~ME~

My thoughts:
 
-That is SO AWESOME for Flower Mound!!! A well-deserved championship! I would have LOVED to see how that show would have fared at nationals! Congrats to all the hard working kids and the out-of-this-world design team at Flower Mound! I would also like to thank Flower Mound for fueling my nightmares tonight with the heads. Thanks guys...  But seriously, WHAT A SHOW!
 
-REAGAN'S BACK, BABY!!! 
 
-CTJ is just so impressive. I didn't think they would be able to pull off such an ambitious show, but boy did they ever! This band will be a very, VERY serious Eagle contender whenever they return to Grand Nats. 
 
-I'm glad the judges finally agree with me that Hebron and Marcus are the best bands in the state musically. They both definitely deserved that caption win. I think Hebron is a shoe-in for the music caption at Grand Nats, and I also think they will have a very real shot at the bronze medal there. 
 
-And the award for most underrated band of the year (at least on these forums anyways) goes to Cedar Park! They really blew me away! They truly deserved that 5th place finish! Congrats to them! 
 
-The Woodlands and Round Rock are in very good shape for nationals. I expect both of them to have much stronger finishes at Indy. Same goes for Keller as well! And they all are already fantastic! 
 
-Owasso had my favorite show of the year, and I'm clearly not alone in thinking that. Never would have expected to see a Kill Bill show in a million years, but MAN was it awesome! I'm so glad they made the trip down here, otherwise I might have missed out on experiencing this gem of a show! 
 
-I would complain about Bowie's placement, but the previous two years already led me to accept that things like this are just going to happen from now on with how competitive this contest is. That being said, Bowie was great as always! They have such a lush, rich sound that I just can't get enough of.
 
-Wakeland was FANTASTIC! It was great to finally see them in finals at San Antonio! Congrats to them! 
 
-Vista Ridge is really proving themselves as a great rising band. They were an amazing surprise last year, and they have continued to impress me this year.  The same goes for Vandergrift, though they've been a contender for a year longer. 
 
-Leander was AMAZING. I'm still kind of sad that we'll never know how they would have stacked up, but at least they still have state. Good luck to them there! 
 
-Cedar Ridge has still got it! So happy for them that they were able to make finals! 
 
Despite the weather setbacks (thank goodness everyone stayed safe), this was such a great contest! I didn't comment much this season simply because of how hard things were to predict this year, but this was a fantastic season and I enjoyed every second of it! Here's to another great one next year! 

My thoughts:
 
-That is SO AWESOME for Flower Mound!!! A well-deserved championship! I would have LOVED to see how that show would have fared at nationals! Congrats to all the hard working kids and the out-of-this-world design team at Flower Mound! I would also like to thank Flower Mound for fueling my nightmares tonight with the heads. Thanks guys...  But seriously, WHAT A SHOW!
 
-REAGAN'S BACK, BABY!!! 
 
-CTJ is just so impressive. I didn't think they would be able to pull off such an ambitious show, but boy did they ever! This band will be a very, VERY serious Eagle contender whenever they return to Grand Nats. 
 
-I'm glad the judges finally agree with me that Hebron and Marcus are the best bands in the state musically. They both definitely deserved that caption win. I think Hebron is a shoe-in for the music caption at Grand Nats, and I also think they will have a very real shot at the bronze medal there. 
 
-And the award for most underrated band of the year (at least on these forums anyways) goes to Cedar Park! They really blew me away! They truly deserved that 5th place finish! Congrats to them! 
 
-The Woodlands and Round Rock are in very good shape for nationals. I expect both of them to have much stronger finishes at Indy. Same goes for Keller as well! And they all are already fantastic! 
 
-Owasso had my favorite show of the year, and I'm clearly not alone in thinking that. Never would have expected to see a Kill Bill show in a million years, but MAN was it awesome! I'm so glad they made the trip down here, otherwise I might have missed out on experiencing this gem of a show! 
 
-I would complain about Bowie's placement, but the previous two years already led me to accept that things like this are just going to happen from now on with how competitive this contest is. That being said, Bowie was great as always! They have such a lush, rich sound that I just can't get enough of.
 
-Wakeland was FANTASTIC! It was great to finally see them in finals at San Antonio! Congrats to them! 
 
-Vista Ridge is really proving themselves as a great rising band. They were an amazing surprise last year, and they have continued to impress me this year.  The same goes for Vandergrift, though they've been a contender for a year longer. 
 
-Leander was AMAZING. I'm still kind of sad that we'll never know how they would have stacked up, but at least they still have state. Good luck to them there! 
 
-Cedar Ridge has still got it! So happy for them that they were able to make finals! 
 
Despite the weather setbacks (thank goodness everyone stayed safe), this was such a great contest! I didn't comment much this season simply because of how hard things were to predict this year, but this was a fantastic season and I enjoyed every second of it! Here's to another great one next year! 

I seriously want to know what Lipman and the CTJ crew are feeding those kids.
 
Every year I just wish more and more that they would go back to Indy already!! The talent in that program across the board is unreal, and their knack for cleaning these MONSTER shows is just getting better and better. They are gonna cause some serious damage next time they go to Grand Nationals
 
Alright fanboy moment is over

My thoughts:
 
-That is SO AWESOME for Flower Mound!!! A well-deserved championship! I would have LOVED to see how that show would have fared at nationals! Congrats to all the hard working kids and the out-of-this-world design team at Flower Mound! I would also like to thank Flower Mound for fueling my nightmares tonight with the heads. Thanks guys...  But seriously, WHAT A SHOW!
 
-REAGAN'S BACK, BABY!!! 
 
-CTJ is just so impressive. I didn't think they would be able to pull off such an ambitious show, but boy did they ever! This band will be a very, VERY serious Eagle contender whenever they return to Grand Nats. 
 
