Illinois Show Choir Rankings (3/6/26)

By Dylan Moss, Illinois contributor

This is the fourth edition of Homeroom’s poll rankings of Illinois for the 2026 season, covering and considering results from the week of Feb. 28 and earlier. Three regional experts considered 39 groups and ranked 20 across three divisions.

Championship Mixed:

1. Wheaton North “Flight” (3 first-place votes, no change)

2. Mt. Zion “Swingsations” (NC)

3. El Paso-Gridley “Modulations” (+1)

4. Dwight D. Eisenhower “Express” (-1)

5. Mundelein “Sound” (NC)

6. Wheaton Warrenville South “The Classics” (NC)

7. Glenwood “Titan Fever” (NC)

8. Waubonsie Valley “Sound Check” (NC)

9. Manteno “Magic” (+1)

10. Naperville North “Entourage” (-1)

Receiving Votes: Quincy “Electric Blue”, Oswego “Commotion”

Monster Battles At Mt. Zion

Illinois played host to two major competitions last weekend at Mt. Zion and Sullivan. Mt. Zion featured number one ranked Wheaton North taking on a slew of fantastic choirs from both in state and out. Flight placed a solid third behind Indiana’s Center Grove and Carroll, and ahead of Missouri’s Troy Buchanan. Down the rankings, Glenwood Titan Fever was able to make their way into finals ahead of Naperville North, proving despite their rough last couple of years, they are still a solid choir, and are ready to head back on the up.

Success Stories at Sullivan

Sullivan, while a smaller lineup than Mt. Zion, was certainly not devoid of talent, featuring top Illinois choirs such as Wheaton Warrenville South as well as Indiana titan Zionsville paying a visit. WWS has had its share of struggles this season, however, The Classics were able to rally to a solid second-place finish after being down closely to the Zionsville Choralaires in prelims, giving them solid momentum to finish the season on a higher note than their start. Down the rankings, Manteno made their second finals in a row after missing at their first comp, proving that they’ve also got a solid foot down after a rockier start.

Illinois Invades Iowa

While there was a lot of action in state this weekend, Illinois groups also featured at three Iowa competitions this weekend. At Davenport West, Waubonsie and Oswego got a solid second and third respectively, as well as flipping placements from prelims to finals. Mundelein attended Western Dubuque, where they ended their season with a great podium finish ahead of Wisconsin powerhouse La Crosse. Finally, while they didn’t quite make the rankings this week, no Illinois news recap would be complete without mentioning Quincy Electric Blue getting their first win in program history at Central Lee. The first win is always a monumental achievement for any program, and this one is a major testament to what director Ben Dombroski has brought to the program, taking Electric Blue from a group that made finals once in a blue moon to winning a competition overall. Quincy continues to improve year by year, and the future is brighter than ever for Electric Blue.

The Chicagoland Showcase is Back!

The John Hersey Chicagoland Showcase is back in peak form this weekend, featuring top talent from in state and out. Local groups like Wheaton North, Naperville North, El Paso-Gridley, Waubonsie Valley, and Manteno will defend their home turf against out-of-state programs like Noblesville, Chesterton, and Perrysburg. Many groups are looking to take successful seasons and end them with a bang, and some groups will look to make one last comeback attempt before the end of the season. Nonetheless, top talent and storylines will collide, and Chicagoland Showcase will once again be one of the marquee events in Illinois.

Single Gender

1. Mt. Zion “You’ve Got Male” (2 first-place votes, no change)

2. El Paso-Gridley “Hi-Fidelity” (1 first-place vote, NC)

3. Wheaton Warrenville South “Esprit” (NC)

4. Mt. Zion “Les Femmes” (NC)

5. Mother MacAuley “Mac Melody” (NC)

Receiving Votes: Naperville North “Vivant”, Danville “Contemporaires”

The Calm…

While last weekend was very eventful for mixed Illinois groups, it was a quieter one for single-gender, as only one top-five group competed. That group, Wheaton Warrenville South Esprit, competed at Sullivan, where they had a great showing, making overall finals and beating a solid mixed group in Manteno. Esprit competes one last time this weekend at Janesville Craig where they will hope to make another overall finals berth. Unranked Naperville North Vivant competed at Mt. Zion where they unfortunately fell short to Carroll and CG’s girls and missed a two-group finals.

... and the Storm

This weekend will be quite the opposite, as there will be crazy competition to look forward to all over. At Hersey, Hi Fidelity takes on a slew of single-gender groups from Illinois and Indiana, as they look to keep their hot streak alive with another win. Naperville Vivant will also look for a comeback berth in their dwindling window to find that spark. At Glenwood, Mt. Zion’s groups will face Indiana contender Westfield, who has seen success this season. Number one-ranked You’ve Got Male has been on a legendary run this season, but this will be their biggest test yet. With both HiFi and YGM taking on fantastic competition, this will be a chance for both groups to take the number one spot before finally facing each other at WWS.

Festival Mixed

1. Sullivan “Singers” (3 first-place votes, no change)

2. Crete-Monee “Cavaliers” (NC)

3. Danville “Delegation” (NC)

4. Carmel Catholic “Cadence” (NC)

5. Herscher “Class Act” (NC)

Receiving Votes: Mundelein “Reverb”

Action All Over

Illinois’ festival mixed was represented at four competitions this weekend in three states. At Mt. Zion, Crete-Monee and Peotone placed second and third respectively at Mt. Zion, behind Troy Soundwave from Missouri. Herscher also placed second at Sullivan behind Indiana outfit BEAT Amplitude. Danville made the trip up to Lafayette Jefferson in Indiana, where they placed a solid third ahead of multiple strong Indiana groups. Finally, Mundelein Reverb placed second at Western Dubuque behind prep powerhouse Davenport Central Blue Vibrations.

The End Draws Near

The festival mixed action continues next weekend, and concludes for some groups as they look to end the season on a high note. Top two groups Sullivan and Crete go for one last run at each other at Glenwood, where they will look to potentially claim the number one rankings spot with a win, and potentially an overall finals berth. Pekin and Springfield will also do battle lower in the division, as Pekin looks to go out with a bang at their last competition ever.

At John Hersey, Carmel Catholic will look to claim their first division win in program history, but will need to fend off Peotone to do so. Finally, Danville will head down to Avon, Indiana, where they will once again face off with a strong field of Indiana groups such as DeKalb and Batesville. The season is quickly drawing to a close for these groups, so be on the lookout for one last big shakeup to end the year.