Linn-Mar, Elkhorn North Stand Out at Gretna East

By Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

With several Nebraska contenders ready for another good result after competing on Jan. 17, there was bound to be some shaking up. However, above them all, the Linn-Mar program commanded the most success on the day.

Single-Gender Results

1st: Millard North “Illumination”

2nd: Linn-Mar “Hi-Style”

3rd: Elkhorn South “Shockwave”

4th: Papillion-La Vista “Monarchy”

5th: Papillion-La Vista “Heart and Soul”

For the second weekend in a row, Illumination dominated the single-gender division, beating out Hi-Style. Seeing both of the Papillion-La Vista groups at the bottom of the ranking is a little interesting, especially seeing Heart and Soul in third place at Linn-Mar’s competition last week. But it just shows that single-gender groups in Nebraska are very competitive.

Prep Results

1st: Linn-Mar “In Step”

2nd: Gretna “Evolution”

3rd: Elkhorn South “Power Surge”

4th: Elkhorn North “ENcore”

5th: Millard North “Intensity”

In Step has been a very impressive prep group in Iowa for a few years, and seeing them winning the division makes sense. The first shakeup of the day occurred in this division, as Intensity placed fifth in the division, which is a little shocking considering they won the prep division last weekend and previously beat ENcore.

Final Results

GC: Linn-Mar “10th Street Edition” (BV/BC/BB)

1RU: Gretna “Revolution”

2RU: Elkhorn North “AdrENaline”

3RU: Elkhorn South “Blackout”

4RU: Millard North “Infinity”

5RU: Papillion-La Vista “Free Spirit”

With Lincoln East pulling all of their groups out of this competition due to illness, Free Spirit was able to secure a spot in finals after missing it last weekend. It was definitely an improvement over last week's performance, with some quality-of-life changes resulting in a more polished show.

After placing second at Gretna on Jan. 17, Infinity was bumped back to fifth place here, getting outscored by Elkhorn North, who they beat last weekend. The two will compete against each other one more time this season at Elkhorn, where it looks like either one of these two groups will win.

Sweeping at Ralston last weekend prepared Blackout well for this competition, as their show was one of the more consistently clean shows of the evening. This might be Blackout's lowest placement of the season, as it looks like they can get on the podium at their next three competitions.

The upset of the night was definitely AdrENaline, who took fifth place at Gretna behind Infinity. They also beat Blackout for the 2nd time in the program's history. While it is Matt Watson's choreography, this show looks different, more like a show Lexi Robson would choreograph. AdrENaline will compete against Johnston, Waukee Northwest, and Mitchell later in the season, testing their growth as a group.

Revolution was the source of some conversation because, since they’re going to debut at a larger competition, they need to have a killer show straight away. And oh boy, they do. If 10th Street Edition wasn’t here, Revolution likely would’ve swept. Their next few competitions are going to be interesting because neither Mitchell or Millard West have competed yet, and Chesterton's competition is so stacked that it could go any direction.

Echoes of the East ended with another Grand Champion trophy for 10th Street Edition. There's not much to really say that hasn’t already been said. Linn-Mar is a national powerhouse, so this was to be expected. This is Linn-Mar's first time traveling to Nebraska since 2015, and maybe seeing how fun Nebraska competitions are will encourage them to come back. Next weekend, Linn-Mar heads to Prairie before competing against Johnston in a few weeks at Urbandale.