Comps of the Week Recap: 1/10/26

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Choirs dominated their events to start the season, with all four Comps of the Week winners taking captions for both vocals and choreography over their competitors.

Des Moines Christian Illumination

Final Results

GC: Waukee “Millennium” (BV/BC/BB)

1RU: Cedar Rapids Washington “Momentum”

2RU: Pella “AcaPella”

3RU: Indianola “Side One”

4RU: Norwalk “Sound Revolution”

5RU: Dallas Center-Grimes “Momentum”

The season of The Great Flare has begun with a sweep for Millennium. Year two of the Tony Dam era is off and running, improving upon a two-caption win at Illumination last year for a full sweep this year. Momentum, another group with the same creative team as last year, held solid in second and looks to be a solid eastern Iowa contender this year. Third through fifth was a gaggle of choirs with new head directors this year, with Pella (under the new head direction of Tyler Gajewsky) jumping from fourth in prelims to third in finals, Indianola (under new direction of Nathanael Smale) falling a spot in the evening round and Norwalk (under new direction of Brandt Roskens) finishing fifth. DCG, now in its fifth season of direction under Renee Davenport, rounded out the finals.

Holmen Gathering

Final Results

GC: Waukee Northwest “Eos” (BV/BC)

1RU: Sparta “Upstage Adrenaline”

2RU: Onalaska “Hilltoppers”

3RU: Sauk Prairie “Executive Session”

4RU: Neenah “Vintage”

5RU: Reedsburg “Choraliers”

Eos took care of the business they were supposed to take care of, debuting its show A Face to Call Home and winning. The major headline concerns the other two steps of the podium, with Sparta taking its first-ever head-to-head win against Onalaska. Upstage Adrenaline, in only its fourth varsity season, toppled Wisconsin show choir’s current standard-bearer in a true “coming of age” moment. Sauk Prairie came out of the gate much more polished, both vocally and visually, than in past years and notched a solid fourth. Neenah, despite having only 33 performers, extended its finals streak to nine competitions, last missing finals at this competition two years ago. Reedsburg beat DeForest, Chippewa Falls, Plymouth and South St. Paul to make finals.

Sioux Falls Jefferson Cavalier Classic

Final Results

GC: Ankeny Centennial “Spectrum” (BV/BC/BB)

1RU: Aberdeen Central “Eagle Express”

2RU: Sioux Falls Washington “Classic Connection”

3RU: Omaha South “The Ambassadors”

4RU: Ankeny Centennial “Vortex”

5RU: Sioux Falls Roosevelt “Executive Suite”

Old habits die hard, and if Spectrum’s show this year proves anything, it’s that a lighthouse, or just some kind of a boat, is a good indicator of success for your show choir. Spectrum swept in its first-ever appearance in South Dakota. Aberdeen Central has seemingly recaptured the magic, as its runner-up placement is higher than any of its 2025 results and higher than both Sioux Falls Washington and Roosevelt. Washington finished 2025 as best of the Sioux Falls choirs, and in a scene that constantly sees change, held serve against crosstown choir Roosevelt. Omaha South put a foot in the right direction before Millard West in two weeks, and Sioux Falls Roosevelt made finals at Jefferson for the first time since 2022. Neither O’Gorman or Ankeny Centennial Eternal Rush were able to beat the large mixed choirs for a berth in finals.

Wildcard: Maryville Spoofhound Spectacular

The Results

1^st: Oak Park “Oak Street Singers” (BV/BC)

2^nd: Skutt Catholic “Vivace”

3^rd: Smith-Cotton “New Score Singers”

4^th: Pleasant Hill “Hillside Singers”

5^th: Denison “Singing Ambassadors”

Small School Winner: Cameron “Lights, Cameron, Action!”

In a competition that had no clear standout choir, Oak Park rose to the moment and became the standout choir that took both captions that were awarded in the large mixed division. It was Oak Street’s first win since 2018 and came on the heels of a 2025 competition that saw the group place fourth, two spots behind Skutt. Skutt, which was in the large school division here despite mostly competing in small-school Nebraska divisions, took a nice runner-up finish. Smith-Cotton, who broke out last year with a shock win at Rock Bridge, started this year off well after not making finals at Maryville last year. New Score will look to build consistency this season to compliment breakout placements. Cameron, who only had one placement recorded last year across several competitions, dispatched Chillicothe and Smith-Cotton’s prep group to take the first Missouri small-school division win of the season.

As more circuits begin their seasons this upcoming week, look for coverage of competitions in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and more in the next Comps of the Week column.