PHOTO: Nathan Ensley | Petal, Hurricane and Douglas S. Freeman shined at Cosby, and 18 mixed choirs will hit the stage at Manchester.

PHOTO: Nathan Ensley | Wheaton North solidified its standing at the top, Waubonsie Valley was the surprise choir of the night and Carmel Catholic took its first-ever division win among other stories.

Sioux City East brought the heat, with eight quality groups shooting for six finalists spots. At the end of the night, Stock image: Derrick Knight | Gretna East took home the first-place trophy and Best Vocals, while Mitchell grabbed the other two captions while placing fourth.

PHOTO: Parker Armstrong | Martinsburg is the eastern panhandle's only competition this season, and Winfield successfully shuffled its competition back from January due to winter weather.

PHOTO: Nathan Ensley | Carroll, Homestead and Northrop lead both mixed and single-gender, while Columbia City is the top small group in both categories.

John Burroughs takes a key early-season win, Loveland gains momentum at the right time, Gretna East outsings everyone at Sioux City East and Broken Arrow takes a comeback win at Southlake Carroll.

PHOTO: Kassie Allison | Intriguing battles await in 6A, 5A and 3A while multiple choirs step on to the competition stage for the first time.

Marysville Showcase will bring Ohio's show choir season to a close with a nationally competitive lineup featuring Burbank, Fishers, and Lafayette Jefferson

Competitions all across the nation featured Southern groups, so we have plenty of material to cover in this week's Southern show choir recap!

Many Western groups gather at Burbank, the country travels to Fairfield, three states clash at Sioux City East, and Texas sends off its season at Southlake Carroll.