abtwitch

I'll go ahead and just add what HornRank puts on their website, so I'll add in HEB as well

Here's a spreadsheet I made to help track the bands performing at SA this year with their BOA scores. I also have certain bands highlighted certain colors based on "honors" they have achieved. Purple - Currently ranked in the top 32 (and next 10) Red - Formerly ranked in the top 32 (and next 10) this season Orange - Formerly ranked in the top 32 (and next 10) at any point Blue - Has made finals at a BOA competition this season Yellow - Has made finals at a BOA competition in the past 5 years In the results section, if it they're in green they just attended but if it's blue they made finals at the event. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rCO4c8ZW-xmg9LLQZimAKhYCkPGE6TTtEnsVp-Hg-5s/edit?usp=sharing Edit: I swear I’m literate

It’s in no specific order

Texas Marching Classic rundown! 9:45 - Manor (Manor ISD, Manor) 5A The only time I saw this band perform live was at the region competition last fall where they achieved their first 1 in marching band for the first time in quite some time. I remember walking through the stands after results were announced and hearing how happy and proud the kids were of their work. Because of that experience, the Manor band will always have a special place in my memory, here's to further years of improvement in this program! 10:00 - Weiss (Pflugerville ISD, Pflugerville) 5A At Vista Ridge this past weekend, Weiss took home the silver medal behind Lake Travis and passing up Dripping Springs. I fully expect them to make into finals this weekend and am curious to see how they perform head to head with more big names. 10:15 - W. Charles Akins (Austin ISD, Austin) 6A In 2018, they were showing signs of improvement and from what I've been hearing they've taken a massive step up in quality of performance this year. I could see them making finals and causing some upsets. 10:30 - Midway (Midway ISD, Waco) 6A This Waco group has been on an upward trend the last few years, I remember being especially impressed with their brass from a relatively early season video last year so they could really catch people off guard. At this rate, they could be in the conversation for finals at this competition relatively soon. Also I'm REALLY pulling for this group to do BOA Waco soon, it would be a fantastic experience for the kids to perform with top level ensembles right in their backyard like they've never been able to do before. 11:00 - Harker Heights (Harker Heights ISD, Harker Heights) 6A I'm not super familiar with this group, but they did make finals here last year. With the greatly more competitive field this year, I don't see them making a return. They did end up placing in the top 5 at the Midway Marching Preview last weekend but that's all the information I have on them as of now. 11:15 - Cedar Park (Leander ISD, Cedar Park) 5A I don't think CP needs much of an introduction, they just placed in the top 5 at BOA Austin and look to be wanting to do even better here. Excited to see how their show is progressed and it could effect their scores. 11:30 - Copperas Cove (Copperas Cove ISD, Copperas Cove) 6A Coming off a victory this past weekend at Midway ahead of strong groups like East View and Belton, so they could very easily surprise us. 11:45 - Rouse (Leander ISD, Leander) 5A After their historic 2018 season, Rouse is riding the momentum beautifully. Making finals at BOA Austin is pretty much a one way ticket into finals at TMC, but it will be interesting to see where they will end up placing. 12:00 - McNeil (Round Rock ISD, Austin) 6A McNeil has a fantastic show this year that awarded them their first BOA caption award and highest BOA placement at McAllen, I hope to see them perform twice this weekend. 12:15 - Johnson (Hays CISD, Buda) 1A-4A Loving what this group is already putting out so early on! Uncontested in their class, they will be performing in exhibition at finals. 1:30 - Sandra Day O'Connor (Northside ISD, Helotes) 6A This is a very interesting group to keep your eyes on. After their big staff changes transitioning into the 2018 season, I think the recovered beautifully. While their 23rd placement at BOA Katy seems unpromising, the bubble at that competition was massive and they did to place 10th in visual, so there is still some promise for them this weekend. 1:45 - Winston Churchill (North East ISD, San Antonio) 6A It's been 3 weeks since we saw them perform in McAllen where they walked away with the visual caption and placed 3rd (losing the 2nd place tie to Roma's GE). I don't see them missing finals at all as Churchill has had plenty of time to improve and clean up the show. 2:00 - Belton (Belton ISD, Belton) 6A I was blown away with their performance at BOA Austin. If you told me that this group had a complete staff turnover and I didn't know better, I would have laughed at you. Certainly a dark horse for finals this weekend. 2:15 - John Paul Stevens (Northside ISD, San Antonio) 6A Stevens made area finals last fall and appear to be off to fairly strong start this season. I really don't have any other information on them at the moment, so they're a big "?" for me. 2:30 - Vandegrift (Leander ISD, Austin) 6A My personal favorite to win this contest, but not by a wide margin. I am almost certain they will take home the music caption and have a fair shot at the other two captions as well. I'm a huge fan of their show and they were very clean at Austin. 2:45 - Hendrickson (Pflugerville ISD, Pflugerville) 6A Even though Hendrickson finished outside of Austin finals, they will be comfortably within finals at this event I believe. I remember them having a strong performance in prelims at Austin, their show was just missing that little "oomph" and hopefully that's been added in by this weekend. 3:15 - Leander (Leander ISD, Leander) 6A I'm gonna be honest, I'm just in love with Leander's show this year. I am rooting for them to win it all, but Reagan and Vandy are not going down without a fight. My favoritism towards the show inclines me to give them the GE caption, but I don't know for sure and would be a fool for saying I did. 3:30 - Louis D. Brandeis (Northside ISD, San Antonio) 6A Brandeis has already had a fantastic season, winning the Rough Rider invitational and then tying with Dripping Springs at Vista Ridge. Curious to see if they can sneak into finals and cause and upset. 3:45 - James Bowie (Austin ISD, Austin) 6A Yet another BOA Austin finalist at this contest who will comfortably be in finals. I do see them possibly pulling closer to CP here because I was very impressed with their show and their execution. 4:00 - Clements (Fort Bend ISD, Sugar Land) 6A If my memory doesn't fail me, Clements has gone to this contest every single year since 2013 and made finals. In 2013 they even passed Reagan for the gold medal. While not always as strong as they were in 2013, Clements is still a fairly consistent Houston area group and I'd be surprised to see them missl 4:15 - Ronald Reagan (North East ISD, San Antonio) 6A Reagan is the defending champion of this contest and they will not lose that title without a good, long fight. Seeing them on stream from Katy, their visuals were incredibly mesmerizing and in sync, so they are my favorite to win the visual caption. 1A-4A: 1st - Johnson Johnson caption sweep 5A: 3rd - Weiss 2nd - Rouse 1st - Cedar Park Cedar Park caption sweep 6A: 3rd - Leander 2nd - Ronald Reagan 1st - Vandegrift Music - Vandegrift Visual - Ronald Reagan GE - Leander My top 10: 1) Vandegrift 2) Ronald Reagan 3) Leander 4) Cedar Park 5) James Bowie 6) Rouse 7) Winston Churchill 8) Hendrickson 9) Clements 10) Weiss ------------------------- Next 5: John Paul Stevens, Louis D. Brandeis, McNeil, Sandra Day O'Connor, W. Charles Akins

