Another week of tight competition means that there's a new set of rankings to see who's on top right now. 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, 4A/3A and X-Large/Large, Single Gender, 2A/Middle Mixed, and 1A/Small Mixed divisions are all ranked. Current rankings are as below:
4A/3A or X-Large/Large Mixed
1) Clinton “Attachè” (3 first-place votes, no change)
2) Homewood “The Network” (2 first-place votes, NC)
3) Oak Mountain “Singers” (NC)
4) Brandon “Brio” (+1)
5) Petal “Soundsations” (+1)
6) Grenada “Visions” (-2)
7) West Jones “Imagination” (+2)
8) Auburn “Varsity Singers” (-1)
9) Biloxi “Sound Surge” (-1)
10) Northwest Rankin “The Ambassadors” (NC)
Receiving Votes: Briarwood "Radica"
Single-Gender
1) Tupelo “Synergy” (4 first-place votes, NC)
2) Oak Mountain “The Muses” (1 first-place vote, NC)
3) Homewood “Nexus” (NC)
4) Brandon “Bellas” (+1)
5) Petal “Innovations” (-1)
6) Tift County “Tiftosterone” (NC)
7) Northwest Rankin “The Allure” (NC)
8) Tift County “Ladies Choice” (NC)
9) Biloxi “Sound Sirens” (Not Ranked)
10) Auburn “Elan” (NC)
Receiving Votes: Purvis "Pizzaz"
2A/Middle Mixed
1) Homewood “Continuum” (5 first-place votes, NC)
2) Tift County “8th Street Singing Company” (NC)
3) Hoover “Paradigm” (NC)
4) South Jones “Company” (+1)
5) Northeast Jones “Gold Horizons” (-1)
Receiving Votes: Sumrall "Legacy"
1A/Small Mixed:
1) Pass Christian “Luminary” (1 first-place vote, +2)
2) West Marion “New Era” (2 first-place votes, -1)
3) Oxford “Sound” (1 first-place vote, -1)
4) Lakeside “Soundsation” (NC)
5) Pisgah “Innergy” (NC)
Receiving Votes: Rome "Grand Finale" (1 first-place vote), Clinton Christian "Extreme"
Things Worth Noting in the Rankings:
Deep South Classic Causes Top 6 Mix-Up
After last weekend’s results at the Madison Central Deep South Classic, there is a shuffling at the top of the 4A/3A divisional rankings. After their complete sweep, Oak Mountain jumps to number three, Brandon jumps to number four, and Grenada falls three spots to number six. Brandon and Grenada will be competing against each other once again this weekend as they both travel to the Mt. Zion Invitational. Petal, now sitting at the number five spot, will have to defend their new ranking this weekend against the likes of Clinton and Tupelo.
Small Division Shock
After a surprising result down at the Oak Grove Magnolia Invitational, the panel collectively gave the nod to Pass Christian Luminary as the top group, despite only one individual panelist saying so. They bested week-in, week-out power West Marion to do so. However, there is a quick turnaround for these two as they’ll rematch for the fifth time this season at the Biloxi Gulf Coast Classic (the current series is 3-1 in West Marion’s favor).
In-State 2A Tension
Another fairly shocking result from the Oak Grove Magnolia Invitational has led to a swapping of placements for South Jones and Northeast Jones, with South Jones taking the lead at the number four spot. Similar to the 1A situation, there is another quick turnaround as they’ll also both be facing each other once again at the Biloxi Gulf Coast Classic (the current series is tied 1-1).
Future Matchups
As always, this next weekend in the south offers quite a few intriguing matchups to keep an eye on. As previously mentioned, key rematches in the 1A and 2A divisions await down at the Biloxi Gulf Coast Classic. An interesting three-way bout between the likes of Clinton, Petal, and Tupelo will headline that event, with the top overall southern group competing against the top single-gender group and fifth best 4A/3A group. Brandon and Grenada see a bit of an unlikely rematch this weekend as they both travel to Illinois, providing what is now a third and fifth place matchup from the southern 4A/3A division.
These rankings will be updated every week following a total collection and reflection of the results. Come back after this weekend to see any new potential placements!