2026 Nebraska Large School Postseason Show Choir Rankings

By Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor, Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor, and William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

In a continuation of HomeRoom's weekly Nebraska poll rankings this season, the team has delivered an expanded season-end edition of the rankings. While three regional experts were surveyed during the season, five were surveyed for this end-of-season poll, giving a little spice akin to adding judges for finals. Additionally, 25 large-school groups were ranked, up from 10 during the season. Single-gender rankings can be found here, small school rankings can be found here, and prep rankings can be found here. Additional rankings for large school groups will be released in the coming weeks.

1. Gretna “Revolution” (4 first-place votes)

It’s hard to believe that only five seasons ago, Gretna was a fringe top-ten group in Nebraska. Now, this is the second time in the last three years that they have been the best group in the state. Revolution only lost to Linn-Mar, Franklin Central, and Carmel this season, some of the best groups in the country, and lost to no other group in the Cornhusker State. This includes beating out Millard West at Papio South's competition after they beat Gretna at the end of last season. There are no signs of Gretna slowing down, and while they are staying pretty local in 2027, as long as the quality is the same, they could see another successful season. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

2. Westside “Amazing Technicolor Show Choir” (1 first-place vote)

Seeing longtime director Doran Johnson leave Westside made people a little unsure of how ATSC would perform in 2026. While they didn’t have the performance they wanted at Gretna, the rest of Westside's season showed that Andrew Jacobson is a worthy successor to Johnson. This includes taking Best Band away from Linn-Mar, the only group in the last two seasons to do so, and besting Millard West, who beat them last season at Hastings. What we are seeing is a different kind of ATSC. Stylistically, this feels a lot more like what Papio South used to be before 2024. But whether it was Johnson's ATSC or Jacobson's ATSC, there is still a lot of talent behind this program. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

3. Millard West “West in the Groove”

Only taking first place once in a five-competition season makes WIG's placement on the podium look unusual. Despite that, they proved themselves as a top-three group in the state, losing to in-state groups Revolution and ATSC, and out-of-state competition Urbandale, Zionsville, and Loveland. They were also the only Nebraska group to beat Equinox in 2026, and still took visual and band awards away from groups like ATSC and Revolution. While they might not have seen many Grand Champion trophies, this was still a season where WIG saw a lot of success and made the podium at every tough competition they went to. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

4. Gretna East “Equinox”

If 2025 was the season that put Gretna East on the map, 2026 was the season that kept them there. It’s hard to believe that 2026 was Equinox’s third year as a competitive show choir, and they’ve already beaten most of the other titans in the state. Equinox was one of only two Nebraska groups to beat ATSC in 2026, and only lost to two groups this season: Millard West and Valley. The group showed that their successful 2025 year was not a one-time thing, and that they deserve to be known as one of the best groups in Nebraska. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

5. Elkhorn North “adrENaline”

AdrENaline had a sneakily good 2025 season, ending it by beating Elkhorn South. Now, AdrENaline is continuing to climb the ranks of Nebraska show choir, ending up in the top five of the rankings. This can largely be associated with their third-place finish at Gretna East, their win at Elkhorn, and their second-place finish at Sioux City East. In 2026, they beat local powerhouses like Millard North, Elkhorn South, Bishop Heelan, and Mitchell. AdrENaline could continue to climb the ladder and maybe end up in the top three at the end of the 2027 season. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

6. Hastings “UNCAGED”

Hastings was unstoppable for a majority of their season. UNCAGED notably beat groups like Sioux Center, Grand Island Northwest, and Des Moines Christian. Hastings is one step closer to being a Nebraska titan, and is flirting with many much more established names. Four first-place finishes and one second-place finish is an excellent record for them, and an impressive improvement after last season. If there’s any group on a high rise for upcoming seasons, it is UNCAGED. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor

7. Lincoln Southwest “Resonance”

LSW welcomed its third director in program history ahead of the 2026 season, with program alum Leighton Ware coming over from Wahoo to lead Rez (former director Andrew Jacobson still served as show arranger). Sporting a show based on the cartoon series Tom and Jerry, Southwest claimed a vocals/choreo win at Standing Bear, two runner-up finishes, and two third-place finishes. Three different Resonance performers won a combined seven individual caption awards this season as well. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

