principalagent

An Area E (E/I) band hasn't made State Finals since Langham Creek in 2006. While it would be great to see more Houston in finals, the battle is definitely uphill. Especially now that Area H advanced four.

Yes, two of the music judges switched with the marching judges.

They do switch and you are onto something.

I’m not ready to say Vista Ridge medals but I would be far from mad about it if they did. I think it’s Reagan, CTJ, and TWHS for the podium here. I do expect LISD-North and LISD-South to round out the top 7, with one of the five to end up 8th. I think FloMo, Leander, and Vista Ridge have the best chances to break into the top 3.

Both Texas bands in the top 10! A great finish for them both. But now let's talk about Blue Springs and their tight margin under BA...

His impairments saved Leander if nothing else!

Bad Judge Rule / Judge's Preference Rule. If a band has three first place votes - and it has to be two music and one marching I believe - they win automatically. Another variation is if the area advances at least three bands, any band getting two 3rd or higher place ranks in music and one in marching will also advance too.

My thoughts exactly. The results in Area E last cycle were similarly wacky. Not at all shocked to see that continued into this new area with the same bands. I can't quite remember the last time Cy-Falls missed the SMBC.

It has to be extremely frustrating to be a band growing exponentially better year over year and keep getting told you're just not good enough. It's a tough night for Timber Creek, but they'll get their due in short time.

I tend to be a Marian Catholic apologist but I really cannot do much to defend this show.

I heard that the same four advanced, but College Park and North Shore swapped places.

It is if you add the ordinals from each judge up, and use the golf-style score to rank. Which I assume that person did.

CP actually nabbed the Championship in 2011 - quite easily I might add - after BARELY advancing. They were 7th in prelims and 4th in finals, taking the last spot. You never know how things will end up!

Time for some history booking! For the entire history of the Area, the same four bands have advanced to the State Marching Contest. Yes, I know there have only been two such competitions. The bad judge rule is rare, but not too rare. It was used in 6A last cycle in Area A, to advance four instead of three bands. Congratulations to Vista Ridge for their second Area win! Their first was in 2013, where they also won prelims, beating Vandegrift and Leander. What a FANTASTIC season for them! Westlake will make its next appearance at the state marching contest. They seem to work on a pattern. State, but no finals 04/14, miss completely 06/16, and state finals in 08 and...

I. Am. Too. Good.

I at least remember DMs on the field for the Area contests I went to in 2016.

Are DMs on the field yet?

This is far from a crazy opinion.

http://uilmusicregion23.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Area-I-Marching-Contest-2018.pdf They're listed on the above schedule though?

It's a little shocking to see San Benito out of finals entirely considering their McAllen performance and their past success in Area G.

One of those was correct in my view. It wasn't the lower placement.

2013 in St. Louis. Which. Yeah.

Some history booking! Dripping Springs has now made two Super Regional Finals outside of the state! The only other bands to have accomplished this are LD Bell, Haltom, and Westwood. If you count their 2004 exhibition, they have performed in 3 different Super Regionals' Finals. Additionally, it is Dripping Springs's second class championship in 3A. They have won class championships in both 2A and 3A, historically. Congrats to Weiss for their first ever (Super-) Regional finals! They join a few other Texas bands in only making Super-Regionals Finals and no regional finals, including Clements and Westwood. Pflugerville ISD has now had every single one of its ensembles perform in a Regional Finals. They are one of very few districts in Texas with multiple schools to accomplish this. They join Lewisville ISD, Birdville ISD, Richardson ISD, and Keller ISD in this feat. Thus, they are the first outside of the DFW area to go for a full house. Round Rock ISD is one school off from this accomplishment. Edit: I forgot Spring ISD, which is a huge oversight on my part. Therefore, PfISD is more accurately the first to accomplish this feat in the Austin Area (and San Antonio, for that matter). EDIT to add: Weiss has now made a Regionals finals in its second year as a competing band. In state, they tie Ronald Reagan for that record (Est. 1999, Finals x2 in 2000). Very technically, Weiss has the record for quickest appearance in a Super Regional Finals after establishment in the history of the country, beating CTJ's record by a year. However, Kennesaw Mountain and Ronald Reagan both likely would have accomplished this in one year had Super Regionals existed in that time.

This is a little bit of my problem with the show. I enjoy it well enough, but it's perhaps the easiest show they've done in years and the easiest show of the front-runners heading to Indy. It's excellent, no doubt, but it lacks a fair amount of demand - especially musically.

and 2008! And a would be semi-finalist in 2016 but I'm not a judge