown a lot. They debuted their show at Ball State this year, getting first runner-up in small womens.
Homestead “Elite” - Starting their season getting first runner up at Northrop, Elite has historically done well against Allure. They haven’t gone against Dynamiques yet, setting the stage for a first-of-its-kind battle.
Churubusco “New Era” - After a great start to their competition season with a win at North Royalton and a divisional second place at Northrop, this group has some fantastic momentum to do very well at Carroll.
Columbia City “City Heat” - Despite being one group away from finals at Northrop, City Heat will be able to rematch some of the groups they went up against for a shot to improve where they stand within the circuit.
Norwell “Knight Moves” - Norwell was fifth in small mixed at Fishers but should be able to give the entire small mixed field a run for the money at Carroll.
Columbia City “City Lights” - While they didn’t make finals at Northrop, City Lights will be able to compete against other choirs to get some new competition in the 2025 season.
Norwell “Knight Stars” - After getting fifth place at Fishers, Norwell will be one to look out for to see how they will place against some of their usual competition in the Fort Wayne circuit.
Justin’s Predictions
Large Divisions
In the mixed division, I think we could see Homestead make a comeback after a successful debut getting First Runner-Up at Northrop. Yet New Castle and Lafayette Jeff will not make this an easy win for Homestead. In the univoiced division, I think Elite is another favorite to win their division, but Allure will be close to them and could overtake Elite if they have a really good performance.
Large Mixed
Grand Champion: Homestead “Class Royale” (BV/BC)
1RU: Lafayette Jefferson “First Edition”
2RU: New Castle “Red Hot Blues”
3RU: Northrop “Charisma”
Large Univoice
Winner: Homestead “Elite” (BV/BC)
1 RU: Northrop “Allure”
2 RU: New Castle “Dynamiques”
Small Divisions
I would believe that Churubusco is the fan favorite in the mixed division after starting strong at their first two competitions. However, that doesn’t underestimate Norwell and Columbia City hot on their tail. In the univoiced division, I think Norwell and Columbia City will have a hot competition and I would believe that it would become a very close competition. But again, East Noble and Wawasee will be right behind attempting to work their way up.
Small Mixed
Winner: Churubusco “New Era” (BV/BC)
1RU: Norwell “Knight Moves”
2RU: Columbia City “City Heat”
Small Univoice
Winner: Norwell “Knight Stars” (BV)
1 RU: Columbia City “City Lights” (BC)
2 RU: East Noble “Premiere Edition”
3 RU: Wawasee “Warrior Songscapes”
A.J.’s Predictions
Large Mixed
I don’t see any large Fort Wayne groups being able to compete with First Edition. I could see 1ru and 2ru swapping places but otherwise, I think this one’s pretty straightforward.
Grand Champion: Lafayette Jefferson “First Edition” (BV/BC)
1RU: New Castle “Red Hot Blues”
2RU: Homestead “Class Royale”
3RU: Northrop “Charisma”
Large Univoice
I haven’t seen New Castle’s girls this year, but if they’re anything like last year, it will be an uphill battle to beat either Northrop or Homestead.
Winner: Homestead “Elite”
1ru: Northrop “Allure”
2ru: New Castle “Dynamiques”
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