A little update on Abilene HS. In the middle of this marching season, their guard director dropped the job and moved out of town. I don't know the reason for this, but Abilene is in the process of interviewing for a new guard director this week. Due to the absence of a guard director, much of their show will probably not have guard work this Saturday. Other than that, the season seems to be going well for them from what I've been hearing. Best of luck to the kids this weekend!

Judges seemed pretty consistent when judging Duncanville, all 4-6 for music and 6-8 for marching.

I'm in shock, but still excited for the kids! Ready to watch them again in finals tonight!

Loved Cy-Fair's show as usual, especially the woodwinds! Very impressed considering they just went through a staff change.

I knew that ballad was going to be stunning, first time I've heard it since May during the parent preview

Any news on this contest? I can't find any. It will be our first look at some 5A Houston area groups this season. Edit: it's this weekend, Oct. 5th

College Station band also stepped it up last year and they're in my predictions for making state. They beat Willis at Waller last fall and I fully expect them to keep improving considering there hasn't been any staff changes.

7:00 - Churchill Fulshear (Lamar CISD, Fulshear) AA This 4A group is a relatively new school and I have been very impressed with their past few seasons. They made state finals last fall and thought they were scored WAY under where they should've been in finals (if I recall, they finished 10th but had them at 5th or 6th in my predictions) 7:15 - Magnolia (Magonia ISD, Magnolia) AAA Magnolia is a solid 5A group in the Houston area, they have a lot of potential and I'd love to see something come of it at this competition. They could potentially be a Class AAA medalist depending on class changes. 7:30 - College Park (Conroe ISD, The Woodlands) AAAA This group is one of the many potential finalists this weekend, but they tend to be in the group of Houston bands that peak later season as opposed to early season so they're not in finals with my predictions. Regardless, they will perform fantastically and I'm always interested in this group. 7:45 - Dawson (Pearland ISD, Pearland) AAAA Dawson has taken a few years off from BOA and are back with a change in leadership. Despite not being in my top 10, I would not be surprised in the slightest to see them make it in. I have not seen their show and I'm holding off until this weekend, but considering they consistently won GE at Friendswood, they could make it in with a clean, strong performance. 8:00 - Paetow (Katy ISD, Katy) AAA The newest Katy school who I've personally been very impressed with. Give them a few years and they could be on the same level as Tompkins or another one of the mid-tier Katy groups. 8:15 - Langham Creek (Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston) AAAA A dark horse for finals, but I personally don't see them making it. They've always been an interesting group to watch though, they very well could make me eat my words Saturday night. 8:30 - Westfield (Spring ISD, Houston) AAAA Everyone knows old Westfield, but they seem to be having a very strong year based off of what I've heard from people who attended Friendswood last week and they are one of the groups I am cheering for most this weekend. 8:45 - Sandra Day O'Connor (Northside ISD, Helotes) AAAA I honestly don't know anything about their program so far this year, but I am very excited based on what minimal info I have received. Their uniforms are very nice and I'm a big fan. 9:30 - Katy (Katy ISD, Katy) AAAA After making their first state appearance last fall, I'm very excited to see what they have planned this year. Maybe they could cause an upset and make finals. 9:45 - James E. Taylor (Katy ISD, Katy) AAAA One of the returning finalists from last year and will definitely will be fighting to make a return. Don't let that 5th place finish at Friendswood full you, that was a very close contest at the top. 10:00 - Oak Ridge (Conroe ISD, Conroe) AAAA With a fantastic finish of 6th last year, Oak Ridge seems ready to make finals once again. They got 2nd in 6A at Friendswood prelims, but did not compete in finals. 10:15 - Cypress Woods (Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Cypress) AAAA After a very strong performance at Austin placing 13th, this group is another dark horse for finals and it will be exciting to see any changes/additions to their show from last weekend. 10:30 - Bridgeland (Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Cypress) AAAA This group will likely be jumping 2 classes this year, it will be interesting to see how the band does with it's first full senior class. They've been climbing the ranks very quickly fast in their first few years and could really make their mark on Saturday. 10:45 - Klein Oak (Klein ISD, Spring) AAAA This group always has very different showings at UIL and BOA and they tend to be more "accepted" in BOA, so they will likely score comfortably in the top 20 as they did last year. Will they make finals? Possibly... 11:00 - Friendswood (Friendswood ISD, Friendswood) AAA Very excited for this group this season, with their drop to 5A they will almost 100% be at state this year and have a very good shot at making finals there. A class medalist contender for sure and could sneak their way into the top 10. 11:15 - The Woodlands (Conroe ISD, The Woodlands) AAAA TWHS really needs no introduction, the undisputed Htown power house who is a lock for a medal and a potential champion. They will be making their biennial trip to Nationals once again this year, wishing them the best! 11:30 - Stephen F. Austin (Fort Bend ISD, Sugar Land) AAA Last year's Class AAA champions and just out of finals, they'll be looking to make that last push to crack the top 10 and from what I've heard they definitely have the group for it. 12:15 - Ann Richards (Austin ISD, Austin) A The only competing Class A band this weekend, so they will take the championship by default. I noticed that they were much improved from last year and I hope this very unique program continues to grow. 12:30 - William B. Travis (Fort Bend ISD, Richmond) AAAA This group placed very well at this competition last year, ahead of state qualifier Katy. Interested to see if this band keeps up their upward trajectory. 