By Michael McHargh, Ohio contributor
After three weeks of competition, the rankings continue to shake up. Some of the late bloomer choirs are in season debut stage, while others continue to refine their shows in the middle of their seasons.
Large Mixed
Solon “Music in Motion” (3 first-place votes, no change)
Marysville “Swingers Unlimited” (1 first-place vote, NC)
ETC “The All Americans” (NC)
Findlay “First Edition” (+1)
Grove City “Touch of Class” (-1)
Piqua “The Company” (NC)
Olentangy “Keynotes” (+1)
Loveland “By Request” (-1)
Fairfield “Choraliers” (NC)
Beavercreek “Friends” (NC)
Receiving Votes: Marion Harding "Harding Singers"
News and Notes
The podium rankings remain the same for the third week in a row, as Solon maintains its lead with their sweep over Grove City at Hurricane. Marysville maintains their edge over ETC after sweeping them at Marion Harding.
In the middle of the pack, Findlay edges ahead of Grove City, while Olentangy continues to climb from the lower ranks and threaten many other groups.
After a less than ideal start to the season, Loveland falls down to eighth after starting the season sixth. Their next chance to improve will not be this week, as they host Showfest.
Small Mixed
Edgewood “Choraliers” (3 first-place votes, no change)
Twinsburg “Great Expectations” (NC)
Ross “Legacy” (+1)
Euclid “Varsity Chorale” (+3)
North Royalton “Royal Harmony” (-2)
Kenton “Top Twenty” (NC)
Mayfield “Limited Edition” (-2)
Garfield Heights “Music Express” (Not Ranked)
Buckeye Valley “Visions” (-1)
Medina “Encore Entertainment Company” (-1)
Receiving Votes: Ada "Varsity Singers", Lebanon "Singers", Hamilton "Prestige", Teays Valley "Prominent Rendition"
News and Notes
Edgewood maintains their lead for the second week in a row after Twinsburg’s debut at Northrop.
Euclid surges up three spots after claiming their first ever Grand Championship at Walsh Jesuit. They took both the vocals and choreography captions over yet another dense field of small mixed choirs.
Kenton edges ahead of Mayfield with their finals appearance at Marion Harding over many other Small Mixed choirs and even Ohio’s premiere womens group, ETC Rouge.
After missing finals at North Royalton, Garfield Heights placed above North Royalton in finals at Walsh Jesuit and makes their break into the rankings, advancing ahead of Buckeye Valley and Medina to round out the top ten.
Single-Gender
ETC “Rouge” (2 first-place votes, no change)
Marysville “Swingers Select” (+3, 2 first-place votes)
Grove City “Class Act” (-1)
Fairfield “Pure Elegance” (-1)
Loveland “Allure” (-1)
News and Notes
While Rouge maintains their lead for the fourth consecutive week, Swingers Select surges above the pack after placing over Rouge (potentially due to a time penalty) and making finals at Marion Harding.
Class Act maintains their spot on the podium after a stellar finals performance at Hurricane, only placing behind Solon and Grove City’s mixed group.
Looking Ahead
Yet another double competition weekend is here for Ohio, with a few choirs traveling out of state. Crestview will compete at Carroll in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while Euclid and St. Clairsville will travel to Sissonville in Charleston, West Virginia.
In Cleveland, Twinsburg hosts a small collection of mainly Cleveland-native groups with a few travelers. The headlining group of this competition is Solon, who is going for their third consecutive Grand Championship this season. Although Solon is the favorite to win (and possibly sweep), the main shake-up here will be the placements of the remaining choirs behind them. Edgewood, Marion Harding, Mayfield, and Medina will all be reaching for the remaining spots on the podium. With nine total choirs and only six finalists, the competition is truly anyone’s to take.
In Cincinnati, Loveland hosts a larger event featuring groups from Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia. This event brings together Beavercreek, ETC, Fairfield, and Olentangy for the first time this season and will be a great way to see where each choir stands thus far. With ETC and Olentangy sustaining and moving up in the rankings, it will be very interesting to how they will match up to a debuting Fairfield and fairly fresh Beavercreek. The heavily-packed Large Mixed division certainly threatens to shut out the Small Mixed and Single Gender divisions from the finals round, especially since Loveland only takes five finalists.
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