There are 3 in-state shows this weekend, including Shelbyville, Mahomet-Seymour, and ISU.  Best of luck to all bands this weekend!!  Come and see us at ISU.

Whether you believe or not this is a “State Championship” show, it is without a doubt the biggest show in the Illinois Marching season. Our picks for ISU this week were determined by input from the staff, plus we took the winners of the forum polls as a vote as well, with the majority getting the nod. ISU is always a great time for marching, and surprises! What surprises are we in store for this year?? Who knows, but we will soon find out.

Shelbyville

Class A: Atwood-Hammond

Class AA: Mattoon

Class AAA: Rochester

Grand Champion: Mattoon

Mahomet-Seymour:

Class A: Paxton-Buckley-Loda

Class AA: Effingham

Class AAA: Dunlap

Grand Champion: Dunlap

ISU:

Class 1A: Eureka surprised everyone last year by upsetting Macomb, and earning the right to perform in the night show.  Eureka gets the nod again this year, with one dissenter from the staff believing it will be Herscher.  Our pick: Eureka

Class 2A: Morton has won this class for several years now, and was a pretty unanimous pick for this year as well.  Our pick: Morton

Class 3A: For 29 consecutive years, Marian Catholic has won their class in ISU Prelims.  This year will undoubtedly be year 30.  Our pick: Marian Catholic

Class 4A: This class has been bringing a lot of discussion to the forums.  We think Lincoln-Way North will ride their momentum from the Ypsilanti BOA Regional and win this class.  Our pick: Lincoln-Way North

Class 5A: Another tough class.  Prospect was defeated last week for the first time in 23 years at the Illini Marching Band Festival by John Hersey.  Lincoln-Way East has had a decent start to the season.  The boards think that Prospect will win.  We’re not quite sure on this one.  Our pick: Prospect

Class 6A: Lake Park has completely turned their program around this season, and should run away with the class.  Our pick: Lake Park

Finalists (in random order):

Marian Catholic (Class Winner, top 10 score)

Morton (Class Winner, top 10 score)

Lake Park (Class Winner, top 10 score)

Prospect (Class Winner, top 10 score)

Lincoln-Way East

Lincoln-Way North (Class Winner, top 10 score)

Eureka (Class Winner)

Naperville North

Victor J. Andrew

Downers Grove South

last finalist: Lincoln-Way Central

Grand Champion: Since 1989, there have been 4 champions at this show: Marian Catholic, Lincoln-Way East, Lake Park, and Lincoln-Way Community.  We believe that Marian Catholic has the best shot at winning this weekend, as they are riding high off of momentum from their Class Championship and 2nd place finish last weekend in St. Louis.  Look for Lake Park to make a run, but come up short.  Our pick: Marian Catholic

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