Final hurrahs for the south and Nebraska, plus the penultimate competition for Ohio, a midseason Virginia tilt and the first national competition of the year!
Cosby Titan Tournament of Choirs Final Results
GC: John Burroughs “Powerhouse” (BV/BC)
1RU: Chesterton “Sandpipers” (BB)
2RU: Troy Buchanan “Express”
3RU: Scranton “First Edition”
4RU: Troy Buchanan “Soundwave”
The eight-state competing lineup did not disappoint, as home-state choirs were shut out entirely of finals. John Burroughs has now competed in three of the past four weekends and is up to three wins. However, they will now have a long hiatus before they see the competition stage again at Oceanside on April 20. Chesterton has now competed in four different states this year and has finished no lower than second. Cosby was a little bit of a bump in the road for Troy, who had notched three wins, three Best Vocals and three Best Choreographies earlier this season. However, a third-place showing is still a good effort here. Scranton was the only non-large choir to make the finals, cementing their reputation as one of the East’s best small ensembles. Powhatan was right behind them in middle mixed, the highest-placing Virginia choir. Hanover, also from Virginia, won small mixed. The womens finals on Friday did not disappoint either, as Douglas S. Freeman Harmony in Motion took Best Band and second place, slotting in between Burroughs and Chesterton.
Fairfield Crystal Classic Final Results
GC: Marysville “Swingers Unlimited” (BV/BC/BB)
1RU: Loveland “By Request”
2RU: Olentangy “Keynotes”
3RU: Clover Hill “New Dimensions”
4RU: Twinsburg “Great Expectations”
5RU: Robert C. Byrd “Vocal Intensity”
Folks, it’s just been one of those trademark Marysville seasons. What started as a split-caption win at Winfield with Olentangy appearing a serious challenger ended in Swingers Unlimited going five-for-six, with Carmel and Brandon the only groups that beat them this year. All five wins also came with Best Choreography awards, appropriate for a group named Swingers Unlimited. Loveland has now hit four straight second-place finishes after an early-season win at Beavercreek, but sits in the drivers seat to win this upcoming weekend at FAME America. Clover Hill dipped on going to Cosby, which is right across town, but backed up their two wins early this season with a solid placement here. While there were questions about New Dimensions after the departure of longtime creative team Rachel Snyder and Steven Todd, Nicole Whitby and Ben Eklund have answered most of them at the end of their second year at the helm. Peter Hampton and JJ Jones have Great Expectations back to a finals-level group following the departure of Randall Lanoue in the pandemic. It’s also worth noting that large womens choirs were locked out of the big finals, an accomplishment for all six mixed groups who made it. Edgewood took home the small finals win, followed by South Dearborn, Ross and Sheridan.
Heart of America Nashville Final Results
GC: Franklin Central “F.C. Singers” (BV/BC)
1RU: Wheaton North “Flight” (BB)
2RU: Carroll “Magic”
3RU: Franklin Central “High Voltage”
4RU: Tupelo “Synergy”
5RU: Carroll “Select Sound”
Despite HOA being two states away and carrying the prestige of a national contest, it seems like just another competition for a Franklin Central group that routinely runs through the washing machine of Indianapolis show choir. Wheaton North capped off a solid season that saw them only finish lower than second once – Flight also took at least one of the three major captions everywhere they went. Carroll finished as lowest of the three varsity mixed groups, but finished ahead of all the womens groups. It’s a rare look at how things stack up in between divisions in Indiana, as a combined mixed/womens finals division is hard to come by. The bottom three choirs in finals were a similar story to the top three. Franklin Central led and Carroll was third, sandwiching a choir that didn’t have any siblings at the competition. While Tupelo was looking to clear the womens division after a close loss to the Center Grove Debtones at this competition last year, Franklin Central had their number in both prelims and finals.
Tift County Peach State Invitational Results
Large Mixed
1st: Brandon “Brio” (BV/BC)
2nd: Oak Mountain “Singers” (Overall Effect)
3rd: Oak Grove “Center Stage”
Small Mixed
1st: Appling County “Applause” (BV/BC/Overall Effect)
2nd: Tarpon Springs “Syndicated Sound”
3rd: Rome “Grand Finale”
Womens
1st: Brandon “Bellas” (BV/BC)
2nd: Oak Mountain “The Muses” (Overall Effect)
Brandon essentially ends the season where they started it – as one of the best show choirs in the South. While a couple bumps in the road appeared early in the season, both Brio and Bellas have seen their shows grow throughout the season. That culminated in a two-caption win over Oak Mountain at Peach State, a competition that Singers came out on top of last season. Singers and Muses will now set their sights on Show Choir Nationals, where Muses will have a tough task defending their title from last season and Singers will have a similar tough battle to make finals. In small mixed, Appling County took their first division title in over two years, leading ahead of Tarpon Springs, who finished second in small mixed both times they competed this year. Rome rounded out the podium in that division, completing their first season under the direction of Cody Goss.
Millard North Galaxy of the Stars Final Results
GC: Pius X “Spectrum” (BV/BC)
1RU: Omaha South “The Ambassadors”
2RU: Elkhorn South “Blackout”
3RU: Lewis Central “Corporation”
4RU: Elkhorn South “Shockwave”
5RU: Lincoln Northeast “Voices ‘N Harmony”
It’s been nothing short of a breakout season for Pius, who now finds itself knocking on the top tier of Nebraska show choir. Edgar Estrada and Braxton Carr have led the group to four and a half wins in the past two seasons, compared to one in the group’s history up to 2022. Omaha South continued one of its most consistent seasons ever, and will compete for a fourth weekend in a row this upcoming weekend at Mitchell. Elkhorn South competed six times this season, the most for them since 2017, and capped it off here with a solid podium finish. After last making finals on February 3, Lewis Central snatched a fourth-place finish, showing that they can slot in among a crowded Nebraska scene as well. Shockwave won a five-choir womens division in prelims and made finals for the second time in three weeks. Lincoln Northeast rounded out its season with another solid finals placement as the group continues to grow and become more competitive.
Even though some circuits may be winding down, there are plenty that are still going! Check back later in the week for a preview of all the action that will be coming up.
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