By Arte Reed, Nebraska Contributor
There is only one word to describe this past weekend in Nebraska: Shocking. Three out of the four competitions did not have the showdowns many expected. Instead, three groups rose and overlooked the expectations of the community.
Burke Bonanza
Final Results
GC: Sioux City East "The Headliners" (BV/BC/BB)
1RU: Lincoln Southwest "Resonance"
2RU: Elkhorn North "adrENaline"
3RU: Sioux Falls Washington "Classic Connection"
4RU: Waconia "Power Company"
5RU: Sioux City East "Entourage"
6RU: Lincoln Southwest "Ambience"
An unexpected challenger arrived at Burke - Sioux City East! Despite Lincoln Southwest's win at Sioux Falls Jefferson, Sioux City East was able to sweep the whole competition. However, Lincoln Southwest still showed up and placed right behind them. Meanwhile, Elkhorn North and Sioux Falls Washington have some history where Sioux Falls Washington has always been one step ahead. This time, the roles switched as Elkhorn North placed ahead of them. Waconia placed fifth once again, leaving PoCo off the podium for the second straight week. Sioux City East's winning continued with Entourage, who won the single-gender division to make finals. Ambience won the prep division and took the finals spot guaranteed to the winner of that division.
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"
For A Full Recap: Comps of the Week Recap
Gretna East. Wow. Incredible. That's all.
Lincoln Links Show Choir Invitational
Final Results
GC: Grand Island Northwest "14 Karat Gold" (BV/BC)
1RU: Hastings "Uncaged" (BB)
2RU: Bellevue West "West Connection"
3RU: Lincoln Northeast "Voices 'N Harmony"
4RU: Plattsmouth "Out Of The Blue"
5RU: Standing Bear "The Renegades"
The results at Lincoln High spotlighted great starts to the season for a number of smaller programs. Grand Island Northwest and Hastings had their duel at the top, which ended with 14 Karat Gold taking the gold (literally) and taking Best Vocals and Best Choreography. However, it was not a complete sweep as Hastings was able to take the Best Band caption from them. Bellevue West took third. It was West Connection's second straight third place, as they capped the season on the podium at Westwood last year. The last time Plattsmouth made finals was at Lincoln Northeast in 2023, making their fifth even sweeter. They outclassed Omaha North, Seaman, Lincoln Northwest, and Norfolk to take their spot in 5th place. A rookie show choir, Standing Bear, took the last finals spot in their first-ever show choir competition.
Ralston Ramageddon
Final Results
GC: Lincoln East "Express" (BV/BC/BB)
1RU: Millard South "South on Stage"
2RU: Lewis Central "Corporation"
3RU: Elkhorn "Excel"
4RU: Papillion-La Vista "Free Spirit"
5RU: O'Gorman "Ovation!"
A potential showdown up top was not in the cards, as Lincoln East set itself up well for another successful season with a clean sweep. Millard South, under the new direction of Maddie Pressler, came out swinging and stole second from several other potent groups. Lewis Central is on a podium streak - this is their second straight third place to start 2025. Elkhorn seems to be finding its footing and placed over Papillion-La Vista, who saw its momentum slow after a Grand Championship to start off the season. A week after withdrawing from Sioux Falls Jefferson, O'Gorman debuted their show and rounded out the finals, extending their finals streak to four competitions.
Competing Out of Town: Westside "Amazing Technicolor Show Choir"
Westside had an excellent time at Blue Valley. Not only did ATSC take Grand Champion and sweep, but their womens group, Simply Irresistible, made finals and took sixth place, beating several top Missouri single-gender groups.
The moral of the story is to expect the unexpected. Nebraska's first competition weekend was shocking to say the least, but as the season progresses things will smooth out. Looking forward, the next three competitions are Hastings, Millard West and Standing Bear. All three have good lineups and will be a second chance for choirs to either cement their dominance this season or get back on track.
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