PHOTO: Nathan Ensley | Choirs representing five states will converge on Saturday, including a healthy dose of Illinois as well as John Burroughs, Omaha South, Neenah and Franklin Community.

PHOTO: Nathan Ensley | Large groups Homestead and Northrop anchor the lineup with small groups Huntington North, Northridge, Jay County, DeKalb, Beech Grove and more providing plenty of flavor.

Three regional experts evaluated 35 of Nebraska’s top show choirs to determine the rankings. While divisions are primarily based on NSAA cutlines, some adjustments were made for groups that compete in multiple divisions throughout the season.

Big Brownsburg battle sets the stage for major shakeups in the rankings after a wild weekend features co-grand champions

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.