12:45 - Cinco Ranch (Katy ISD, Katy) AAAA After a historic season last fall with the group making area finals for the first time in over a decade, things are looking up for them this year as they continue to grow as a program. 1:00 - Pearland (Pearland ISD, Pearland) AAAA This group is always interesting to watch at this regional, being a group that peaks VERY late season they might miss finals and then blow everyone away at SA a month later. A solid finals contender but not a lock as you would think looking at last year's SA results. 1:15 - Clear Brook (Clear Creek ISD, Friendswood) AAA After a very strong showing at Friendswood this past weekend, I am very confident that they can make finals on Saturday. Haven't seen their show yet, but there was a significant margin between them and second place in both prelims and finals. 1:30 - Little Cypress-Mauriceville (LCM CISD, Orange) AA Another 4A state finalist last year and will be fighting for that class championship now that Bridgeland will be moving up. Don't know much else about the program this season so far because they haven't competed yet, but I am interested to see how they do here. 1:45 - Pflugerville (Pflugerville ISD, Pflugerville) AAA Now that they've dropped to 5A, I am excited to see them do some real damage later this season. Unfortunately based off of their Austin results, they will not be a serious contender for finals, but they could still surprise us. 2:00 - Cypress Falls (Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston) AAAA CyFalls is an interesting band to keep your eyes out for. After the hurricane in 2017 and some staff changes, their program seems to have gone downhill a bit. That being said, they're still a very strong band that could make their way into finals and I am excited to see how they do this weekend. 2:15 - George Ranch (Lamar CISD, Richmond) AAAA This will be their BOA Katy premiere, but they have regularly gone up to SA for quite some time now. I'm just waiting for this program to grow and I'm not sure what's holding them back. 3:00 - Westwood (Round Rock ISD, Austin) AAAA Coming off of their first BOA Austin finals appearance ever, things are looking fantastic for Westwood at this regional. Their show is a fan favorite and I'm super interested to see if they've added on more since (their ballad will be incredible). 3:15 - Cy-Fair (Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Cypress) AAAA The current king of Cy-Fair ISD and the group that has seemed to have cemented themselves as the second best of Htown. I've always been a very big fan of their shows and I'm sure they're going to place very well in finals. 3:30 - Richland (Birdville ISD, North Richland Hills) AAA Making the trip from DFW, it seems that this group has chosen the massive-bubbled Katy over the top heavy Bedford regional. They are a very strong contender for finals, don't let recent results fool you. Assuming their season has gone smoothly so far, I think they will be performing in finals. 3:45 - Brazoswood (Brazosport ISD, Clute) AAA(A?) After dropping McAllen because of the storms in Houston, we're all hoping for Brazoswood to be recovered and back in the running in finals once again. Last year was a strong year for them, but 2017 had similar water difficulties (but to a much larger extent) and it did not weigh in their favor. 4:00 - Westlake (Eanes ISD, Austin) AAAA Don't let their inconsistency fool you, their show this year is INCREDIBLE. If I were a betting man, I would lay down money saying they were going to 100% medal at this regional. I already discussed it above, so I won't drone on anymore. 4:15 - Obra D. Tompkins (Katy ISD, Katy) AAAA Another one of those groups I'm just BEGGING to have a breakout year. They've been on the bubble at Htown for quite some time now and I'm rooting for them to make that push in finals. 4:30 - Seven Lakes (Katy ISD, Katy) AAAA One of my locks for finals at this competition, they've been on the climb upwards the past few years and I've heard nothing but good things about them this year. I loved their squid show last year as bizarre as it was and I'm excited to see what they have in store this year. 4:45 - Ronald Reagan (North East ISD, San Antonio) AAAA The defending champions and my favorite to win, hearing really good things about them so far. I don't need to say anything else because this program's reputation speaks for itself. Final thoughts: WOW! So many fantastic bands in the Houston area, and take a good long look at that last block. It is Katy's equivalent to Austin's first block from last week. This season so far has been a year of upsets and dark horses and my gut tells me that isn't changing anytime soon. My top 2 picks for dark horse groups on Saturday are Westfield and Dawson. This will be our first look at TWHS before their Nats trip and it could be very telling of their strengths and weaknesses. Westwood will be looking to make their mark at Houston and are looking to break into the top half, but that will be just as much of a challenge, if not more, as making Austin finals. Like Austin, you won't ever want to leave your seat as that one group who you always skip because they're not historically competitive will come out of nowhere and blow you away. And there it is! My thoughts on every band performing at BOA Katy this Saturday. I will not be making the 6-7 hour drive this weekend, but I will be catching as many of the shows as I can on FloMarching.

