Comps of the Week: 1/10/26

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

The start of another show choir season is upon America and that means that Comps of the Week is returning for its fourth season! Each week, three of the country’s best competitions will be spotlighted along with one wild card competition – check HomeRoom social media channels every Monday/Tuesday to look for voting.

Des Moines Christian Illumination

The Lineup (all choirs from Iowa)

Mixed: Cedar Rapids Washington “Momentum”, Dallas Center-Grimes “Momentum”, Indianola “Side One”, Norwalk “Sound Revolution”, Pella “AcaPella”, Waukee “Millennium”

Womens: Pella “Bravo”

Prep: Cedar Rapids Washington “Celebration”, Dallas Center-Grimes “Acceleration”, Indianola “Flip Side”, Norwalk “Sound Adrenaline”, Waukee “Spirit”

Waukee leads this one from the top, looking for a repeat after a 2025 triumph that was the first of Tony Dam’s tenure as head director. Behind them, things get interesting. Last year’s runner-up, Indianola, is now under the new direction of Nathanael Smale, and Norwalk is under the new direction of Brandt Roskens. Pella is a new 4A group, as the IHSMA has declared them as such after a long time as a 3A choir. Cedar Rapids Washington and Dallas Center-Grimes are the only programs where nothing of note happened over the offseason, which makes Illumination a real wildcard contest as several groups come in with something to prove. If Indianola can keep its form from the past two seasons, they will be in the driver’s seat to claim the runner-up spot; however, there are several hungry competitors right on their tail that are eager for a good result to start off the season.

Holmen Gathering

The Lineup (choirs from Wisconsin unless noted)

Mixed: Chippewa Falls “Chi-Hi Harmonics”, DeForest “DeFortes”, Neenah “Vintage 2026”, Onalaska “Hilltoppers”, Plymouth “Momentum”, Reedsburg “Choraliers”, Sauk Prairie “Executive Session”, South St. Paul “SouthSide Sensation” (MN), Sparta “Upstage Adrenaline”, Waukee Northwest “Eos” (Iowa)

Womens: Sauk Prairie “YTBN”, Sparta “Upstage Adrenaline”

Prep: Drummond “Jack Attack”, Neenah “Act II”, Onalaska “Express”, Waukee Northwest “Aurora” (Iowa)

Holmen’s 30^th competition will be its third at the beginning of the competition season, with Onalaska winning each of the previous two years. They will face a formidable challenge from Waukee Northwest, who is eschewing the local Des Moines Christian competition to make its first Wisconsin appearance in the choir’s five-season history. Both choirs came out of the gate swinging in 2025; Saturday’s battle will simply determine who is stronger. Sparta and Sauk Prairie both finished 2025 strong, Sparta with a win at Janesville Craig and Sauk Prairie with a second at a loaded El Paso competition – they should be solid finals contenders. The fifth and sixth spots are really up for grabs. Neenah, Reedsburg, and Chippewa Falls all had their best post-pandemic seasons in 2025. Will two of those three (or someone else) sneak into finals and potentially play spoiler?

Sioux Falls Jefferson Cavalier Classic

The Lineup (choirs from South Dakota unless noted)

Large Mixed: Aberdeen Central “Eagle Express”, Ankeny Centennial “Spectrum” (Iowa), Ankeny Centennial “Vortex” (Iowa), Omaha South “The Ambassadors” (Nebraska), Sioux Falls Roosevelt “Executive Suite”, Sioux Falls Washington “Classic Connection”

Medium Mixed: Ankeny Centennial “Eternal Rush” (Iowa), O’Gorman “Ovation!”

Womens: Aberdeen Central “Eagle Express”, Sioux Falls Roosevelt “Capitol Harmony”, Sioux Falls Washington “Stage Lights”

Prep: Ankeny Centennial “Chaos” (Iowa), Dell Rapids “Espresso”

Expanded Coverage: Iowa, Nebraska Groups Bring Gusto to Cavalier Classic

Jefferson always does a good job of attracting South Dakota groups looking for an early start to the season, but this year they have brought in challenger talent from multiple states, making the fifth Cav Classic a very interesting affair. Ankeny Centennial will enter as the favorite, coming off a split-caption second at HOA Orlando to close the 2025 season. Omaha South will represent Nebraska, hoping to put together another solid show in a way that only a few groups can with a copious amount of Spanish singing thrown in. Washington ended 2025 as the best of the Sioux Falls choirs, but in a circuit that sees a new power every year, they will have to work hard to beat Roosevelt to keep that title. Ankeny Centennial Vortex, as the only womens choir in large mixed, in an unknown quantity. There’s a chance they’re sixth, but there’s a chance that they’re second. No matter where they place, Vortex will impact the results in a huge way.

Wildcard: Maryville Spoofhound Spectacular

The Lineup (choirs from Missouri unless noted)

Large School: Denison “Singing Ambassadors” (Iowa), Oak Park “Oak Street Singers”, Pleasant Hill “Hillside Singers”, Skutt Catholic “Vivace” (Nebraska), Smith-Cotton “New Score Singers”

Small School: Cameron “Lights, Cameron, Action!”, Chillicothe “Choraliers”, Carrollton “Ninth Street Singers”, Hiawatha “Headliners” (Kansas), Smith-Cotton “Broadway Velocity”

Womens: Mercy “Treblemakers” (Nebraska), Oak Park “Treble FX”, Skutt Catholic “Allegro”

The seconed annual Spoofhound Spectacular will not feature a finals round, meaning each of the five large school choirs will have one shot to prove they’re the best. Skutt and Smith-Cotton both scored wins in 2025 after a long time out of the win column, and stacking another win on top of that would be a huge momentum builder for either program. Oak Park and Pleasant Hill, the other home-state choirs in this division, both have seen success in past years and shouldn’t be counted out either. There are legitimate scenarios in which any of Oak Park, Pleasant Hill, Skutt or Smith-Cotton win, and that’s what makes this competition so exciting. It’s completely wide open, and with no reset for a finals round, there’s even more variability thrown in. The small school division sees the battle of the C schools, with Cameron, Chillicothe and Carrollton all battling for a good early-season placement.

Check Comps of the Week Recap early next week to get analysis on everything that went down at these four comps over the weekend!