Indianapolis and Fort Wayne groups battle at Huntington North for Top Honors

After a relatively stable weekend with only a few upsets across northern Indiana, Huntington North High School will be hosting the Midwest Showcase, where huge portions of the Fort Wayne circuit will finally be competing against each other directly. 

Lineup

Unisex

Northrop “Allure”

Northridge “Starlights”

Noblesville “Sensation”

Homestead “Elite”

Jay County “Just Treble”

Noblesville “New Dimension”

Westfield “Illumination”

Columbia City “City Lights”

Small Mixed

Crestview “Knight Vision”

Kokomo “Karisma Singers”

Bellmont “Brave Generation”

Bishop Dwenger “Summit Sound”

Columbia City “City Heat”

Medium Mixed

DeKalb “Classic Connection”

Churubusco “New Era”

Jay County “Patriot Edition”

Large Mixed

Northridge “Northern Lights”

Noblesville “NHS Singers”

Northrop “Charisma”

Homestead “Class Royale”

Homestead Makes An Appearance

So far this year, Homestead “Class Royale” and “Elite” have yet to compete against other Fort Wayne groups save for Carroll last weekend at Northridge. Homestead’s matchup against Chesterton at Northridge was our first insight into how successful Homestead will be this year, as before this they were sent home early by Indy giants, Avon, Plainfield, and North Central at Southmont. Being the first competition against the majority of Fort Wayne groups, this will be one of only two chances for Homestead to prove their competitiveness this season in Fort Wayne.

Small Mixed Bloodbath

With only 5 finalist spots in mixed, DeKalb, Churubusco, Jay County, and Columbia City will all be vying for that coveted final spot. While it’s by no means impossible two of these groups make finals, Huntington North’s auditorium with the judges way back in their own boxes will present a challenge for smaller groups. Additionally, all of these groups have been fairly close all year with Columbia City as the current front runner, outplacing Churubusco last week at the DeKalb Choir Festival.

Visitors

This weekend, two programs from the Indianapolis metro, Noblesville and Westfield will be making an appearance in the large divisions, as well as Kokomo and Crestview in the small divisions. The biggest point of interest with regard to visitors is in the women’s division, with both Westfield “Illumination” and Noblesville “New Dimension” facing off after strong placements for both groups this season.

Predictions

Treble

GC: Westfield “Illumination”(sweep)

1ru: Noblesville “New Dimension”

2ru: Northrop “Allure”

3ru: Columbia City “City Lights”

4ru: Northridge “Starlights”

5ru: Homestead “Elite”

6ru: Jay County “Just Treble”

7ru: Noblesville “Sensation”

Every group in this division deserves to make finals. However only 3 groups will move on to finals. Westfield is an impressive program. In just their third season, they made finals at Chesterton beating Carroll “Select Sound”, Brandon “Bellas”, Cosby “Rhapsody”, and Northrop “Allure” who will be rematching them again this weekend. Illumination also took their first ever grand championship earlier this season and will be looking for their second at this competition. Noblesville “New Dimension” also made finals at Davenport Central in Iowa. At this competition they had an open finals format, where Noblesville was the only unisex group to make finals. Northrop “Allure” was greatly underestimated coming into this season. While they started slow, Northrop faced some of the nation's best in the first few weeks. At DeKalb, they proved where they stand, beating Columbia City “City Lights” for the first time since 2020, and Huntington North “Viking Volume” for the first time on record.

Northridge and Homestead both have great shows but haven’t had the results that display their full potential. Columbia City remains somewhat of a wildcard. With just 17 girls, they’ve beat “Viking Volume” by a considerable margin at DeKalb, and Northridge “Starlights” placed behind Huntington North in prelims at Homestead. However, with the structure of Huntington North’s auditorium, “City Lights” will have to project very far while maintaining a healthy and supported sound, which will make it difficult for them to contend against larger groups like Northridge and Homestead. These predictions could make you think Jay County “Just Treble” is not a strong group, or even a contender, but this is not the case. Jay County has yet to compete against any Fort Wayne groups other than the top large unisex group in the region, Carroll “Select Sound”, and the top small unisex group, Columbia City “City Lights”, which leaves some uncertainty in where they stand in Fort Wayne. While those top two placements are likely confirmed that third finalist spot will be up in the air for any of these talented groups.

