Winner’s Circle, 2/21/26: Eau Claire North and Sioux Center Break In, Plus Two for the Iowa Citys

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

Winning isn’t everything, but it certainly is something. Here’s a look at who took overall Grand Championships this past weekend, and what it means in historical context.

Disclaimer: Win totals are sourced from showchoir.com. Only overall event grand champions are listed. Not every show choir competition is documented online, and as such, all win totals should be considered unofficial. To view a full spreadsheet of data, click here.

Arizona

Boulder Creek: Horizon Step on Stage took five total captions, including both vocals and visuals, en route to the win at the Showdown in the Desert. This is a repeat win for SOS, who also took both major captions in the 2025 contest at Boulder Creek. Horizon’s second win in Arizona pushes them to the most recorded in the state, ahead of Burbank and Valley Vista with one.

California

Chaparral: Cypress High Voltage debuted for the season with a music and show win over Glendora and Pacifica. The win was High Voltage’s second overall and first since the Brea Olinda California Classic in 2014. Cypress is the seventh different winner in the history of the Chaparral Showcase, joining John Burroughs (three) and Bonita Vista, Brea Olinda, Burbank, John A. Rowland and Pacifica (one each).

Illinois

El Paso-Gridley: The second-place group got vocals, the third-place group got choreo, the fourth-place group got band, and Dwight D. Eisenhower Express took the win. It was a bit of poetic justice for Eisenhower, who swept prelim captions at Crete-Monee but lost to Mundelein in finals. DDE now tallies four wins, with two coming in the early 2000s and one coming last year at Crete-Monee. Express’ three wins in Illinois is tied for 26^th all-time.

Indiana

Ben Davis: In a field almost entirely comprised of choirs that follow the ISSMA circuit, the victor at Giant Spectacular was Castle Knight Sensations. Castle, the lone competitive program from the Evansville area in Indiana’s southern reaches, last recorded a win at Mooresville in 2022 and had never won at Ben Davis before. Castle now numbers nine wins, tied with (ironically) Ben Davis and 14 other choirs for 142^nd on the all-time list.

Center Grove: Franklin Central FC Singers sang their way to victory over North Central and Oak Mountain, who took the choreography caption. It was FC’s third consecutive win at Best of the Midwest and their fourth win overall at the contest, tying Lawrence Central for the most on record. FC has now won multiple competitions each season since 2016.

DeKalb: Findlay First Edition made their first appearance at DeKalb since 2008, and it paid off in a big way. FFE swept the event for their second win of 2026, fourth at DeKalb, and 23^rd in Indiana. They are the winningest out-of-state choir in Indiana history, outpacing Loveland, Beavercreek, Mt. Zion and Clinton. Findlay now sits in fifth all-time with 76 recorded wins.

Franklin Community: Lafayette Jefferson First Edition defeated Beavercreek and Pendleton Heights in a no-finals large mixed division to take the win at Showfest. The win was First Edition’s first at Showfest and second this season. Right now, the group tallies 34 recorded grand championships. They sit alone at 43^rd on the all-time list, one behind Carroll, Clover Hill and Loveland.

Northridge: Carmel Ambassadors turned away contenders from Fort Wayne and northwest Indiana for a vocals/choreo win at the Choral Invitational. They joined Huntington North, Noblesville, Northrop, Beech Grove, Brownsburg, Carroll, Homestead, Naperville North and Waubonsie Valley as winners at Northridge. Carmel has now won at 20 different events, spanning a total of 50 victories.

South Dearborn: A contest dominated by Ohio schools was won by Loveland By Request, who swept with vocals, choreography and band. The win was Loveland’s first since Jan. 13, 2024, a span of 25 months. It is not surprising that the breakthrough came at South Dearborn, as By Request has won this event six times dating back to a 2012 triumph over Plainfield, Hamilton and North Oldham.

