Iowa, Nebraska Choirs Bring Gusto to Sioux Falls Jefferson Cavalier Classic

By Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

Since its creation in the 2022 season, the Sioux Falls Jefferson Cavalier Classic has always been an impressive early-season competition, bringing together powerhouses from neighboring states to battle titans from in-state. While the 2026 Cav Classic is smaller than previous years, it’s still a very exciting matchup.

Prep Division

Ankeny Centennial “Chaos”

Dell Rapids “Espresso”

Ankeny Centennial is bringing all four of their choirs to Sioux Falls, and their smallest group, Chaos, will battle Espresso in the prep division. Chaos has been choreographed by Nick Quamme since 2024, but will also be choreographed by Logan Eilers, the first choreography credit to Eilers' name.

Womens Division

Sioux Falls Washington “Stage Lights”

Sioux Falls Roosevelt “Capitol Harmony”

Aberdeen Central “Special Request”

With Ankeny Centennial Vortex competing in the large school division, that just leaves the South Dakota womens groups to duke it out in this division. The last time these three faced each other was at O’Gorman Standing O in 2025, where Capitol Harmony won. With a new season, anything can happen this time around.

Small Mixed

Ankeny Centennial “Eternal Rush”

O’Gorman “Ovation”

Interestingly, this division could go either way. Ovation saw a choreographer change this season with Sam Mulligan stepping in for Kevin Chase, and the last time the group saw a choreographer change in 2023, they blew everyone away with their show’s quality. Maybe O’Gorman could recapture that magic again. They will face a formidable foe in Eternal Rush, who is a very good choir for being the third group down in Centennial's lineup of choirs.

Large Mixed

Omaha South “The Ambassadors”

Sioux Falls Roosevelt “Executive Suite”

Sioux Falls Washington “Classic Connection”

Aberdeen Central “Eagle Express”

Ankeny Centennial “Vortex”

Ankeny Centennial “Spectrum”

While this is a smaller lineup than the last few years, it’s still very impressive. Omaha South, while not winning any competitions in 2025, still took home a handful of caption awards and had a very impressive season. Sioux Falls Roosevelt has only made finals at this competition once, and with their Jetson-themed show, there is a chance that could change in 2026. Sioux Falls Washington has seen an increase in quality over the last few years, and now they take to the stage with a Stranger Things-themed show. On the other hand, Aberdeen Central had a rough 2025 season, so many are hoping they bounce back in 2026. And finally, there are the two Ankeny Centennial groups. Vortex has proven itself as arguably the best womens group in Iowa, while Spectrum has shown that they are one of the best groups in Iowa. It’s very exciting to see them both make the early-season trip.

Final Predictions

GC: Ankeny Centennial “Spectrum” (BV/BC)

1st Runner-Up: Omaha South “The Ambassadors (BB)

2nd Runner-Up: Sioux Falls Washington “Classic Connection”

3rd Runner-Up: Ankeny Centennial “Vortex”

4th Runner-Up: Aberdeen Central “Eagle Express”

5th Runner-Up: O’Gorman “Ovation”

Ankeny Centennial has proven that they are an Iowa powerhouse, and they seem to be the clear victor at the Cav Classic. Interestingly, second through fifth could go any way. The safest answer is putting Omaha South in second as they’ve been a consistently good group in the 2025 season. Omaha South is a group that tends to get better as the season goes on, so there is a chance that Sioux Falls Washington could move into second, but ClaCo should be a good bet for the podium nonetheless. Vortex is an insanely impressive womens group. In fact, since their creation in the 2024 season, they haven’t missed finals once. Vortex could get as high as third and as low as sixth, depending on how the competition plays out. As mentioned earlier, Aberdeen Central had a rough 2025 season, and based on how many seniors they lost at the end of that season, their debut in 2026 may be a bit of a learning experience. The last spot in finals will be a tossup between O'Gorman and Sioux Falls Roosevelt, but a new choreographer may be the juice Ovation needs to make it to the evening round.

As always, since this is the first week of the show choir season, it’s impossible to tell how different groups are going to do, and it is the part of the season that predictions can be furthest from what happens. Nevertheless, it will be fun and exciting to see all the groups debut their shows and compete for all the hardware.