One more week until U of I weekend is here! Next week, predictions will be posted around 4:00-5:00 to figure out the poll results for each class.
5 competitions in state; however, we only have schedules for 3 of them. We do apologize for this. We also have 2 BOA shows this weekend with Illinois bands competing, and we’ll offer our insights on those as well.
Newton Marching Eagles Classic: Newton, IL
Class A: All 3 of these bands will perform at Effingham later in the afternoon. We think Casey-Westfield will take first, Oblong 2nd, and 3rd going to Carlyle.
Class AA: Robinson will win here and maybe by less than expected, Salem will continue their run of success with a 2nd place finish and split the captions with Robinson, and Carterville will round out the Top 3.
Class AAA: Champaign Central overtook Highland at EIU and we think they will do it again. Highland will finish a close 2nd with Centralia squeaking by Charleston for 3rd. Just as in 2A – the Top 2 will probably split the captions.
Grand Champion: Champaign Central
Effingham Marching Hearts Invitational: Effingham, IL
1A: Casey-Westfield should take first here with Oblong and Atwood-Hammond fighting for second.
2A: Johnston City and Watseka will both be gunning for first place here. We give the nod to Watseka, with Sullivan in 3rd.
3A: Newton should easily secure another first place won here followed by Carterville and East Richland.
4A: Mahomet-Seymour should take this class followed by Champaign Central and Washington. It should be a close class.
5A: Danville will grab a class championship against tight competition in Belleville West and Niles West.
Grand Champion:This will be a tight race between Mahomet-Seymour and Danville. We think Mahomet-Seymour will come out on top.
Renegade Regiment MusicFest: Sandwich, IL
Class C: Only band here. Our pick: Dwight.
Class B: We think Marengo will take this class over Kaneland, and Marmion-Rosary in 3rd.
Class A: Very good class here. Rolling Meadows and T.F. South will battle for the class title, with the nod going to Rolling Meadows. 3rd will be a battle between Evergreen Park and Yorkville. We’ll give the nod to Evergreen Park.
Class AA: Another interesting class here. Grayslake North will take this class, followed by Carl Sandburg in 2nd, and DeKalb in 3rd.
Grand Champion: Rolling Meadows
Bands of America Regional Championships: Akron, Ohio.
This will be an interesting show. Centerville and Norwin are more likely than not going to be two of the bands fighting for one of the final spots for Grand National Finals. Norwin has not attended Grand Nationals since 1995, and this will be a good test for them. We think Norwin will take this one, in a tight competition, followed by Centerville in 2nd. Other finalists will include: Milford, Ohio, Cary, NC, Lake Orion, MI, Fayette County, GA, Fort Mill, SC, McEachern, GA, Dublin Coffman, OH, and Lincoln-Way West.
Bands of America Super Regional Championships: St. Louis, MO
This is always a really fun show to predict. Broken Arrow, OK has been the champions here for the past 4 years. We think that has a possibility of changing this year, after not being too impressed with a video of them from the past weekend. We think Marian Catholic will win their first regional title in 11 years. The other 12 finalists will include: Union, OK, Irondale, MN, O’Fallon, Edmond North, OK, William Mason, OH, Rosemount, MN, Blue Springs, MO, Owasso, OK, Lake Park, Eden Prairie, MN, Bellevue West, and Lincoln-Way North.
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