Iowa

Cedar Rapids Jefferson: Iowa City 4^th Avenue Jazz Company won Best Vocals and Best Choreography to claim the win over Linn-Mar In Step (the prep group) and Tomah. 4AJC has now won at Jefferson four times, tied for second in event history alongside Cedar Rapids Washington and Valley (among available records). Iowa City’s three wins this season have pushed them to 20 overall, tied for 71^st on the all-time list.

Davenport Central: Johnston Innovation rolled to a sweep win over local contender Davenport North and out-of-state visitors Noblesville and Mundelein. The win was Inno’s sixth at Great River, tying them with Cedar Rapids Kennedy for most in event history. Johnston now has 50 recorded wins, tied for 17^th all-time with Carmel and Linn-Mar.

Indianola: In a competition that featured the same podium in the same order as a year ago, Cedar Rapids Kennedy Happiness Inc. took home the win at Ascension. It was Happiness’ third win at Ascension, tying them with Norwalk for most in event history. Kennedy has now won multiple competitions in back-to-back seasons, the first time that’s happened since 2012 and 2013.

Pella: Iowa City West Good Time Company cleared previous 2026 winners Ottumwa and West Branch to take their first win of 2026 at Dutch Masters. Combined with City High’s win at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, it was a historic day for Iowa City show choirs. Saturday was the first time that both GTC and 4AJC have won a competition since Feb. 12, 2022, where GTC won at Benton and 4AJC won at Keokuk.

Spirit Lake: Sioux Center Satisfaction won the 3A division in prelims and rolled that into a sweep in finals over Sioux Falls Washington. The win was Satisfaction’s first in program history, coming after a Glenwood Gala appearance in January that resulted in two captions but no wins. Sioux Center is the 62^nd different Iowa school to record a show choir grand championship.

Minnesota

Hastings: Bloomington Kennedy Rhythm in Gold got the best of a highly-anticipated in-state battle with Waconia. It was RIG’s second win at Swingin’ on the River, with its previous triumph coming in 2008 – a gap of 18 years. This is Kennedy’s ninth recorded win in the state of Minnesota, passing Totino-Grace and Waconia for third behind Hastings and Bemidji.

Mississippi

Jackson Prep: Clinton Attaché rolled to a sweep win that also included captions for the ballad, costumes and a soloist. It was Attaché’s first win at Prep since the event’s genesis in the mid-2010s. Clinton now has recorded wins at a whopping 39 different events and counts 101 total victories, one ahead of Center Grove for most among available records. The group will go for 102 at Glenwood in two weeks.

Petal: Homewood The Network outpaced visiting challenger Avon as only one home-state group made finals at the Invitational. Network’s winning streak now numbers 15 regular seasons (not counting 2021). This was Homewood’s 10^th win in Mississippi, which ties Grenada for fifth in recorded history. The Network now sits at 43 wins, tied with Mitchell for 25^th all-time.

Missouri

Cameron: Oak Park’s Oak Street Singers took a vocals/choreo win at Showfest over Muscatine and Platte County. The win was Oak Street Singers’ second of the season after kicking off the season with a triumph at Maryville. The group’s nine recorded wins in Missouri is tied with Carthage for sixth among recorded events, only behind Pleasant Hill, Neosho, Rock Bridge, Troy Buchanan and Webb City.

Nevada: After a wild prelims round, Neosho Choraleers put distance between them and their single-gender counterparts for the win at the Classic, taking Best Vocals and Best Band. Choraleers have now grabbed six wins at Nevada, most of any program. The win was Neosho’ first of the season, extending their win streak to eight seasons. That span encompasses 19 of their 25 recorded wins.

Rock Bridge: Hannibal River City Revue took vocals, band and the win over Jenks. The win was Hannibal’s second at Rock Bridge, but first in an in-person format – the other came in a 2021 virtual contest hosted by Rock Bridge. River City Revue now counts 10 wins, becoming the 141^st program in the country to hit that mark. Of those 10, only three have been in the home state of Missouri.

