BandFan59

Leander, Cedar Park, and Rouse will advance to state and I don't think there are any major threats to them at the moment. Those three are way ahead of everyone else here, which makes it all the more unfortunate that this area didn't get a 4th spot for state.

They'll be at the Jacksonville regional tomorrow (or I guess now technically today since it's past midnight) competing against Wando and Harrison, so it'll be a good way to see how those three stack up with each other.

Lone Star and Wakeland are locks to advance to state for me. I think Wakeland is going to finish top 5 at state competing with Cedar Park, Leander, Rouse, and Highland Park. They have a really good show this year that I think will be great in a UIL setting. Lone Star has had a very good season so far and has a good shot at making state finals as well. For the other bands here I'd say Wylie East, Lovejoy, and and Lebanon Trail are probably at the front of the pack for the remaining state spots, however many there are left.

UIL State definitely factors into the decision for bands to go to Grand Nats. The amount of time students would have to miss school in order to do both is probably a dealbreaker for a lot of bands since UIL takes place during the beginning of the school week and Grand Nats is at the end of the school week. That said I hope to see more Texas bands make the trip to Indianapolis more often because it's a great experience to see other bands and perform in a world class venue like Lucas Oil Stadium.

Assuming this area takes 5 bands to state, my top 5 for now is Keller, Coppell, LD Bell, Timber Creek, and Waxahachie. I know Waxahachie didn't do great at BOA DFW, but they have done quite well at UIL recently so I'm expecting them to bounce back and be able to advance. I do think Southlake Carroll has a good chance at advancing as well based on the improvements they've made over the past several years, so I'd have them at the next one out.

Four weeks out, here's my attempt at predictions, which will probably change over the next few weeks: 1. Vandegrift (GE) 2. Ronald Reagan (Visual) 3. Claudia Taylor Johnson 4. Hebron (Music) 5. The Woodlands 6. Cedar Park 7. Marcus 8. Vista Ridge 9. Cedar Ridge 10. Leander 11. Keller 12. Coppell 13. Rouse 14. Pearland Just out: Cypress Woods James Bowie Westlake Round Rock Even without Flower Mound or LD Bell, it's still so hard to pick only 14 bands for finals. I can see more than 20 bands that all have a shot at finals.

Looks pretty good, but LD Bell is also not attending San Antonio this year. This opens up another final spot from 2019.

Their first performance at Dayton was really strong, and that was almost a month ago, so I'm assuming they've stayed on the same trajectory since then. I wouldn't pick them as winning the Eagle but they're still up there. I agree that there's even more shows that are deserving of the title. I really enjoy Avon's show with their music selections, and CTJ's is probably my favorite production of the year. There's just so many bands this year that are capable of winning it all.

Flower Mound has put themselves in Eagle contention for me after yesterday. I wasn't sold on this being a Grand Nationals winning show, but after seeing the closer on the field I think they're up there as contenders with Reagan, Broken Arrow, and Carmel.

I think now that the DFW regional is over we can revisit this to discuss how our Texas bands will fare here. For me I think they can all make finals, though James Martin is definitely on the bubble after being the 3rd band out at DFW. Carroll will likely finish in the bottom half of finals, though I think they can do what they did in 2019 and finish in the top 10 at least. Unfortunate that Prosper dropped the DFW regional, but I really like their show and they should still have a shot to make the top half of finals. In my opinion, Coppell is the band to beat for the bronze medal here behind Blue Springs and Broken Arrow. They surprised me with how good they were at DFW, and with their whole show on the field it gives them two weeks to clean before this event. They may even have an outside shot at upending Blue Springs for the silver medal.

Wow, the scores in prelims were incredibly tight at 5-7. LD Bell was 0.05 points above Timber Creek, who was 0.15 points above Wakeland. Really goes to show how influential the top half bottom half splits are when you compare those results to the finals results. Then you have Keller a full point above LD Bell, and Coppell over two points above Keller. Very fascinating stuff.

It looks like Vandegrift is the band to beat at the moment for San Antonio with Flower Mound not attending this year.

