Second Edition of Echoes of the East Brings Plenty of Talent to Gretna East

By Quinn Masek, Siouxland contributor

Despite being a very new competition, Gretna East Echoes Of The East is an impressive in-state competition that has the added bonus of having Linn-Mar travel in. It will feature several of the same groups as the crosstown Gretna Primetime event last weekend.

Single-Gender Division

Papillion-La Vista “Monarchy”

Papillion-La Vista “Heart and Soul”

Linn-Mar “Hi-Style”

Millard North “Illumination”

Elkhorn South “Shock Wave”

Both Illumination and Shock Wave have already had strong starts to their seasons, both winning their divisions last week, and Shockwave advancing to finals at Ralston. Plus, both Papillion-La Vista groups did very well last weekend, with Monarchy taking Best Band in that division. Throwing in Hi-Style to spice things up, and you’ve got an impressive single-gender matchup.

Prep Division

Linn-Mar “In Step”

Millard North “Intensity”

Elkhorn South “Power Surge”

Lincoln East “Elevation”

Elkhorn North “ENcore”

Gretna “Evolution”

In terms of the Nebraska groups, Intensity, Evolution, and Power Surge are all very impressive ensembles. Evolution won the award for Best Prep Group in the 2025 Homie Awards, so the debuting choir will also play a factor here. That being said, adding In Step to the mix makes this division a little unpredictable. While not being the best prep group in Iowa, In Step is still probably better than most prep groups in Nebraska. Add in the fact that this is ENcore’s first season as a prep group, and this division is definitely something worth watching.

Mixed Division

Linn-Mar “10th Street Edition”

Lincoln East “Express”

Papillion-La Vista “Free Spirit”

Millard North “Infinity”

Elkhorn South “Blackout”

Elkhorn North “adrENaline”

Gretna "Revolution”

Having 10th Street Edition perform first in this division is a choice that will influence the rest of the day, as Linn-Mar sets the bar so high for everyone else. Express is coming off a sixth-place finish at Gretna, the lowest the group has placed since Papio South's comp in 2018 where they missed finals. Free Spirit also had a historic low last week, missing finals at Linn-Mar, the first time they’ve missed finals since 2018. On the flip side, Infinity had an incredible performance at Gretna last week, placing second in finals and beating ATSC. Plus, Blackout swept at Ralston's comp after missing a Grand Champion trophy in 2025. adrENaline had a solid showing last weekend, so there’s hope that they can keep that energy (or perhaps adrenaline) going. And finally, there is Revolution, arguably the only other group here that can rival 10th Street Edition. Gretna has had an impressive few seasons, and with no signs of slowing down, they could give Linn-Mar a run for their money.

Finals Predictions

Predictions represent the opinion of this contributor and not of HomeRoom Show Choir.

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

1st Runner-Up: Gretna “Revolution”

2nd Runner-Up: Millard North “Infinity”

3rd Runner-Up: Elkhorn South “Blackout”

4th Runner-Up: “Elkhorn North “AdrENaline”

5th Runner-Up: Lincoln East “Express”

If one knows anything about 10th Street Edition, they would know that the group has been undefeated since 2020, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change here. It is not a common occurrence for an Iowa powerhouse to drop by Nebraska, especially one from the Cedar Rapids area, so 10SE will give the competition a dimension it doesn't usually have. Gretna seems like the obvious choice for second place as they’ve had an impressive three seasons. Third place is a little trickier, but Millard North beating Westside last weekend is such an impressive achievement, it seems like they could end up on the podium.

It’s a little hard to judge how good Elkhorn South's show is without seeing it, but beating Sioux City East and winning at Ralston is very impressive. Finally, there is Elkhorn North and Lincoln East. Both groups competed against each other at Gretna's competition last weekend, and there Elkhorn North bested Lincoln East in finals. There is the opportunity for both groups to place higher than fifth, but it looks like the safest option is to assume both are going to stay the same with Elkhorn North placing higher than Lincoln East. Papillion-La Vista could also make a solid comeback after missing finals at Waukee to claim a spot in the evening round as well.