Nebraska

Omaha South: Westside Amazing Technicolor Show Choir emerged with the victory in a split-caption bout with Millard West at the Classic. It was Westside’s third win at the event, most of all choirs in the event’s nine-year history. It was ATSC’s second win of 2026 and 65^th all-time, breaking a tie with the defunct La Crosse Central program to move into the top ten all-time.

Wahoo: Hastings UNCAGED continued a successful 2025 season with a sweep win over Blair and Marian at Court of Champions. It was Hastings’ second consecutive win at Wahoo, joining Glenwood Fast Lane as the only multi-time winners of the event. UNCAGED has more than doubled its win total in 2026, going from three victories before the season started to seven now.

Ohio

Hamilton: Piqua The Company scored its second consecutive win at the Double H Showcase, sweeping Grove City, Donelson Christian and Bradley Central. It was Piqua’s second win of the season, meaning they have won multiple competitions in four of the five post-pandemic seasons. Their 28 all-time wins put them alone in 49^th in the standings.

Kenton: Conflict after prelims left large mixed leader Brownsburg out of finals, paving the way for Solon Music in Motion to cruise to a sweep win. MIM becomes the second different winner of the Kenton Cup in as many iterations of the event. This win was Solon’s third of the season, equaling their total from 2024. Music in Motion currently counts 38 wins, good for 33^rd on the all-time list.

South Dakota

Mitchell: Sioux Falls Jefferson Legacy got the best of crosstown Sioux Falls Roosevelt Executive Suite to score the win, its first at Classic. Using the momentum of a gargantuan senior class, Legacy has now won competitions in back-to-back weeks, the first time the choir has done that since winning at Aberdeen Central on Mar. 12, 2022 and following that up at Hinton on Mar. 19.

Texas

L.D. Bell: Broken Arrow Tiger Rhythm dispatched all local competitors to take the win at the HEB Invitational. BA continued a tradition of Oklahoma dominance at the event, as Jenks won the inaugural contest last season. Tiger Rhythm has now won seven competitions in Texas, good for second among all groups and only behind Keller Central (12 wins in the Lone Star State).

Virginia

Thomas Dale: In what has become a familiar sight in Virginia show choir, Cosby Spotlight took the win with Best Vocals and Manchester Capital Swing was second with Best Choreography. It was Cosby’s 26^th recorded win and their fourth consecutive at the Commonwealth Choral Invitational. Not counting 2021, Cosby now has an eight-season win streak.

West Virginia

Capital: In their only local appearance of the season, Hurricane Red Hot cleaned out the field, taking all three of the major captions and three more secondary captions en route to the win at the Classic. It is Hurricane’s first win this season, extending their winning streak to a dozen seasons. The triumph was the third consecutive for Red Hot at Capital, and their three wins at the event are tied with Manchester and Nitro for second behind Cabell Midland.

Robert C. Byrd: Fairfield Choraliers combined with their female counterpart Pure Elegance to take the top two spots at Vocalfest. The triumph was Fairfield’s first at RCB and fourth in West Virginia, following wins at Poca in 2011, Cabell Midland in 2014 and Hurricane in 2016. Choraliers now tout 60.5 wins, which holds them in 13^th on the all-time list.

Wisconsin

Medford: In a very local field, the Eau Claire North Northernaires rose to be the cream of the crop, sweeping for the first win in program history. Eau Claire North is the 30^th different Wisconsin school to record a win at a show choir competition. Along with Sioux Center, who also notched a maiden win this weekend, ‘Naires and Satisfaction are the 494^th and 495^th different recorded show choir winners.

Monona Grove: Sauk Prairie Executive Session didn’t take any captions and won the Silverstage Invitational on a tiebreaker over De Pere. It was Exec’s third triumph at Monona and their first win overall since Silverstage in 2023. Sauk Prairie is now tied with Cosby, Lincoln Southwest, Troy Buchanan and Waukee for 53^rd on the all-time list with 26 wins.