Anyone not ranking Westlake in top 3, prepare to be very surprised. Their show this year is a big step up for the program, even from last year. Design is great and it is very clean for this part of the season and it is the best sound I've heard from the group from every year that I've heard them (since 2013ish). I will be very surprised if the top 3 at Katy are not Reagan, TWHS, and Westlake, and I wouldn't be overly surprised if Westlake pulls an upset over TWHS but it's not in my predictions. 1) Ronald Reagan 2) The Woodlands 3) Westlake 4) Westwood 5) Cy-Fair 6) Seven Lakes 7) Clear Brook 8) Oak Ridge 9) Pearland 10) Stephen F. Austin -------------------------- College Park, Dawson, Westfield, James E. Taylor, Cypress Falls, Richland, Brazoswood My full contest thoughts coming very soon...

Me too, their performance was absolutely stunning and I enjoyed it standing with fellow alumni. I don’t think I’ll ever forget September 28th, 2019.

Lake Travis made finals at McAllen in 2015 (I think) and Westwood has made finals at Atlanta in 2015 and St. Louis in 2017. This does mark Westwood’s first year making BOA finals in their home state of Texas, consider their stake claimed in this great state and congrats to Rouse for their first BOA finals appearance in history. And of course, congrats to LT once again because Austin and McAllen are very different competitions.

Don't get cocky, a lot of groups here have proven good competition for us including JET and Pearland throughout my years and since I graduated. I hope you guys can make it but it won't be easy, you definitely have the show but after that it's all in your control so don't stop pushing until you have actually made it. See you guys at Austin this weekend!

Don't be surprised if said Oklahoma group medals, they've been on the rise the past few years and their production this year is very well designed and will definitely be a crowd pleaser.

