Donezo

1. Vandegrift 2. Cedar Park 3. Leander 4. Vista Ridge 5. Dripping Springs 6. Wakeland 7. Waxahachie 8. Southwest 9. Centennial 10. Aledo Cannot 100% verify the accuracy of that list, but it's what a little bird told me from the press box.

Poteet has won 3x before! But that program, while still very good, isn't what it used to be. Waxahachie is indeed a 3x consecutive state finalist, and they have a great shot at making it again. Forney is also a former state finalist. McKinney is really, really strong this year. I was stunned they were so low in prelims, but I wasn't at the contest. They could do very well in San Antonio.

Last night was a good contest, but I spent the whole livestream thinking about how much better Texas State Marching Contest was. Several of those GN finalists would have trouble hacking it in the Lone Star State - especially musically.

Sure, but there are substantial points up for grabs for design, color guard, etc. http://www.uiltexas.org/files/music/area-marching-descriptor.pdf

I spent most of the night thinking Hebron had it in the bag, but man, Marcus really threw it down in the 11th hour. Stunning performance. I had both in a virtual tie, and you can't really fault the judges for going either way. What is going on in Lewisville ISD??? Johnson finishing third was unexpected, but I'm happy for them. They had a really great run last night. I just thought that show would be fairly divisive in a UIL setting. The design is so ambitious that it's impossible to reach the level of cleanliness you usually see from a UIL State medalist. Still, I think they were quite a bit better execution-wise than they were in prelims. I feel for Flower Mound for dropping so much, but I had them in 9th as well. They were very good, but everyone else really stepped up their game after prelims. I just didn't see the same energy and intensity from them that the bands who beat them delivered. They still sounded and looked great. I hope they can rebound in Indy. I could have given that third medal spot to a number of other bands. Bowie, Reagan, The Woodlands........wow. My jaw was on the floor after each of those performances. Coppell and Duncanville were better than they've been all year too. And kudos to Keller for snagging that wild card spot and turning in a memorable performance. Area A represent! It was truly an incredible night of marching band. Nobody does it better than Texas! If I could have subbed in someone who didn't make it, I would choose Westlake. I thought they were absolutely fantastic in prelims. It seems the music judges agreed, but the marching judges did not.

28th is low, but I could see justification for putting Johnson out of the top 10 in marching. It was a sloppy run this morning. I don't think the visual execution was 6A state finals level. They sounded great though.

The AlamoDome is a tough venue, and it can really catch you off guard. I marched there twice for State Marching Contest - once when my band didn't make finals and once when we won the whole thing. The most important thing you can do is trust your drum major and not your ears! Do what you have been practicing for months to do, and don't let the acoustics throw you.

See, this is the stuff I always remember when everyone brings the knives out for UIL judging inconsistency. The BOA system is often just as kooky. Whatever system you're working in, the judges' job is just tough. Although I will say that whoever had Marcus 12th in Music GE should probably be fired. Just......no.

Haltom is really coming on strong heading into State on Tuesday. I would love to see them back in Finals for the first time in ten years. I looooove the dragon show this year. Definitely my favorite show from the DFW area bands I've seen. Best of luck on Tuesday.

You guys sounded great when I saw you at Region! Berkner is definitely in the mix. They're a group that observers tend to underestimate heading into State, but they know how to throw down two great performances in the Dome. Good luck on Tuesday!

Yeah, I would definitely not expect Tuesday's results to look anything like BOA SA. Johnson will probably make finals again, but I don't see them having the across-the-board support from the judges they'll need for a medal. Marcus, on the other hand, should probably still be considered the favorite, and I expect Hebron to finish much higher as well.

Man, they really need to rethink the way this Area is set up. I can't fathom anyone looking at the breakdown and thinking it's fair to the kids. I get that the travel is too much for everyone to go to one place, but only letting the first place band go to State from two of these contests is ridiculous. I think it's time for another big realignment.

It definitely helps. You can survive an early performance, but bands on the bubble tend to benefit from going late in the day. I'd say that most of the truly surprising finalists of the past ten years or so came from the last prelims block.

I would love to see Duncanville make a State finals comeback, and I see no reason why they can't do it.....other than the field being absolutely stacked, of course. I wanted to put together finals predictions, but I honestly don't know where to start. This just gets harder every year as Texas bands push their quality higher and higher. I do ultimately think it will be Marcus and Hebron duking it out for the title. Bronze is anyone's game. I would love to see Bowie medal after being painfully close twice in a row.

I have a lot of qualms with the "not fit to judge" line of thinking. Check the resumes of those guys who judged this contest. All of them have had success in the UIL system. The argument does not hold up. Who do you propose should take their place?