Large Mixed

GC: Noblesville “NHS Singers” (sweep)

1ru: Northrop “Charisma”

2ru: Northridge “Northern Lights”

3ru: Homestead “Class Royale”

Noblesville is certainly the group to beat. They started their season strong, beating Loveland (OH), Hurricane (WV), Piqua (OH), and taking best vocals at Beavercreek. This past weekend they got second runner up in Iowa. Before that, they took 1st Runner Up at Fishers, beating Lawrence North. Northrop, Northridge, and Homestead are all competing against each other for the first time this season, which could yield interesting results. Northrop has had the most success this season, beating Huntington North “Varsity Singers” at DeKalb to take 1st Runner Up overall, while Northridge is only at their second competition after failing to make Large Mixed finals at the Homestead Classic Showcase.

Medium Mixed

1ru: DeKalb “Classic Connection” (BC)

2ru: Jay County “Patriot Edition” (BV)

3ru: Churubusco “New Era”

These three have swapped places all season, making this division incredibly difficult to predict. What we do know is DeKalb took a weekend off, Jay County got Second Runner Up this weekend at Kenton, and Churubusco has defeated and lost to both of these groups. Truly this division is anyone’s game. 

Small Mixed

GC: Columbia City “City Heat” (sweep)

1ru: Bishop Dwenger “Summit Sound”

2ru: Kokomo “Karisma Singers”

3ru: Crestview “Knight Vision”

4ru: Bellmont “Brave Generation” 

Columbia City is the favorite in this division, as they have outplaced both DeKalb and Churubusco this season, who are in the middle mixed division at this competition.

Bishop Dwenger “Summit Sound” started their season, shocking many by taking small mixed grand championship at Beavercreek, beating South Dearborn “Opening Knight” and West Jessamine (KY) “Dually Noted”. The next weekend they came in second behind Alliance “Jet Setters” at North Royalton in the small division. They made finals for the first time this year at Northridge. Overall this year, Summit Sound has shown a dedication to improvement. While it’s unlikely they make finals, this program absolutely has the potential to go places in the coming years under the direction of Tess Stachofsky. 

Kokomo “Karisma Singers” has had an enigmatic season, with their placement at Pike not being known. Last year, Kokomo made state for the first time in the Large School Division, where they had to overcome a significant group size disadvantage.

Crestview “Knight Vision” is the only out of state visitor this weekend, coming from Ohio. Crestview started their season at Carroll, where they beat Anderson Prep, and narrowly lost to Norwell. It is unknown how they placed Kenton. This year Crestview certainly has a more challenging competition schedule than in previous years, displaying their group's commitment to growth this season and pushing themselves, a trait that is unfortunately less common in the show choir world than it should be.

Belmont “Brave Generation” started their season at Northrop this year, and next went to Chesterton. While they didn’t place at either competition, they certainly had fun, as was clear on their faces during their performance. 

Mixed Finals

GC: Noblesville “NHS Singers” (sweep)

1ru: Northrop “Charisma”

2ru: Northridge “Northern Lights”

3ru: Columbia City “City Heat”

4ru: Homestead “Class Royale”

Finals will likely include all four large mixed groups and Columbia City “City Heat" from the small mixed division. Columbia City, despite their size, has dominated Fort Wayne’s small division, and took best Vocals from Huntington North at DeKalb, trailing them in finals by less than half a point. Columbia City’s small size is made up for with precise choreography and surprisingly powerful vocals. Huntington North’s auditorium certainly provides a challenge for the small mixed underdog, but Northridge, Columbia City, and Homestead are going into this competition on fairly even footing otherwise. After several podium placements this year, Noblesville will likely take their first overall grand championship since 2024 ahead of Northrop and Northridge.