Carroll Classic Collects Large and Small Choirs Alike
- AJ Prentice
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By AJ Prentice, Fort Wayne contributor
After a big win last weekend at Northrop, Carroll High School will be the site of the next big Fort Wayne competition. Visitors and locals alike will be debuting their shows here this weekend alongside groups who've already started their seasons.
The Lineup
Large Mixed
Northrop “Charisma"
Franklin Central "FC Singers”
Lafayette Jefferson “First Edition"
Large Womens
Northrop "Allure”
Franklin Central “High Voltage"
Cathedral “Irish Adrenaline"
Small Mixed
Anderson Prep “Vocal Velocity"
Crestview "Knight Visions”
Bishop Luers “Minstrels"
Buckeye Valley "Visions”
DeKalb “Classic Connection"
Norwell "Knight Moves”
Anderson “Singers Unlimited"
Jay County "Patriot Edition”
Whiteland “Rhythm Masters"
Columbia City “City Heat"
Small Womens
Norwell “Knight Stars"
Anderson "Starliters”
Jay County "Just Treble”
Whiteland "Expressions”
New Prairie “Sing Sensation “
Columbia City "City Lights”
Visiting Titans
Lafayette Jefferson traveling to Fort Wayne, while nothing new, is always fun nonetheless. What is new is Franklin Central’s attendance. Franklin Central originally planned on going to Decatur Central; however, they've switched gears and will be attending their first Fort Wayne competition since 2021.
Packed Small Division
The small mixed division includes a massive 10 groups from both Indiana and Ohio. While Fort Wayne's small division is already volatile, half of these groups are not from Fort Wayne, and many have yet to compete this season, making small mixed, and to a lesser extent small womens, very hard to predict. Of the groups who have competed, Whiteland, DeKalb, and Jay County have seen the most success. Whiteland swept this last weekend at Batesville beating Franklin Community, while Jay County and DeKalb traded placements at Northrop.
Predictions (No finals)
Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.
Large Mixed
GC: Franklin Central “FC Singers" (BV/BC)
1RU: Lafayette Jefferson "First Edition”
2RU: Northrop "Charisma”
Indianapolis giant Franklin Central will lean on its many members to produce levels of sound and energy that will be very hard to match. As strong as Lafayette Jefferson is vocally, with their size this year it's unlikely they'll be able to compete with the sheer amount of sound and energy created by Franklin Central. Northrop Charisma has been improving a lot the past few years, placing second at Carroll last year. However, they are still in the learning curve against large groups outside the Fort Wayne bubble.
Large Womens
GC: Franklin Central "High Voltage” (BV/BC)
1RU: Cathedral “Irish Adrenaline"
2RU: Northrop “Allure"
Franklin Central’s sheer size and energy once again will make this a challenge for the other unisex contenders. Cathedral, usually a small womens group, went undefeated last season, with that streak ending last weekend at Edgewood by Hurricane Heat Wave from West Virginia. Northrop Allure has not seen the same success as Charisma recently, meaning they will have an uphill battle to tackle either of the other contenders here.
Small Mixed
GC: Whiteland “Rhythm Masters" (BV/BC)
1RU: Jay County “Patriot Edition"
2RU: Columbia City “City Heat"
3RU: DeKalb “Classic Connection"
4RU: Anderson “Singers Unlimited”
Many show choir fans enjoy the small division for its volatile and ever changing nature. This small mixed lineup is no different. Last season, Columbia City, Jay County, and DeKalb all lost to and beat each other at different competitions. DeKalb has strong choral vocals that get them very far in the early season and generally fall behind in choreography as the weeks go on. This year however, they traded many of the choral moments in their show for far more intense choreography. Columbia City, the smallest of the trio, is notoriously very clean throughout the season. However, their small size puts them at a disadvantage vocally. Jay County, whose wacky second number has gotten lots of attention on the show choir side of TikTok, serves as a happy medium between the two and may just come out ahead of both. Being an Indianapolis-area group and fresh off a win against Franklin Community, Whiteland's strong start puts them in a great position to take home Grand Champion if they can keep up that momentum, while Anderson, on their second year with a new director, will be a wildcard.
Small Womens
GC: Whiteland "Expressions" (BV/BC)
1ru: Jay County “Just Treble"
2ru: Columbia City “City Lights"
3ru: Anderson “Starliters"
4ru: Norwell “Knight Moves"
While Whiteland’s girls didn't sweep against Franklin Community like their mixed counterparts, the other small womens groups share much of the same challenges as their mixed groups. Columbia City is small and a little streaky in terms of placements, Jay County is a jack of all trades, but doesn't have a distinct calling card, and Anderson’s girls remain a wildcard after taking a year's hiatus from competing.