Week 5 of the Illinois competitive season is here. Not many shows this week, only 5 in state, plus the BOA regional in Pontiac, Michigan.
Let’s get right to the predictions!
WIU Marching Band Classic: Macomb, IL
Class A: Neither Wethersfield nor Prophetstown have competed thus far this season thus far. They were supposed to meet up at Geneseo, however, it was rained out. We’ll go on last year’s meetup at the WIU competition, where Wethersfield won by about 9 points. We think Wethersfield will win.
Class AA: Kewanee, Illini West, and Rushville-Industry have not competed at all this year. Again, we’ll go with last year’s results from this competition, which is the only time any of these bands competed last year, as well. We think Rushville-Industry will win here, followed closely by Illini West, with Kewanee in 3rd.
Class AAA: Macomb looks to turn their season around here after a 4th place start at the Morton competition. Sandwich looks to put another good performance on the board this year, after starting off 1st and 2nd in their class at their first two competitions. Rock Falls makes their 2010 competitive debut here. We think Macomb will squeak by Sandwich, with Rock Falls in 3rd.
Grand Champion: Macomb
Downers Grove Marching Mustang Music Bowl: Downers Grove, IL
Class 1A: Lincoln-Way West has shown all season that they will be a band to contend with wherever they go. Despite still not having a full drumline, they have done well in Illinois, and at BOA Louisville. Wheaton North was 1.1 points behind LWW at Lake Park this year, and should bring up a real close 2nd. Rounding out the top 3 will be Alan B. Shepard. Our Pick: Lincoln-Way West
Class 2A: Compared to 1A and 3A, 2A is just huge, with 10 bands competing (more than 1A and 3A put together.) And not only does it have a lot of bands, but a lot of talented bands. Looking back at the last 4 years, this class has 5 previous finalists from ISU. We feel that the top 3 or 4 will be very close…making this a tough call. We think 2nd place will go to Wheaton Warrenville South, and Eureka rounding out the top 3. Our Pick: Waubonsie Valley
3A: Glenbrook South has had 2 good showings already this year, besting Romeoville both times. Lemont should never be overlooked, but we still feel Glenbrook South will take 3A. Our Pick: Glenbrook South
GC: With 2A having so many strong bands, we expect that whoever wins 2A will also win the GC here. So we will go with our 2A pick. Our Pick: Waubonsie Valley
Bands of America Regional Championships: Pontiac, MI
We’re only going to predict finalists here, due to not knowing the school sizes of a few of the bands. We think the top 10 bands will be, in no order (champion bolded): Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, MI, Lake Park, West Bloomfield, MI, Walled Lake Central, MI, Reeths-Puffer, MI, William Mason, OH, West Genesee, NY, Jenison, MI, Lake Orion, MI, and rounding out the top 10, making their inaugural performance at a Bands of America event: Lockport.
Panther Marching Band Festival: Charleston, IL
Class A: Good class. We think Okaw Valley will win another class title here, followed by Arcola, and Heritage in 3rd. Don’t count out Georgetown-Ridge Farm or Blue Ridge from taking a spot in the top 3.
Class AA: Huge class, with 14 bands competing in it. Top 3 is difficult to decide, but not impossible. Newton wins here, followed by Paxton-Buckley-Loda, and Robinson in 3rd.
Class AAA: Mahomet-Seymour had an impressive 2010 debut last week at Monticello’s competition, winning their class and winning Grand Champion. We think they’ll win again here, with Champaign Centennial in 2nd, and Centralia in 3rd.
Class AAAA: Now that Lincoln-Way East has withdrawn from this competition, it’s a much closer class. Normal West will win here, followed by a very good Granite City band, and Joliet West in 3rd.
Grand Champion: Normal West
Metamora Parade and Field Invitational: Metamora, IL
Class A: Watseka and ROWVA, last year’s 1st and 2nd place bands in this class, have both moved up to 2A. Dunlap Cadet should make a great run at the class title, followed by Bremen, with Unity in 3rd.
Class AA: A pretty strong class. Rich Central, ROWVA, and Mt. Zion all have first place class finishes under their belt thus far this season, with Watseka having a 2nd, and Fieldcrest and Niles West having a couple of third place finishes. We’re going to go out on a limb, and say that Rich Central will win this class, after their very good showing at Robinson last weekend. Mt. Zion in 2nd, and Watseka in 3rd.
Class AAA: Another strong class. Lincoln has started out the season with 3 first-place finishes. Pekin has 2, and Geneso has 1. Streator Township has a 3rd place and a 2nd place finish. LaSalle Peru has their first competitive performance with a new director here. We think Pekin Community will take this class, followed by Lincoln Community and Geneseo in 3rd.
Class AAAA: United Township looks for their first class win of the season. Easier said than done with one of the most improved bands over the past couple of seasons in Limestone. 2 Grand Champions are also in this class, in Pontiac and Dunlap. This class can go to any of these 4 fine bands, but we think United Township will win, followed by Limestone, and Dunlap in 3rd.
Class AAAAA: Morton continues their competition season here. We think they’ll take this class, with Washington in 2nd, and IVC rounding out the top 3.
Grand Champion: Due to Morton not competing in the parade portion, Grand Champion could go to either Limestone or Washington. We think Limestone will defend their title here, with Washington in a very close second.
Marengo Settler’s Days: Marengo, IL
Class A: After a few strong showings this year, Sandwich looks to take this class, followed by Johnsburg and Dwight. Our Pick: Sandwich
Class AA: This class is up in the air, but we think Antioch will pull it out followed closely by Kaneland and Sycamore. Our pick: Antioch
Class AAA: With a good showings at CMBF and St. Rita so far, we expect Oak Creek to take this class, followed by Huntley and Prarie Ridge. Our Pick: Oak Creek