By Arte Reed, Nebraska Contributor
What is Nebraska known for? Corn fields! Norris is located in the midst of endless corn near the town of Firth a short drive south of Lincoln. The best of Nebraska and one from Iowa join in the middle of the fields for an exciting day of talent and competition. This competition will be the first meeting between Gretna and Gretna East, as well as the second-ever meeting between a group directed by Katelyn Wallace and a group directed by Nathan Wallace.
Prep Division
Grand Island Northwest "Bella Voce"
Gretna "Evolution"
Urbandale "Vitality"
Bella Voce, Evolution, and Vitality are all strong prep groups. Vitality will get to see some of Nebraska's best, as Bella Voce has placed within the top three of the prep division, and Evolution has made finals twice. Vitality themselves have made finals twice, once at Johnston and the other at Troy Buchanan. Evolution's finals appearances resulted in a fifth and a third, while Vitality's yielded a fifth and a sixth.
Womens Division
Seward "Blue Harmony"
Lincoln East "Elegance"
Urbandale "Affinity"
Seward is coming off their first win in the womens division from last weekend at Wahoo. Meanwhile, Elegance took a couple weeks off, their last competition being at Papillion-La Vista South on Feb. 8, where they placed fourth in the womens division. Affinity performed last week in exhibition as a host from Urbandale, with their previous placement at Troy Buchanan being third. Elegance holds a slight edge on the field, but it would truly be something if Blue Harmony could continue going undefeated.
Small School Mixed
Seward "Gold Dynamics"
Plattsmouth "Out of the Blue"
Harrisonville "Music Makers"
Seward just came from Wahoo, and while they didn't place there, they will be in a smaller division this time. Plattsmouth had a good start to their season, placing fifth at their first competition. However, more recently they have been unable to make finals due to tough opponents. Harrisonville is a strong 4A group from Missouri. Music Makers placed second overall at Smith-Cotton, proving that they are among the top 4A choirs in Missouri.
Large School Mixed
Gretna East "Equinox"
Grand Island Northwest "14 Karat Gold"
Gretna "Revolution"
Urbandale "Studio"
Lincoln East "Express"
The headliner is the Wallace showdown between Gretna East and Gretna. Both groups have been exceptional this season. Gretna has maintained their record as one of the top groups in Nebraska, meanwhile Gretna East immediately jumped up in the rankings since the start of the season. Groups directed by Katelyn and Nathan Wallace previously met once on the show choir stage. Nathan took that battle, as Millard North Intensity placed a spot ahead of Gretna Evolution at the 2023 Elkhorn South Crystal Cup.
Urbandale had been on the rise since the start of the season and is looking to finish their season here with a bang. Lincoln East is the opposite. They started off strong with a grand championship, but placed fourth at their most recent competition. They are hoping they can bounce back and at least place in the top three once again. Express has won this competition the past four times it has been held, but it will be an uphill battle to do so again. Grand Island Northwest has not placed below third so far this season - they will attempt to keep that alive, but it won't be easy for them, either.
Final Predictions
GC: Gretna "Revolution"
1RU: Urbandale "Studio"
2RU: Gretna East "Equinox"
3RU: Grand Island Northwest "14 Karat Gold"
4RU: Lincoln East "Express"
5RU: Urbandale "Vitality"
The top three could go any which way. Gretna and Gretna East have the same record, two grand champions and one first runner-up. However, Urbandale has been improving since their first competition, starting out at fifth and eventually placing first at their most recent competition. They have faced some tough opponents like Linn-Mar, Waukee Northwest, and Ankeny Centennial. With that in mind, they have a solid chance of topping Gretna and Gretna East here.
Grand Island Northwest and Lincoln East are the next two down the list. The last time these two went against each other was at Standing Bear, where Grand Island Northwest placed one spot ahead of Lincoln East. Some time has gone by since then, so it's possible Lincoln East will be back in their game and could switch placements with Grand Island Northwest.
Urbandale Vitality is in the driver's seat for that sixth spot, but it could go to Gretna Evolution or Harrisonville.
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