By Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor
Long ago, three kingdoms ruled over Nebraska show choir: Westside, Millard West, and Papillion-La Vista South. Now times have changed, but seeing these three champions competing against each other outside of Nebraska is enough of a reason to pay attention to Hastings this weekend - not to mention the Wisconsin and in-state talent on the schedule too.
Prep Division
Millard West “Swing Cats”
Papillion La Vista South “Titan Express”
Titan Express is coming off their third prep champion trophy this season, along with making finals last weekend at Elkhorn South. Meanwhile, Swing Cats placed third in their division last weekend at Urbandale, but did snag one of the day's two best-performer awards. Swing Cats currently sits third in the Nebraska prep rankings, while Titan Express barely missed the rankings this week.
Womens Division
Monona Grove “Silver Dimension”
Bemidji “La Voce Ballo”
Millard West “Uptown”
Papillion La Vista South “Titan Radiance”
Westside “Simply Irresistible”
Bloomington Kennedy “East Side Rhythm”
Bloomington Jefferson “Jive”
Historically, Hastings has only given placements for the top three in the Treble Division. That being said, it looks like the Nebraska groups are going to cover the podium. Silver Dimension made finals a few weekends ago at Sparta, placing fifth overall. The same is true about La Voce Ballo, as they took fifth place in finals at Waconia last weekend.
However, the Nebraska womens groups have competition against much more impressive openents. Uptown won the womens division last weekend at Urbandale, beating Johnston and Broken Arrow. Titan Radiance placed third in finals last weekend at Elkhorn South. And Simply Irresistible has a reputation for being one of the best womens groups in Nebraska. These groups sit first, third, and fifth in the current rankings, meaning it should be a tight fight.
Mixed Division
Benton Community “Celebration Co.”
Holmen “Midwest Express”
Bemidji “Vocalmotive”
Bloomington Jefferson “Jefferson Connection”
Millard West “West In The Groove”
Monona Grove “Silver Connection”
Papillion La Vista South “Titanium”
Westside “Amazing Technicolor Show Choir”
Bloomington Kennedy “Rhythm In Gold”
This is a pretty competitive lineup, with only three in-state schools in attendance. Celebration Co. is coming off a second-place finish at Mt. Pleasant after missing finals at their first two competitions. Benton is a 3A group in Iowa, and while they are a standard of that division, may lack the sheer power to make finals at a contest like this. Midwest Express is another group with a battle against the current. This is their fifth competition of the season, and they missed finals at their first two before picking up some momentum during the month of February.
Vocalmotive, in its second year under Gunner Aas, has grown from last year. Jefferson Connection is having another year as a solid-but-not-elite Minnesota choir. West In The Groove competed at Urbandale last weekend, where they were fourth, which is higher than the lowest they’ve placed since 2019. However, that's a testament to the caliber of competition at that event, as WIG is used to being among the class of the field. Now, they’re looking for another win here. Silver Connection, Titanium, and Rhythm In Gold are all coming off grand champion wins, so it’ll be interesting to see how they compete against each other. Amazing Technicolor Show Choir (ATSC) has wrapped up their competition season in Nebraska and will be finishing their season out of state, both here and at Wheaton Warrenville South in Illinois. ATSC is the crowd favorite group, but will face worthy foes in Millard West and Papio South.
Final Predictions
Grand Champion: Westside “Amazing Technicolor Show Choir” (BC)
1st Runner Up: Millard West “West In The Groove” (BV)
2nd Runner Up: Papillion-La Vista South “Titanium” (BB)
3rd Runner Up: Bloomington Kennedy “Rhythm In Gold”
4th Runner Up: Bemidji “Vocalmotive”
5th Runner Up: Bloomington Jefferson “Jefferson Connection”
The top two is a tough tossup between Westside and Millard West, and with three grand champions under their belt, Westside could come through to win this competition. That being said, it’s not going to be easy. It’s possible for Millard West to take either caption away from Westside - or, perhaps, the win.
Like the predicted top two, Titanium and Rhythm In Gold could also switch. Both won their previous competition, so the battle between these two will also serve as a toughness test between the Minnesota and Nebraska circuits.
Both Vocalmotive and Jefferson Connection have been on the rise this year. Bemidji has two head-to-head wins against Jefferson this year, so VM is the natural pick for fifth. Monona Grove could also sneak into finals as well.
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