Updated 9/23: Newton Contest added, and we recieved info for Geneseo and Chicago (St. Rita)

Our first week, we just broke even – out of four contests predicted, we correctly named the winner at two, were wrong at one, and named a band who pulled out at the last minute, giving us an overall record of 2-1-1 for the season.

Here’s this week’s predictions: see if we can do better than last week! Best of luck to all bands on Saturday and Sunday

• Chicago Mustang Stampede (St. Rita) – (Schedule)
  Without many of the usual “power” bands, this Sunday contest will be quite open. In Class AA, Stagg looks to be the strongest contender. In AAA, Romeoville may be the strongest band, and is our pick for Grand Champion. Romeoville beat Stagg at ISU last year by about 2.5 points, so it will be interesting to see if that holds this time around. Our Pick – Romeoville

• Danville Viking Invitational (Link, Schedule)
  The winner at this contest may very well not come out of the “largest” class (this contest done by school size, not band size). More than likely, the Grand Champion will come out of Class A, and it will be a hard-fought contest between Mahomet-Seymour, and last week’s surprise Pekin winner, Morton. Neither MS nor dark horse possibility Herscher has competed with this year’s show, and so this one is up in the air, just like many early-year shows. In the end, we have to go with the East-Central Illinois powerhouse Mahomet-Seymour, mostly due to history, position (last) in class, and their relatively short trip to the contest. Our Pick – Mahomet-Seymour

• Geneseo Maple Leaf Classic (Schedule)
  Updated This contest looks like it is IVC’s to win. They will (barring surprises) be bringing the largest band, and have the best performance time as well (last in both class and the show). IVC was upset by Morton, and beaten by United Township last week at Pekin, but rebounded at Pontiac. If they play like their Pontiac performance, they should be pretty difficult to beat. Class AA will feature two bands from the state of Iowa. This contest is smaller than it has been in the past, but should still be interesting. Our Pick – IVC

• Newton Marching Eagle Contest (Schedule)
  This contest will probably come down to the two AAA bands, Edwardsville and Robinson. Due to Edwardsville’s strong showing last week at Murphysboro, and their later performing time, we think that they have the advantage. Our Pick – Edwardsville

• Wheeling Chicagoland Marching Fest (Link/Schedule)
  Prospect came out of Lake Park with a fairly healty lead on most of this pack, but the second-place finisher at that contest, Lincoln-Way Central, could pull out a few surprises. Barring a major setback, Prospect looks like a likely winner for both AAA and Grand Champion. In Class AA, a strong contender is Wheaton Warrenville, but again, anything can happen! Our Pick – Prospect