8. Grand Island Northwest “14 Karat Gold”

GINW went on a storm early in the season, taking wins over Lincoln Southwest at Lincoln Links, Grand Island at Hastings, and Blue Valley and Hannibal at Harrisonville, Mo. 14KG was undefeated until Feb. 27 of this season, an astounding streak. Two more podium finishes rounded out the season, and Northwest split captions with Sioux City East at Millard North to close out the season. They wind up as the second-ranked group located outside of the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas.  - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

9. Elkhorn South “Blackout”

A sweep to start Blackout’s season carried them through a successful 2026 season. Elkhorn South scored above fourth place the whole season. Two grand champs and two second-place finishes proves this group to be within Nebraska's top ten. Additionally, Blackout snagged three vocal captions and two band captions to top off their record. Elkhorn South may very well be one of Nebraska's most notable titans in the next few years to come, sitting in a sweet spot to grab some momentum. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor

10. Millard North “Infinity”

Millard North began their season by beating ATSC at Gretna, showing the show choir world that they should keep an eye out for Infinity. And while the group would not place higher than second at any competition this season, beating a huge chunk of impressive Nebraska groups is not something to dismiss. Infinity also beat Iowa City, Sparta, and Bloomington Jefferson while they were in Minnesota at Waconia's competition. Millard North is staying pretty local in 2027, so maybe they could grab a win in the upcoming season after not seeing a Grand Champion trophy since 2024. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

11. Papillon-La Vista South “Titanium”

Titanium’s 2026 show is a very different kind of Titanium show, in the sense that there is an actual theme. Part of this could be due to personnel changes on both the vocal and visual side of things, but this change in style seemed to be somewhat successful. This was most evident in Iowa, where the group placed third at Ankeny Centennial, beating out strong groups like Southeast Polk, Blue Valley, and La Crosse. In-state, Titanium did see their lowest placement they’ve seen in years at Omaha South's competition, and the group wasn’t able to grab a Grand Champion trophy. But, with a bit of polish to this new style, Titanium could bounce back and return to being another top group in the state in 2027. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

12. Omaha South “The Ambassadors”

The Ambassadors took not one, but two grand champion trophies in 2026. South is a big example of a group that grows throughout the season, placing fourth at Sioux Falls Jefferson in January to placing third at their last competition at Wheaton Warrenville South, only behind Wheaton North and John Burroughs. Omaha South has always been a unique Nebraska program, largely due to the schools primarily Latino population, resulting in shows that show off that heritage. Ambassadors' Night at the Latino Museum show in 2026 was another production that made the 'Somos South O' community proud. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

13. Lincoln East “Express”

There are a lot of things to highlight with Express’ 2026 season. For starters, they were one of the few groups to beat Elkhorn South this season, and they took Best Band away from Millard West at Norris. Plus the group beat Papio South at Omaha South's competition after being beaten by them at Gretna. Express has had a very interesting few years following the Standing Bear split, and 2026 continued to follow that trend. What’s going to happen in 2027 with them? Who knows. But everyone is in for the ride to see where Lincoln East goes. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

14. Millard South “South on Stage”

Bringing in Edgar Estrada from Pius X and alum Braxton Carr to choreograph seemed like a very solid plan to move South On Stage in a new direction. And while the group didn’t see a win in 2026, this was still a solid start. In 2026, SOS placed fourth at Millard West, Indianola, and Lewis Central, took second and Best Vocals at Vermillion, and sixth at an incredibly tough Lincoln East competition. Their 2027 schedule looks promising, attending great out-of-state competitions like Ankeny Centennial and Sioux City East. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

15. Norris “Gold”

After one long trip to Waukee, Norris stayed in the Lincoln area for the rest of their quick season. Early on Gold encountered the titans of Iowa, such as Ankeny Centennial and Valley, to make a statement that they were there to play. At Standing Bear, they showed Pius X that they were not going to slow down and ended the competition in second place, the best of their season. Norris is not slowing down anytime soon, and will continue to rise to the challenge in 2027 against new and old opponents. - Arte Reed, Nebraska Contributor 

16. Pius X “Spectrum”

Pius X is still on the rise, even after Edgar Estrada’s departure. Ian Mitchell has fully taken over as the new director of Spectrum. The group made finals everywhere they went in 2026 and scored a win at Lincoln Northeast to cap the season off. Spectrum witnessed excellent performances from their rivals in Lincoln, such as Standing Bear and Lincoln High, and faced high challenges from Lincoln Southwest and Lincoln East. Pius X continues to become a prominent school in the Nebraska scene as they continue to grow after each season. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor  

