By Ethan Parker, Founder
Three regional experts considered 39 show choirs from the Land of Lincoln and voted 20 in to the rankings across three divisions. These are the results.
Championship Mixed
Wheaton Warrenville South "The Classics" (2 first-place votes, +1)
Wheaton North “Flight” (-1)
El Paso-Gridley “Modulations” (1 first-place vote, no change)
Mt. Zion “Swingsations” (+1)
Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express” (-1)
Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check” (NC)
Naperville North “Entourage” (NC)
Mundelein “Sound” (+2)
Glenwood “Titan Fever” (-1)
Manteno “Magic” (-1)
Receiving Votes: Oswego "Commotion"
News and Notes
El Paso-Gridley Responds at Manteno
After a surprising caption-less win by Dwight D. Eisenhower over El Paso at Crete-Monee, Modulations was able to get their mojo back a week later at Manteno. This is the end of what was a very impressive season by Dwight D. Eisenhower, one that caught many off-guard coming into the season. Oswego, the fourth place choir at Manteno, received a vote for the first time this season.
Tough Comps, Tough Placements Up Top
Wheaton Warrenville South went down south to Homewood and finished third to Oak Mountain and Petal; however, they were able to walk away with the Best Vocals caption. Mt. Zion went to its neighboring state to the east and attended a competition that is being regarded as one of the best of the year in Chesterton. They were the only choir out of six in Large Mixed to not participate in Finals. Wheaton North Flight stayed in-state, however, they lost the top spot to a surprising Lafayette Jefferson at Naperville North. However, just like their counterpart in Wheaton South, they also took the Best Vocals caption. Saturday's placings were maybe not the results these choirs ultimately hoped for, but props to them for going up against tough competition.
Upcoming EPG Show Choir Showdown Could Shake-up the State
Four of the top ten groups will compete at El Paso-Gridley this weekend. Should someone upset a higher-ranked choir, the voters will probably see fit to make a change in next week's rankings. Read more in the event preview.
Single-Gender
Mt. Zion “Les Femmes” (2 first-place votes, +1)
Wheaton Warrenville South “Esprit” (1 first-place vote, -1)
Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male” (NC)
El Paso-Gridley “Hi Fidelity” (NC)
Naperville North “Vivant” (NC)
Other Receiving Votes: Danville "Contemporaires", Mother MacAuley "Mac Melody"
News and Notes
Top Two Flip
Mt. Zion Les Femmes and Wheaton Warrenville South Esprit both finished third at their respective competitions over the weekend; however, the voters believed Mt. Zion’s top three finals grab at Chesterton was enough to grant them the top spot in the state. Both will get a shot at each other this upcoming weekend at El Paso.
Tough Competition Earns Recognition
Danville Contemporaries and Mother McAuley Mac Melody both received votes this ranking after making noise over the weekend in the Small Single-Clef Finals at Chesterton. Mother McAuley finished third overall, and Danville finished second with Best Vocals. This was Mac Melody’s first finals appearance since the pandemic, and it’s also their first-ever regular season vote in the Illinois poll rankings.
Festival Mixed
Danville “Delegation” (3 first-place votes, NC)
Crete-Monee “Cavaliers” (+2)
Sullivan “Singers” (-1)
Herscher “Class Act” (-1)
Mundelein “Reverb” (Not Ranked)
Other Receiving Votes: Alan B. Shepard "Nova", Peoria "Soundwave"
News and Notes
Manteno’s Results Pay Dividends
The #2, #3, and #4 choirs attended the Manteno Main Event and created quite a stir in the Festival Rankings. Crete-Monee came out on top, warranting them the second spot behind a red-hot Danville Delegation. Herscher, despite beating Sullivan at Manteno, did not have enough juice to jump them in this week's ranking. If they can repeat the result at El Paso, expect them to leap past Sullivan for a podium placement in next week's rankings.
Ample Opportunities at El Paso
As mentioned, Crete-Monee, Sullivan, and Herscher will all attempt to come out on top of the festival division at El Paso this weekend. However, there are a number of choirs that could make a dark horse bid for a podium placement. Peoria, who received votes this week, is a big wildcard. Peotone and Pekin could also make waves in the rankings with a solid showing.
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