Hebron really is forever the bridesmaid. That said, Flower Mound was PHENOMENAL tonight, and definitely earned that championship. I think I generally agree with the results, but I do think the gap between the top and bottom half isn't as big as the scores make it seem. Unfortunately that's just something that happens since that rule was introduced.

That opening hit from Hebron...WOW. What sets them apart for me from other groups is the power of the low brass; I could hear them so distinctly throughout the entire opener. The visual book might not be super difficult but it is executed very well, and the technical abilities of their trumpets and mellophones are unmatched. Their woodwinds have always been phenomenal, especially the saxophones. I cannot say enough just how good the Hebron winds are. They are the best sounding band in the state for me. Edit: I also forgot to mention how I love that the last set of the show spells out Hebron like they're signing off on the show. Nice little drill design there.

Flower Mound's closer really wraps everything up. The GE in this show is off the charts, there's just so much to look at and take in. Each and every one of the performers on the field from the front ensemble to the choir group at the front are so immersed in the performance that it really draws you in to the world of Seuss! I was a bit hesitant when I first saw this show in the Marcus football game video but now that they have what appears to be the entire show on the field it really does all come together very nicely. This will be a great production at Grand Nationals!

Coppell has some top tier woodwinds. The runs they did in the closer were executed masterfully! The ballad is turning into one of my favorites of the season, from the guard and two dancers in the center to the big hit with Humoresque near the end. Great show, and one that I think may be good enough for a medal at St. Louis in a couple weeks.

Great performance from Southlake! I really like the guard uniforms and the work they did throughout the show. The euphonium and french horn feature was a definite highlight of the production as well. Really nice to see how much this band has improved over the past few years.

Aledo started finals off with a bang! Great sounds from the group, especially their soloists. I can see them doing very well in UIL if they advance to state.

Prelims Results Class AAAA Outstanding Music Performance: (tie) Hebron H.S., TX and Flower Mound H.S., TX Outstanding Visual Performance: Flower Mound H.S., TX Outstanding General Effect: Flower Mound H.S., TX 1st: Flower Mound H.S., TX 2nd: Hebron H.S., TX 3rd: Marcus H.S., TX Class AAA Outstanding Music Performance: Wakeland H.S., TX Outstanding Visual Performance: Aledo H.S., TX Outstanding General Effect: Forney H.S., TX 1st: Wakeland H.S., TX 2nd: Forney H.S., TX 3rd: Lone Star H.S., TX Class AA Outstanding Music Performance: Princeton H.S., TX Outstanding Visual Performance: Princeton H.S., TX Outstanding General Effect: Princeton H.S., TX 1st: Princeton H.S., TX Class A Outstanding Music Performance: Whitesboro H.S., TX Outstanding Visual Performance: Whitesboro H.S, TX Outstanding General Effect: Whitesboro H.S., TX 1st: Whitesboro H.S., TX 2nd: Wills Point H.S., TX 3rd: Krum H.S., TX Finalists (in random order) Flower Mound H.S., TX Timber Creek H.S., TX Southlake Carroll H.S., TX Coppell H.S., TX Aledo H.S., TX Marcus H.S., TX Keller H.S., TX Lone Star H.S., TX Wakeland H.S., TX Hebron H.S., TX Forney H.S., TX L.D. Bell H.S., TX

I think they are AAA in BOA, which doesn't bode well for their finals chances. Could be wrong though.

If true that's a terrible thing to happen to any band. The students must be devastated

Flower Mound improved so much in a week from the Wylie competition! Visually their forms were impeccable and they still sound phenomenal. The first opening hit is one of my favorites this season. The playfulness and theme of the show is starting to come together for me, I really enjoyed the choreography with the battery and front ensemble jamming out. I still don't know if this is a Grand Nationals winning show, but it's definitely going in the right direction.

Keller plays very well, but visually I think it's just a little bit lacking right now. There's just something missing to give the show an extra oomph.

Any updates from anyone at this contest? Shame this one doesn't have a livestream

Wow, Coppell was phenomenal!! I love their new uniforms with the teal and maroon colors, it really makes them all stand out on the field. The ballad is BEAUTIFUL, with the many different colored flags and the two dancers in the center. They sound as good as they always have, and the visual book is excellently executed as well. This show is going to do excellent this season.