17. Lincoln High “Chain Reaction”

Lincoln High had another spectacular season soaring through the sky. This year, Chain Reaction obtained two second place finishes at the start and end of their season. In between those two competitions, Lincoln High faced off against tough opponents such as Norris, Elkhorn South, and Omaha South. They gave each show their all, only falling to sixth place one during the entire season at their most difficult competition, Norris. Good things are flying towards Chain Reaction, as they are on the right path to success in future seasons. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor

18. Grand Island Senior “Ultimate Image”

GISH had a tough season this year, first losing to Chain Reaction at Hastings, and then missing finals at both Lincoln East and Sioux City East, the first time the group has missed finals since 2017. Those, alongside Omaha South (where Ultimate Image was sixth), were very deep events. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Ultimate Image is a dying program, rather these competitions were very competitive, and their 2027 season will probably feature a kinder calendar. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

19. Kearney “KHS Pops”

Noise was made. Kearney did not allow any other choir to get away with a sweep at the three competitions they went to. The most notable caption steal was at Hastings, where they took Best Band from Grand Island Northwest. KHS Pops was also included in a three caption split at Lincoln Northwest, where Omaha South took Best Choreography and Sioux City East took Best Vocals. Along the way, Kearney stole the Best Vocals caption at Grand Island Northwest and overall placed third. KHS Pops is attracting attention from their caption snags this year, and are starting to rise up as a notable group in Nebraska. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor 

20. Papillon-La Vista “Free Spirit”

Free Spirit has seen a lot of changes over the last few years. This is the first year since 2020 where the group has finished the season winless, and the first year since 2018 where Free Spirit missed finals at a competition. The culprit is probably a combination of a downtick in show quality and an uptick in the quality of competitions attended. However, Free Spirit's show band still sounds as good as ever, and the choreography, while needing some polish, still looks great when executed well, and there are still a ton of students in this program interested in show choir. - Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

21. Burke “Synergy”

What a season. Synergy has been on the rise since Stefanie Catton took over the program last year. They went from one showing in finals in 2025 to four performances in finals in 2026. Their most notable accomplishment was finishing second at Omaha North, taking the Best Band and Best Ballad captions with them. Burke got some travel time outside of the state as well, competing at Waconia, Platte County and Westwood. While they aren't drawing even with the state's titans yet, Synergy should be on any list of groups to watch for in 2027. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor

22. Standing Bear “The Renegades”

In its second year of existence, Standing Bear made the move from a small school to a large school. With that comes new challenges to overcome as the school continues to grow. The Renegades opted into two formidable competitions this year - Lincoln East and Norris - to test their skills against better groups. While they were unable to join the party in finals, Standing Bear had a successful season at the other three competitions, standing above sixth place at all three. The Renegades continue to stand taller each season and have a bright future ahead with growing enrollment on Lincoln's far south side. - Arte Reed, Nebraska contributor

23. Elkhorn “Excel”

Excel started the season on a heater, placing third at Ralson to land their first podium finish since that same competition in 2023. Elkhorn followed that up with a fourth at Standing Bear, beating Burke Synergy to do so. Other highlights of the season included another podium finish at Omaha North to close the season, Max Underwood snagging a Best Soloist caption at Viking Cup, and finishing fifth at the crosstown Elkhorn South competition. Their lone finals miss of the season was at a loaded Grand Island event. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

24. Bellevue West “West Connection”

It’s not everywhere that the 24th-ranked group in the region is an overall event winner, but that’s a testament to the quality of Nebraska show choir. West Connection triumphed at the inaugural Papillion-La Vista Palace Invite, toppling St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy to do so. It was Bellevue West’s first win since 2020. Other finals appearances this season included a third at Lincoln Links and a fourth at Westwood. An appearance at Sioux Falls Roosevelt meant that West Connection competed in three states this season, making them one of the better-traveled groups in Nebraska. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

25. Norfolk “Velocity”

Velocity continued to represent its part of the state in the show choir community, putting themselves out there again in 2026. Velocity was at a couple of the deeper competitions this year, making appearances at Lincoln Southwest and Grand Island, and also made finals at Millard North, placing sixth and taking the Best Opener caption. At the end of the season, Velocity bested Council Bluffs Jefferson to take the win at its hometown Northeast Community College festival. - William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Receiving Votes: Lincoln Northeast “Voices ‘N Harmony”, Ralston “RUSH”