By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief
Winning isn’t everything, but it certainly is something. Here’s a look at who took overall Grand Championships this weekend, and what it means in historical context.
Disclaimer: Win totals are sourced from showchoir.com. Not every show choir competition is documented online, and as such, all win totals should be considered unofficial. To view a full spreadsheet of data, click here.
Alabama
Oak Mountain: Homewood put three groups in finals and had The Network triumph, good for its 40th recorded win. The Network also passed Clinton for the most recorded wins in Alabama, as Homewood’s count currently stands at 27.
Opelika: In a field entirely devoid of large choirs, Hoover was the cream of the crop in middle mixed. Paradigm outlasted Albertville for the program’s first overall Grand Champion title.
Illinois
Crete-Monee: Dwight D. Eisenhower Express’ breakout season continued with a win over El Paso-Gridley. The triumph was Express’ first since 2004. Eisenhower is the ninth different winner at Crete-Monee and has three recorded wins.
Indiana
Anderson: Fishers Electrum claimed Best Vocals and Best Choreography to win A-Town Showdown. It is Electrum’s third win overall and their first since 2022.
Carroll: Lafayette Jefferson First Edition took Best Vocals and Best Choreography for their first win 2022. It was Jeff’s fifth win at Carroll, breaking them out of a tie with Carmel, Center Grove, and Huntington North for most all-time.
Pike: Center Grove continued its winning streak, taking its 10th consecutive win across the past three seasons. Sound System now has 93 recorded wins, tying them with Mt. Zion for second all-time.
Plainfield: Avon won Quaker Classic for the first time, winning the vocals and choreo captions. The triumph was Accents’ tenth recorded win and extended their winning streak to seven seasons.
Iowa
Bettendorf: Wheaton North Flight won two of the three major captions (vocals and band) and won in its debut competition this year. The win bumped Flight up to 18 recorded wins. It’s the first time Wheaton North has won in the Hawkeye State.
Mt. Pleasant: Davenport Central won the Music InMotion Invitational for the ninth time. CSI has now won multiple competitions in the past five seasons. The group sits at 22.5 wins, good for 61st all-time.
Norwalk: Iowa City West staged an upstart bid for the win, taking Best Vocals and Best Band over Indianola. The win was Good Time Company’s eighth overall and fourth in the past four years. They are also the sixth different winner at Norwalk, an event that has not seen a repeat winner.
Sioux Center: Bishop Heelan won for the second consecutive week. It’s the first two-win season for Harmonia Mundi since 2014. Heelan now has 14.5 wins all-time, tied with Grand Island Northwest and Grosse Pointe South.
Waukee Northwest: Ankeny Centennial took three of the four spots in finals and Spectrum won the whole shebang. It’s the first multi-win season for Spectrum since 2022, and the group became the first repeat winner of Nightfall.
Massachusetts
Tantasqua: Waltham Music Unlimited continued its roll in New England this year, claiming its second consecutive win. Music Unlimited now sits at 11 total wins, nine of which have been after the pandemic. Their seven recorded wins in Massachusetts are now tied with Oliver Ames for third-most.
Minnesota
North St. Paul: Hastings Riverside Company won for the second time in as many weeks. The win was big for a couple different reasons: it is the 50th recorded win for Riverside and their 16th in Minnesota, tying them with Bemidji for most all-time.
Mississippi
Northeast Jones: Brandon Brio won Classic for the fourth time, good for 80 percent of all Northeast Jones Classics. It was Brio’s first win of the season and extended their winning streak to eight seasons. Brandon now sits at 19 wins all-time.
Missouri
Joplin: Broken Arrow Tiger Rhythm won just about every caption imaginable to their first win of the season, fourth at Joplin, seventh in Missouri, and 16th all-time win. Tiger Rhythm now has a win streak of five seasons (excluding 2021).
Smith-Cotton: Neosho Choraleers made the trek up to Sedalia from the southwestern corner of the state and took both vocals and choreo. It was the first win for Neosho at Smith-Cotton and the group’s 23rd recorded win all-time.
Troy Buchanan: Urbandale Studio cleaned up for their first recorded win in Missouri. Studio is now credited with 51.5 wins all-time, moving past Burbank for 14th overall. With its triumph, Studio locked down a ten-season winning streak that was not interrupted for the pandemic.
Nebraska
Elkhorn: Elkhorn North made its first career win a local affair, as adrENaline came out on top of the Red Carpet Classic. It was a natural first win, as Elkhorn South also has a triumph at Red Carpet Classic. Elkhorn North’s first win came in merely its fourth season of competition.
Grand Island Northwest: Grand Island won Gold Rush for the second consecutive season. It was the first win of the season for Ultimate Image and their 15th recorded win. UI has now won Gold Rush in three of the four years it has happened.
Lincoln Southwest: Sioux Falls Washington pulled off what some considered to be an upset sweep over Pius X. Classic Connection now has a five-season win streak. The triumph was Washington’s second recorded win in Nebraska.
Papillion-La Vista South: Gretna Revolution won South Titan Classic for the third year in a row. They are now tied with Sioux City East for the most wins at Papio South. Revolution now stands at 15.5 recorded wins and broke a tie with Grosse Pointe South and Grand Island Northwest.
Ohio
Loveland: Fairfield Choraliers shot straight to the top in their debut competition of the season. It was Fairfield’s first win since 2023 and third in the past five seasons. Choraliers now sit at 57.5 wins overall, good for 13th all time.
Twinsburg: In a weather-shortened contest, Solon only needed one performance to take all the hardware. Music in Motion remains undefeated this year and has won six competitions in the past two seasons. This win moved them past Glenwood Titan Fever and into a tie with Cedar Rapids Kennedy for 41st overall.
Texas
Fort Worth Southwest: Keller Blue Lights picked up right where they left off last season, winning vocals and choreo en route to a Grand Championship. It’s Blue Lights’ second consecutive win at Cowtown and their fifth overall. Their five wins in Texas are tied with Broken Arrow for second-most all-time.
West Virginia
Sissonville: Euclid Varsity Chorale took its second-ever win just seven days after claiming its first, splitting captions with Nitro. Varsity Chorale is the 36th different group to win a competition in West Virginia.
Wisconsin
Fort Atkinson: Mundelein Sound took Best Vocals and Best Choreography for their first triumph since a two-win 2023 campaign. Mundelein is now tied with Janesville Craig and Prospect for most all-time wins at Fort Atkinson, with four apiece.
La Crosse: Onalaska continued its undefeated rampage this season, picking up its fifth consecutive win. Hilltoppers collected their 86th recorded win and 61st within the state of Wisconsin.
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