BOY am I excited for this regional, I'll be making the drive down from Abilene to see my alma mater and everyone else perform. Here's my thoughts on each and every program that will be performing: 8:15 Wagner (Judson ISD, San Antonio) - AAA This program has always fascinated me for some reason, there's so much potential in the group and I'm just waiting for them to have a breakout. Not in the conversation for finals, but they could really surprise people. It will be interesting to see how they do later this season at UIL Area with the changes in boundaries at CenTex/SA areas. 8:30 Round Rock (Round Rock ISD, Round Rock) - AAAA As a homer, I always root for bands from my home district. I definitely think that they are going to have a much stronger year than the last two and will have no issue whatsoever making finals once again, I wouldn't even be surprised them to make a top half appearance. 8:45 Cedar Ridge (Round Rock ISD, Round Rock) - AAAA Back to back RRISD, I love it. A very consistent program and they won't be going anywhere anytime soon, a comfortable lock for finals. Interested to see what their show is all about this year considering how I was a big fan of their 2017 show but not so much their 2018 one. 9:00 Rouse (Leander ISD, Leander) - AAA As a Westwood alumni, this is one of the bubble groups that has me scared. At the same time, I'm a huge fan of the program and will cheer them on even if they end up "kicking" my alma mater out of finals. Regardless of making finals or not, this group will be taking home a Class AAA medal with little doubt in my mind. 9:15 Hendrickson (Pflugerville ISD, Pflugerville) - AAAA Out of all the regular finalists at Austin, Hendrickson seems to be the most vulnerable. With their constantly changing staff there's no telling exactly how that would hurt them if at all. As I've mentioned earlier, they've been going through staff shuffling for a while now but still have held onto their BOA finalist title consistently. I still fully expect them to be in finals and will be shocked if they miss, but I believe if any regulars are going to not make it, Hendrickson is who it will be. 10:00 Vista Ridge (Leander ISD, Cedar Park) - AAAA Not much of an introduction needed for this group, being the defending 6A state marching champions. Very excited for this show based off of what I've been hearing, the first of many championship contenders for this competition. 10:15 Shadow Creek (Alvin ISD, Pearland) - AAA Stay in the stands at this time for Shadow Creek, a relatively unknown 5A Houston-area school brand new to BOA. Really pulling for these guys later in the season at area and state, because I really think they can go far with the new boundaries. 10:30 Del Rio (Del Rio ISD, Del Rio) - AAAA Coming off of yet another BOA McAllen finals appearance, Del Rio will be ready to make some noise at Kelley Reeves. This is a program that I've been very interested in seeing considering their remote location yet dedication to the BOA format. 10:45 Pflugerville (Pflugerville ISD, Pflugerville) - AAA Pflugerville always seems to have incredible early season performances, especially in the past two years with being right on the edge of Austin and DFW finals. Also they just dropped down to 5A which means they will be competing to qualify for state, where I believe they will likely make state finals. 11:00 Jack C. Hays (Hays CISD, Buda) - AAAA After their breakout season last year, this is another group that could sneak their way into finals. I was a big fan of their show last year and hope they continue improving alongside the new high school which just opened up down the street. 11:15 Ann Richards (Austin ISD, Austin) - A One of the only consistently competing class A groups in Texas and will be fighting to take home another title this weekend. 11:30 Leander (Leander ISD, Leander) - AAA The second group going to nats performing today, I can see Leander easily winning given what I've little heard and I see this show being a fan favorite around the nation. I think Leander will take the class AAA title pretty dominantly this weekend. 12:30 Lake Travis (Lake Travis ISD, Austin) - AAAA Next up in the bubble is LT who seems ready to have their best season yet given their BOA heavy schedule, even taking the trip up to STL in about month. This group always seems to have had the potential to be one of the top groups in the Austin-area but always is missing something. Could this season be the beginning of a new chapter for them? 12:45 Cedar Park (Leander ISD, Cedar Park) - AAA Your defending 5A state champions and will be back with a vengeance after last year's off season. They always do incredibly well at BOA Austin so they will more than likely be rounding off the top 5 this weekend. 