By Nathan Ensley & William Kaiser, Indiana Contributors
Regional experts were surveyed on 30 of Indiana's best show choirs. These are the results.
Large Mixed
Center Grove “Sound System” (6 first-place votes, NC)
Carmel “Ambassadors” (NC)
Franklin Central “FC Singers” (NC)
Zionsville “Royalaires” (NC)
Fishers “Electrum” (NC)
North Central “Counterpoints” (NC)
Avon “Accents” (NC)
Lafayette Jefferson “First Edition” (+2)
Plainfield “Belles et Beaux” (-1)
Carroll “Magic” (Not Ranked)
News and Notes
Center Grove Holds Strong: Sound System remains the unanimous top large mixed group after defeating Carmel and Fishers at Franklin Central this weekend. In their win, they swept Best Vocals, Best Show Design, and Best Visuals, their first time taking Best Visuals over Carmel since 2022. With wins over four of the top five this season and a win streak stretching 11 competitions over the past three seasons, Center Grove is the clear frontrunner in Indiana.
Brownsburg drops out of the Top 10: Brownsburg had a devastating debut at Homestead, where they missed finals at an Indiana competition for the first time since 2016. This is also the first time they have missed finals in back-to-back competitions in recent memory, missing finals at last year's Show Choir Nationals due to a scoring error. Spotlight will look to rebound at a very competitive out-of-state competition at Glenwood, where they will face some of Illinois’ best, including Wheaton Warrenville South and Mt. Zion. Then, they will make a late central Indiana debut at Avon, an event they have won the past two years.
Lafayette Jefferson and Carroll Ascend after Homestead: Lafayette Jefferson proved that their rapid improvement to begin the 2025 season was not a fluke, tying Best Vocals with Ohio standout Solon, who only dropped one choreo caption on their way to an undefeated season. This was a statement result that Lafeytte Jeff, and by extension Mark Myers, are ready to compete at the pinnacle of show choir and a group to watch out for. Carroll did the same in taking Best Choreography from Solon. After a rough year spent mainly in the Indy circuit in 2024, they have found significant success in 2025 against equally difficult competition. After two wins early in the year, they have stayed close with three of the best groups from this year in Solon, Carmel, and Linn-Mar. Both of these groups have taken major steps forward in 2025 and look to continue that momentum for the rest of this season and beyond.
Large Womens
Center Grove “Debtones” (6 first-place votes, NC)
Fishers “Sound” (+1)
Carmel “Accents” (-1)
Franklin Central “High Voltage” (NC)
Avon “Attraction” (+1)
Zionsville “Choralaires” (-1)
Brownsburg “Starlight Voices” (NC)
Plainfield “Belles et Beaux” (NC)
North Central “Descants” (NC)
Westfield “Illumination” (NC)
Receiving Votes: Lawrence North “Bella Bravada”
News and Notes
Fishers Storms Back: Fishers Sound weathered their most difficult competition this year and likely for several years. Making a three-group womens finals at Franklin Central was likely more difficult than winning almost any other contest this season. So, when Sound, Debs, and Accents made finals, they affirmed the strength of the Indy womens circuit. Once finals began, Sound made the most notable jump, defeating a strong Carmel group who had swept the previous week at Chesterton. Sound continues to find a way to stay at the top year in and year out. Sound has three more competitions to go, with two more chances to dethrone the Debtones at Pendleton this weekend or in California to close the year.
Attraction moves into Top 5: Avon completed a remarkable start to the season, sweeping their first two Indiana competitions and placing the highest of any womens group at Poca. For the first time, Attraction has made the top five of the Indy womens circuit, surpassing Zionsville, who placed third at a highly competitive Best of the Midwest event. They will not face any of the groups ahead of them for the rest of the season, but the eye test leads voters to believe that they are ready and able to compete with the best in the area.
Debtones makes a statement: While the meteoric rise of Sound System has been the main story out of Center Grove after this past weekend, Debtones' rise to be arguably the best womens group in the country should be equally noted. On Saturday, CG faced Fishers Sound - who had won every comp since Brownsburg 2023 - Carmel Accents, who had won eight of their last 11 competitions, and Tupelo Synergy, who consistently places in overall finals in the south. Despite that intense competition, Debtones won FC for the first time in four years, with a clear and decisive win with Best Vocals. Now, the road to being the best womens group in the country arguably runs through Greenwood, Indiana.
Small Mixed
Roncalli “Royal Rhapsody” (6 first-place votes, NC)
Pendleton Heights “Pendletones” (NC)
Huntington North “Varsity Singers” (NC)
New Castle “Red Hot Blues” (NC)
Northridge “Northern Lights” (NC)
Receiving Votes: DeKalb “Classic Connection”, Churubusco “New Era”, Whiteland “Rhythm Masters”
News and Notes
Roncalli defeats Pendleton: Roncalli defeated the second-ranked Pendletones on Friday at Franklin Central in a sweep with both vocals and visuals. This is the fourth year in a row Roncalli has won the event in a remarkable show of dominance. Roncalli remains undefeated this year with four grand championships, including wins over Pendleton, Whiteland, and Edgewood in the small mixed division.
Pendleton and Huntington North Impress: With their larger group sizes, Pendleton and Huntington North each competed in the large division this weekend, and both produced impressive results at their respective competitions. Huntington North made finals and placed fifth at the Homestead Classic Showcase, shutting out Brownsburg from finals. Pendleton placed third in a seven-group large division at Franklin Community, outplacing both Columbus North and Edgewood.
Churubusco receives votes: Churubusco received votes for the first time this season following their small mixed finals victory at Homestead, where they took Best Vocals and Best Choreography. This is their second grand championship of the year after they opened with an overall win at North Royalton over a collection of some of Ohio’s best small mixed groups.
Small Womens
Pendleton Heights “Emerald Suites” (5 first-place votes, NC)
Jay County “Just Treble” (NC)
Cathedral “Irish Adrenaline” (+2)
New Castle “Dynamiques” (1 first-place vote, NC)
Huntington North “Viking Volume” (-2)
Receiving Votes: Edgewood “Sophisticated Ladies”, Northridge “Starlights”
News and Notes
Pendleton wins Two Comps in One Weekend: Emerald Suites won at both Franklin Central and Franklin Community this past weekend, sweeping all major captions at both competitions. They remain undefeated on the year, with five grand championships under their belt. On Saturday, they beat several large womens groups, including Castle and Ben Davis to win.
Huntington North Falls to Fifth: Viking Volume fell to fifth this week after failing to make a large treble division finals at Homestead, where all eight groups were within just six points. They began the season as the leaders of the poll but have come up short of voters’ expectations. However, they will have a chance to redeem themselves in the coming weeks with a rematch against second-ranked Jay County at Columbia City.