Four Competitions Headline Valentine's Weekend in the Southern Circuit
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Tony Holeman, Southern Contributor
To all the competitors competing this weekend or the sickos who determined the best way to spend Valentine’s was watching show choir, happy competition weekend either way! Coming off a truly eccentric weekend brings us to another exciting round of Southern show choir, where most groups will have competed at least once following this set of events. So sit back and follow along as we dive into the different competitions this weekend!
Homewood South Central Classic
The spotlight of this weekend falls in Homewood, where Southern champion Clinton “Attache” will be making their season debut. Not only are they starting anew the weekend after Southern powerhouse Homewood fell, but they’ll be doing it against a debuting Oak Mountain and a hungry Auburn group. Factor in that this large mixed division is rounded out by a strong Spain Park, Northwest Rankin, and Jackson Academy, and we could have ourselves another groundbreaking weekend before you know if the cards fall that way. The middle mixed division is comprised of only Albertville and Sumrall, but the small mixed division is filled with competition including a new Tallassee show, Chelsea, and a debuting Pisgah (first ever out-of-state competition for my alma matter!). The single-gender division holds groups from previously mentioned programs in Oak Mountain, Northwest Rankin, Albertville, and both groups from Auburn. With 18 groups competing, a debuting Clinton, and a solid mix of new and tested shows, this event is sure to be a doozy!
Homewood South Central Classic Predictions (Five finalists)
Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.
GC) Clinton “Attache” (Sweep)
1RU) Oak Mountain “Singers”
2RU) Spain Park “Rhapsody In Blue”
3RU) Auburn “Varsity Singers”
4RU) Northwest Rankin “The Ambassadors”
1st in Large) Clinton “Attache”
1st in Middle) Sumrall “Legacy”
1st in Small) Pisgah “Innergy”
1st in Single Gender) Oak Mountain “The Muses”
Tupelo King City Classic
This event has one group seeing red: Grenada. They will be looking to bounce back after getting swept during their debut last weekend against Tupelo. Such a feat will not come easy, as they will have to fend off Biloxi, Briarwood, and traveling-visitor Prairie for the Grand Championship spot. Speaking of our traveling visitors from Iowa, Prairie seems to enter this event as favorites in their 3A division against the previously mentioned Biloxi, Briarwood, and Hamilton (the latter group being the only one to have performed thus far). The 2A division is completed by Pearl River Central, Jasper, and Clinton Christian Academy (unclear if Clinton Christian Academy's group size has increased or they moved up to avoid an empty division). The single gender tier has a mix of 3A and 2A programs, with Briarwood, Pearl River Central, and both groups from Biloxi in attendance.
Tupelo King City Classic Predictions (Five finalists)
Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.
GC) Grenada “Visions” (BC/Show Design)
1RU) Prairie “The Ambassadors” (BV)
2RU) Briarwood “Radica”
3RU) Biloxi “Sound Surge”
4RU) Biloxi “Sound Sirens”
Only Group in 4A) Grenada “Visions”
1st in 3A) Prairie “The Ambassadors”
1st in 2A) Jasper “Phoenix”
1st in Single Gender) Biloxi “Sound Sirens”
West Jones Invitational
Arguably the most underrated matchup or two of the weekend occurs in Laurel, where not only do we get a debuting Petal show (the lone group in 4A), but we will get to see that show compete against extremely strong performances from proven Northeast Jones and South Jones groups (with the latter being the lone 2A group). This marks the first time this season that any of these three groups have competed against one another, so it will tell us a lot going forward. Joining Northeast Jones in the 3A division is Oak Grove. In the 1A division, it looks to be another close bout between West Marion and Pass Christian, with Wayne County and Columbia Academy filling out the division. The single gender division includes treble groups from both Petal and Purvis.
West Jones Invitational Predictions (No finalists)
Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.
GC) Petal “Soundsations” (Sweep)
1RU) Northeast Jones “Gold Horizons”
2RU) South Jones “Company”
3RU) Petal “Innovations”
4RU) West Marion “New Era”
Only Group in 4A) Petal “Soundsations”
1st in 3A) Northeast Jones “Gold Horizons”
Only Group in 2A) South Jones “Company”
1st in 1A) West Marion “New Era”
1st in Single Gender) Petal “Innovations”
Rome Three Rivers Show Choir Invitational
One of the few “Southskirt” circuit competitions of the year, the Three Rivers Invitational offers a number of groups to achieve something different: to either complete their first back-to-back Grand Championship seasons in 5 years (Donelson Christian Academy), to win their first Grand Championship in 10 years (Bradley Central), or win their first Grand Championship ever (Cleveland). With that being said, they will have to do it against the likes of both Tift County and their own treble group, as both groups have shown the capability to earn their own respective Grand Championships over the last few seasons. Even better? Lake Forest Middle School is here, and while it is reported middle schools will not be eligible for the overall Grand Champion status at this event, they did beat both Cleveland and Bradley Central last year to earn their own Grand Championship title.
Rome Three Rivers Show Choir Invitational Predictions (No finalists)
Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.
GC) Tift County “8th Street Singing Company” (Sweep)
1st in Large) Donelson Christian Academy “Legacy”
1st in Middle) Tift County “8th Street Singing Company”
Only Group in Single Gender) Tift County "Ladies Choice"
Travelers
Both Brandon's mixed and treble group will be traveling north to their third consecutive Chesterton Trojan Classic. If you're interested in our preview, check out the Chesterton Trojan Classic Preview article for further information. We wish them the best of luck and safe travels!
Come right back here after the weekend is over for a dissection of all the results, whether they be chalk or upsets. Good luck to all the groups! (P.S. buy someone some flowers!)