1:00 Cypress Woods (Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Cypress) - AAAA Making their trip up from Cypress, CW will be participating in their first BOA contest ever. They were scheduled to perform at Waco last season, but we all know what happened there (whoosh). They tied for 10th at Area last fall, but lost judges choice and therefore did not perform in finals. 1:15 Lubbock-Cooper (Lubbock-Cooper ISD, Lubbock) - AA Happy to see I won't be the only one making the trek down from out west to this competition! After many years of competing in BOA, they finally started to show signs of success last season making it into Midland finals much to many peoples' surprise ahead of historically strong groups like Frenship and then placing an impressive 58th (relative to other placements in recent years). I see them sweeping the AA competition with ease and surprising a lot of people for what a band of their size can do. 1:30 John Horn (Mesquite ISD, Mesquite) - AAAA The third group of the day making their BOA premier and probably the most competitively viable out of the group. After a very strong performance at state last fall, I'm excited to hear from them and then subsequently losing my ability to hear due to the wall of sound that this group produces. We could see them making finals at this competition and really surprise a lot of people. 1:45 Byron P. Steele II (SCUC ISD, Cibolo) - AAAA I'm not sure what to think about this band other than the incredible trombone soloist from last year's show (give it a listen if you haven't heard it). If they continue to produce players of that capability, this group could really start climbing the ladder in the coming years 2:00 Vandegrift (Leander ISD, Austin) - AAAA Now for the 3rd block's nats attendee, the Viper band will surely put on an incredible performance. If you love Vandy and BOA, then this show will blow you away. They are another group I could see walking away with the title. 2:45 James Bowie (Austin ISD, Austin) - AAAA Bowie's show last year was incredible and one of my personal favorites, they will definitely be in finals this weekend and I'm excited to see what they have out on the field at this point. I'm rooting for them to make back in SA finals in November. 3:00 Belton (Belton ISD, Belton) - AAAA Like Hendrickson, Belton's staff situation has been less than stable, but they have gone through a complete staff turnover. From what I've been hearing, they are off to a strong start despite the drastic change in leadership. Hoping they actually make it down to Austin this year after they prematurely pulled out last minute last year. 3:15 New Braunfels (New Braunfels ISD, New Braunfels) - AAAA This group has seemed to plateau after their 2016 season where they made area finals for the first time in over a decade, but there's no telling if they will have another incredible season and place higher than many expect. 3:30 Westwood (Round Rock ISD, Austin) - AAAA My alma mater and where I teched during summer band, so obvious bias is obvious, but their show this year is a massive step up in difficulty and just overall maturity of design. At the same time, I don't see the trend of Westwood fielding crowd pleasing shows changing. Their Christmas show has tons of moments that the crowd will surely gush over and the new uniforms make the kids look slick. Finals will still definitely be a fight for them as always, but this could finally be their year after consistently staying in the 11-13 range since the regional started up in 2013. 3:45 Veterans Memorial (Judson ISD, San Antonio) - AA I'm going to be honest, I don't know anything about this group. They could steal a caption from LC in class AA, but I don't see them placing above them based off of results I have seen. 4:00 Johnson (Hays CISD, Buda) - A The brand new Hays school that I'm hoping turns into Texas' next Weiss. If you didn't see DMJ's tour of the band hall, the district seems fully ready to support the fine arts. My personal favorite for winning the class A title at not only their first BOA contest ever, but their first contest EVER ever from this young group. 4:15 Claudia Taylor Johnson (North East ISD, San Antonio) - AAAA Don't underestimate them, that is probably the worst thing you could do. Just because they had one below expected Nats placement in 2016 doesn't mean that's how it will be this year. Also don't let the sequel thing make you doubtful either, there are many factors that make this show and year for CTJ completely different. Now for my predictions (alphabetical order in tiers): Championship contenders Claudia Taylor Johnson (my favorite for winning) Leander Vandegrift Vista Ridge -------------------------------- Finalist locks Cedar Park Cedar Ridge James Bowie Round Rock -------------------------------- Near locks Hendrickson -------------------------------- Upper bubble Pflugerville Rouse Westwood -------------------------------- Lower bubble Jack C. Hays John Horn Lake Travis -------------------------------- Next out Byron P. Steele II Cypress Woods Del Rio New Braunfels

