After another weekend of southern show choir, it’s time to update the rankings to currently reflect who stands where. This is a weekly poll voted on by five panelists and will change every week until the end of the season. In the spirit of recognizing all the South's best choirs, large mixed, middle mixed, small mixed and single-gender choirs are ranked. Take a look at the new rankings below:
Super Large/Large Mixed:
1) Clinton “Attachè” (5 first-place votes, no change)
2) Homewood “The Network” (NC)
3) Grenada “Visions” (+2)
4) Oak Mountain “Singers” (NC)
5) Brandon “Brio” (-2)
6) Petal “Soundsations” (NC)
7) Auburn “Varsity Singers” (NC)
8) Jackson Academy “Encore” (NC)
9) Enterprise “Encores” (+1)
10) Northwest Rankin “The Ambassadors” (-1)
Receiving Votes: West Jones "Imagination", Tift County "Eighth Street Singing Company"
Single Gender:
1) Tupelo “Synergy” (5 first-place votes, no change)
2) Oak Mountain “The Muses” (NC)
3) Homewood “Nexus” (NC)
4) Brandon “Bellas” (NC)
5) Auburn “Elan” (NC)
6) Petal “Innovations” (NC)
7) Northwest Rankin “The Allure” (NC)
8) Tift County “Ladies Choice” (NC)
9) Enterprise “Esprit” (NC)
10) Tift County "Tiftosterone" (NC)
Receiving Votes: Madison Central "Renown", Albertville "CenSations!"
Middle Mixed:
1) Northeast Jones “Gold Horizons” (4 first-place votes, no change)
2) Vestavia Hills “Singers” (1 first-place vote, NC)
3) South Jones “Company” (+1)
4) Albertville “CenterStage!” (New)
5) Homewood “Continuum” (-2)
Receiving Votes: Spain Park "Rhapsody in Blue", Briarwood "Radica", Sumrall "Legacy"
Small Mixed:
1) Oxford “Sound” (5 first-place votes, no change)
2) West Marion “New Era” (+3)
3) Pisgah “Innergy” (-1)
4) Wayne County “Orange Sensations” (-1)
5) Laurel “Showstoppers” (-1)
Receiving Votes: Clinton Christian "Extreme", Sylacauga "Signature"
Things Worth Noting in the Rankings:
Brandon’s Stumble:
After placing third this past weekend to Clinton and Grenada, Brandon falls two spots to 5th behind the likes of Grenada and Oak Mountain. While this certainly isn’t what Brandon wanted, this is still a group that went and took a caption from one of the best groups in the nation in Carmel. This goes to show the real and genuine depth that the top groups in the south have this year. It’s also worth noting that Grenada and Brandon now have one preliminary and finals win against each other this season each. Both placements (from Jackson Academy and Petal) inverses of the other. Brandon will face fourth-ranked Oak Mountain at Tift County next weekend to settle the score between these two groups. Their last previous matchup being in 2022 at FAME Orlando, where Oak Mountain placed over Brandon.
West Jones Where?:
Despite having two grand championships this season, West Jones remains out of the top 10 large and extra-large groups so far in the south. While other groups still may fall, it’s worth taking note of this odd placement for such a seemingly successful group. We’ll see if they manage to sneak back into the rankings the next few weeks if some of the groups above them fall.
Single-Gender Status Quo:
Not one single placement changed in the single-gender rankings this weekend, despite several top groups in competition. The only news of note is that Albertville CenSations! received a vote from a panelist for the first time this season. That came after a third-placing showing in a six-group division at Auburn.
Middle-Division Mix-Up:
The middle division rankings this week sees South Jones rise to third, with Albertville behind them in 4th followed by Homewood at 5th. In what has arguably been the most volatile and shifting division of the south so far this season, Northeast Jones and Vestavia Hills have all but cemented their spots as the top two groups for this tier. There are still a couple of weekends left, though, for other groups to solidify their claims for those last three spots at the podium.
The Return of West Marion:
After winning their division in-state for the first time this season over the likes of Pisgah and Laurel, West Marion rises to second in our small division polls behind the clear favorite in Oxford. West Marion will have to defend this placement next weekend against the likes of Wayne County and Laurel, two groups who West Marion has both fallen to and beaten this season already. It goes without saying that they will need to stay above the shuffle with many of these same groups at Biloxi on Mar. 9, this time adding a revenge seeking-Pisgah into the mix.
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