Chaos at Crete Shakes Up Illinois Show Choir Rankings (2/13/26)

By Dylan Moss, Illinois Contributor

This is the first edition of HomeRoom’s poll rankings of Illinois for the 2026 season, covering results from the week of Feb. 7 and earlier. Three regional experts considered 39 groups and ranked 20 of them across three divisions.

Championship Mixed

1.  Wheaton North “Flight” (3 first-place votes)

2. Mt. Zion “Swingsations”

3. El Paso-Gridley “Modulations”

4. Mundelein “Sound”

5. Glenwood “Titan Fever”

6. Wheaton Warrenville South “The Classics”

7. Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express”

8. Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check”

9. Oswego “Commotion”

10. Naperville North “Entourage”

    Receiving Votes: Manteno "Magic"

    
    

News and Notes

Chaos at Crete

The first competition in the Illinois circuit at Crete-Monee delivered some shocking results to say the absolute least. Mundelein took a statement win, overcoming Dwight D. Eisenhower, who swept in prelims, to make another note in what is looking like a great year for the program. Oswego finished third on the podium, an incredible result for them, while Wheaton Warrenville South was relegated to a fourth-place finish. However, the biggest chaos happened before the finals round, as two of Illinois’ marquee programs in Manteno and Naperville North missed finals, both for the first time since 2020. Both programs were favorites to make the finals round, so them missing certainly brought a shock to the circuit’s system.

Battles at Bettendorf

Two of the top three groups, Wheaton North and El Paso-Gridley, met last weekend at Bettendorf, where they not only went against each other, but some strong Iowa groups as well. Wheaton North walked away with a victory, but only the Best Band caption, as Best Vocals went to Davenport North and Best Choreography went to El Paso-Gridley. While Flight was certainly hoping to walk out with a caption, the win does still show the group has a strong core and a strong show design, which will prove useful next weekend at Chesterton, and EPG proved that they’re still one of the state’s strongest visual groups, and will be competitive in that field almost anywhere.

Mt. Zion is So Back

The Mt. Zion Swingsations took their annual trip to Troy Buchanan last weekend, where they met fellow Illinois choir Glenwood, as well as Missouri mainstays like Neosho and Rock Bridge. There, Swings took a statement win in director Christina Cawthon’s debut competition, getting back in the win column after missing last year. Swings were third in prelims, and them making the jump to first shows a culture of resilience being built in the program. Glenwood ended up in third place, solidly holding their own against the talent at the top as the program continues to improve as well.

Who Wins The Clash?

Three top ten groups headline Naperville North Clash of the Sequins this Saturday in the form of Wheaton Warrenville South, Mt. Zion, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. WWS hasn’t gotten the results they have wanted this season, with a fifth-place finish at Davenport North, and a fourth at Crete-Monee. However, Naperville has been a turning point comp for Classics in past seasons, and this could be a great opportunity to finally get the monkey off their back. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mt. Zion is looking to keep the heat up after a victorious outing at Troy last week by making it two in a row. Not to be counted out, Eisenhower has cemented themselves as one of Illinois’ most sneaky-good choirs, and is also looking to make some more noise here.

Single-Gender

1. El Paso-Gridley “Hi Fidelity” (3 first-place votes)

2. Mother McAuley “Mac Melody”

3. Wheaton Warrenville South “Esprit”

4. Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male”

5. Mt. Zion “Les Femmes”

   Receiving Votes: Naperville North "Vivant"

News and Notes

Mother MacAuley Makes Waves at Crete

One of Illinois’ lesser-known programs, a small all-womens liberal arts school named Mother MacAuley, turned heads across the nation last weekend at Crete-Monee. Mother Mac not only beat Illinois’ perennial premier single-gender group Wheaton Warrenville South Esprit, but beat two strong mixed groups in Manteno and Naperville North to make overall finals at the event. This is by far the program’s biggest result to date, vaulting them up to a well-deserved runner-up spot in the rankings, as well as a massive momentum boost going into a competitive bout at Chesterton.

Hi Fidelity Breaking into Finals Rounds

El Paso-Gridley Hi Fidelity has been on one heck of a run as of late, winning their division at all of their competitions so far as well as making finals whenever they were eligible. HiFi had only made finals once within the two years before, so making two in one year is a fantastic showing. They’ve also beaten solid mixed groups within those finals rounds, placing as high as fourth overall, which is not easy for a single-gender group to do. HiFi’s biggest tests are still yet to come, with stacked divisions at John Hersey and Wheaton South on the horizon, but for now, they are a well-earned number on in the rankings.

Festival Mixed

1. Herscher “Class Act” (1 first-place vote)

2. Danville “Delegation” (1 first-place vote)

3. Sullivan “Singers”

4. Mundelein “Reverb” (1 first-place vote)

5. Crete-Monee “Cavaliers” 

   Receiving Votes: Peotone "Powerhouse"

News and Notes

Festival Groups Open Up at Crete

Crete-Monee saw the first big battle of Illinois’ festival mixed division. In this bout, Herscher took a statement win over last season’s festival king Sullivan, showing that this division may be in for another change-up this season. Mundelein Reverb took another successful result as well, taking third place with the Best Band caption for the day. Peotone and Pekin rounded out the division at fourth and fifth.

Danville Thrives Through Turbulence

One of Illinois’ big storylines heading into the season was the sudden departure of director Jeff Thomas from Danville, leading assistant director and alumni Karrin Estes to spearhead the program. Many wondered if this sudden turbulence would affect Danville’s results, however Danville was quick to answer with a resounding “no”, making a three-group finals round at a loaded small mixed division at Southmont ahead of numerous Indiana mainstays. It looks like Danville isn't going anywhere, and will absolutely be coming for that top spot.

Who Can Make Magic at Manteno?

Manteno’s Main Event is looking to host another solid festival mixed bout this weekend, with Herscher looking to win their second division in a row against a debuting Crete as well as Peotone and Pekin. Danville will be competing in championship mixed alongside EPG and Batavia and will be competing for an overall placement in this one-and-done competition.