I like the sound of this one

yep, very choppy audio. unwatchable at some points.

Music definitely felt like a rough run, but I enjoyed the books and can see it having a lot of potential come GN. Beating Hebron or other high placing Texas groups? Maybe not. Visual looks like it's gonna be in their hands once again, also much a more engaging book than the past few years for me. GE? I honestly enjoyed this show more than any of their past few, even now. I was just talking with some Carmel students and they said that was definitely a rough run for them, they got up at 4am to get to Louisville without a rehearsal run earlier in the day.

Mission? Are you sure that's you? Incredible performance that feels a step up (ha, get it, cause stairs?) from the past few years, dark horse McAllen finalist? Surprise 5A state qualifier? Maybe it's too early to tell, but I did not expect what I just saw. Fantastic show guys!

Westwood could potentially make finals as well, nowhere near a lock but they've placed as high as 19th in 2017

I'm pretty sure BOA does not make DVDs anymore because of copyright reasons, but even then I'm pretty sure they only saved Grand Nationals (latest DVD I can find is 2014). On top of that, it's only finals which is on the DVD. So unless someone recorded the stream, it's safe to say that you won't be seeing the multi-cam performance anytime soon, unfortunately.

I've been talking with someone from Vista Murrieta a little bit and they've been saying they've taken every aspect of their show design and rehearsal techniques up a notch for this season. I fully expect to see something VERY special from them this year and they definitely have a great chance at making finals.