El Paso-Gridley Showdown Features Choirs from Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin

By Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor

In 2025, the El Paso-Gridley Show Choir Showdown sported a stacked lineup of top Illinois choirs, as well as some wild results and happenings up and down the board. Showdown this season promises another stacked lineup featuring groups from four different states, and given how insane the Illinois season has been so far, another rollercoaster result is definitely within the realm of possibilities.

Single-Gender Division

Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male” 

Sparta “Rise Of Adrenaline” 

Mt. Zion “Les Femmes”

Three very strong choirs headline the single-gender division at Showdown this year, two from Mt. Zion and one out of Sparta. You’ve Got Male has had an electric season thus far, not only beating their counterpart Les Femmes twice, but last week taking down Wheaton Warrenville South’s girls group Esprit and their mixed group The Classics for a podium finish at Naperville North. They will look to keep the momentum strong with another division win and possibly a spot in finals. Les Femmes, on the other hand, haven’t had quite the season they have wanted, being the lone single-gender group out of finals at Naperville and losing twice to YGM, something the ladies have certainly not heard the end of from their counterparts. But there’s still plenty of season left for them to bounce back, and they will look to make a starting point here. Sparta Rise Of Adrenaline, the lone out-of-state group in the division, has also had a strong season, with four division wins and a finals berth at Bloomington Kennedy, only falling for the first time last weekend to an insanely strong Millard North group, and will be looking to make one last statement to end the season here.

Festival Mixed

Herscher “Class Act”

Peotone “Powerhouse”

Pekin “Noteables”

Springfield “Collage”

Carmel Catholic “Cadence”

Cedar Rapids Homeschool “ResoNATION”

Troy Buchanan “Soundwave”

Crete-Monee “Cavaliers"

Sullivan “Singers”

In what looks to be Illinois’ biggest undercard brawl of the season, many success stories and a few new faces will converge. Crete is coming off a statement sweep at Manteno, and will look to repeat that here; however, it will be an even more challenging task with the sheer volume and talent of this field. Sullivan has seen success at El Paso in the past, and will be hungrier than ever to reclaim their throne at the top of the division with a win here. Troy Soundwave made overall finals last weekend at Neosho, something that isn’t easy for lower mixed groups to do, and have always been a strong contender when they compete in Illinois. Herscher is looking to get back on top after placing second last weekend, but they will have to adapt to an insanely early 7:35 a.m. time slot. Pekin and Peotone swapped placements last weekend from Crete, proving that their matchup is neck-and-neck. Carmel Catholic is a group that doesn't venture outside of Chicago too often, so it will be interesting to see how they place in a loaded division like this. Finally, two groups in their inaugural competitive seasons, Springfield Collage and Cedar Rapids Homeschool ResoNATION, enter as pretty unknown quantities, and can potentially throw a wrench into this division’s results. Nonetheless, this division promises to be an absolute bloodbath, and the results here will set the tone for the second half of the season.

Championship Mixed

Batavia “Swingsingers”

Oswego “Commotion”

Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express”

Quincy “Electric Blue”

Troy Buchanan “Express”

Sparta “Upstage Adrenaline”

Mt. Zion “Swingsations”

Manteno “Magic”

The top division here is stacked full of great groups looking to keep up the heat, as well as a couple groups looking to get on the right foot. Mt. Zion is red hot right now, coming off a sweep at Naperville last weekend, their second win in a row. They will look to make it three for three this weekend, as well as avenge their sixth-place here last year. Troy Buchanan is also coming off a win last weekend at Neosho, and a win here would fully establish them as a group to watch out for in their later competitions. Sparta, who is coming off a fifth-place finish at a stacked Waconia field, has yet to get in the win column this season. However, Wisconsin groups have a knack to overperform expectations at Showdown, and Sparta will certainly look to keep the trend alive and make a big showing. Eisenhower comes off a strong second-place showing at Naperville, and are aiming for a big podium finish here to end their season. Manteno failed to miss finals at Crete, but they are typically successful at El Paso, and will try to get back on track with a finals berth. Oswego also missed finals at their last outing in potentially the competition of the year at Chesterton, but they still have that podium finish at Crete to their name, and are absolutely a contender for finals here. Quincy has been improving in recent years under Ben Dombroski, and while they aren't favorites for finals going in, making it would be a monumental statement for their program. Finally, Batavia returns to championship after spending a couple of years in festival, and while they’re on the outside looking in for finals, they’ve always been a scrappy group, and could absolutely pull the upset needed.

Predictions

Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.

GC: Mt. Zion “Swingsations” (BC)

1RU: Troy Buchanan “Express” (BV)

2RU: Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express”

3RU: Sparta “Upstage Adrenaline”

4RU: Manteno “Magic”

5RU: Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male”

In what will looks to be a very close top four, Mt. Zion enters as the strongest competitor, with major momentum on their side, as well as what seems to be a full return to their old calling card this season, top-tier choreography. However, Troy Buchanan also remains very strong, and should contend very closely for the win. Sparta has been in the thick of some insane fields this season, and sports a strong, polished and energetic show, something which should see success here. Eisenhower is looking to make one final statement in their last outing in what may be their toughest field yet, but they’ve proven many times that they can make waves in these fields and should not be counted out in the slightest. Manteno’s show sports an insane amount of energy and great showmanship, and they should bounce back into finals here. Finally, there are a few groups that could make the last finals spot, however YGM has proven themselves as a strong contender and enter as one of the strongest competitors for that last spot. Nonetheless, El Paso has seen some wild results in the past, and something crazy happening here would certainly be keeping in the spirit of this season, so don’t be afraid to expect the unexpected.