-I'm glad the judges finally agree with me that Hebron and Marcus are the best bands in the state musically. They both definitely deserved that caption win. I think Hebron is a shoe-in for the music caption at Grand Nats, and I also think they will have a very real shot at the bronze medal there. 
 
-And the award for most underrated band of the year (at least on these forums anyways) goes to Cedar Park! They really blew me away! They truly deserved that 5th place finish! Congrats to them! 
 
-The Woodlands and Round Rock are in very good shape for nationals. I expect both of them to have much stronger finishes at Indy. Same goes for Keller as well! And they all are already fantastic! 
 
-Owasso had my favorite show of the year, and I'm clearly not alone in thinking that. Never would have expected to see a Kill Bill show in a million years, but MAN was it awesome! I'm so glad they made the trip down here, otherwise I might have missed out on experiencing this gem of a show! 
 
-I would complain about Bowie's placement, but the previous two years already led me to accept that things like this are just going to happen from now on with how competitive this contest is. That being said, Bowie was great as always! They have such a lush, rich sound that I just can't get enough of.
 
-Wakeland was FANTASTIC! It was great to finally see them in finals at San Antonio! Congrats to them! 
 
-Vista Ridge is really proving themselves as a great rising band. They were an amazing surprise last year, and they have continued to impress me this year.  The same goes for Vandergrift, though they've been a contender for a year longer. 
 
-Leander was AMAZING. I'm still kind of sad that we'll never know how they would have stacked up, but at least they still have state. Good luck to them there! 
 
-Cedar Ridge has still got it! So happy for them that they were able to make finals! 
 
Despite the weather setbacks (thank goodness everyone stayed safe), this was such a great contest! I didn't comment much this season simply because of how hard things were to predict this year, but this was a fantastic season and I enjoyed every second of it! Here's to another great one next year! 

While we may have our own opinions of how this is being handled, to say that they haven't been working INCREDIBLY hard to make this work is just not right.  I couldn't imagine to have to deal with such a logistical nightmare.  Regardless of what happened, BOA did their best to try and accommodate EVERYONE.  While I am INCREDIBLY dissapointed that Leander is only going to be performing in exhibition and the thought of finals without them there is just not sitting right with me, there are 60+ other bands that are competing that BOA has also been working with, and it sounds like 99% of them are going to be there.  Leander isn't the only school having these issues.  It sucks, but it's easy to play the blame game when you're not on the phone the entire day trying to make the whole freakin mess work out.  
 
Quite frankly I'm shocked that more bands haven't dropped out or are in the same situation.  This is happening because these directors care about these kids and are not willing to put them in an unsafe situation.  All I can think about is that American Fork assistant director that was killed a few years back on the way back home from a competition.  It wasn't because of weather, but I'd hate to think of something similar happening here.  Just stay safe everyone, will be thinking about all the bands making the trek there tomorrow morning especially.  
 
Get some rest while you can, and I hope tomorrow is less hectic.  

I couldn't be happier for Flower Mound! It's always great to see a new regional champion crowned! That show is and will continue to be a GE monster for the rest of the season, it's just incredible. Easily one of my favorite shows of the year so far. And them winning a performance caption in both prelims and finals is very interesting I must say, I don't know what to think of that. Even though it's impossible to tell exactly how well they'll place at San Antonio, I would absolutely love to see FloMo walk out of the Alamodome with medals. It's at least pretty clear that they're in for their best season yet, and I can't wait to see how the rest of it goes! Congrats to them once again on their first regional championship!
 
I have to say I chuckled a bit when Hebron won visual, because it's a shining example of how impossible things are to predict now. I mean the only caption they won was the one caption nobody (myself included) thought they could win. We'll see what other visual judges think of them as the season goes on, but if they can at least continue to keep the visual caption from being a liability to them throughout the season then they will be in a very, VERY good position around San Antonio and especially Grand Nats when that show is fully developed.
 
Marcus was just as fantastic as always. Every time they perform they show why they're 5 time state champions and put on a clinic for how a marching band should look and sound.
 
Round Rock is on track to be awesome once again come Grand Nationals. This show is going to be really cool when it's finished and polished up, I can't wait to see it.
 
I'm REALLY liking what I'm seeing from LD Bell. This mini resurgence they seem to be having is awesome! They are just so dang good visually, in fact to me personally they looked like the strongest band of the night in that area. Bell has still been great these past few years but this year in particular they really stand out to me. I can't wait to see more from them!

Oh my goodness. TW, Hebron, and CTJ ALL IN ONE YEAR??? It's probably not gonna happen, but can you imagine if Texas bands swept the top 3 at Nationals? That would be something! If they both do indeed go, I especially hope either CTJ or Hebron take the Eagle (Hebron in particular, seeing as how it would be really cool to see them become the first band to win Nationals on their first trip). If CTJ puts out a show like this year's, they'll obviously have a very strong shot. I'm curious to see if they'll keep the uniforms as I feel like they could be used for many other interesting show themes. CTJ seems to put out a better show every year, so I am unbelievably excited to see what they'll bring to the table next year. It may or may not be next year, but I expect CTJ to eventually win the Eagle some day. I also think Hebron is more than capable of taking the Eagle as well. They've got the talent to do it and they've got Kevin Nix. It will just depend on if every thing comes together for them or not (i.e. if Nix outdoes himself and writes another masterpiece, resulting in Hebron putting out their own "Beyond Perimeters" or "You Never Know"). They also can't afford to have the visual struggles they had this year. Hebron's obviously going to be taking a very good crack at that Eagle if they do indeed go to Grand Nats. We'll just have to wait and see if it's a homerun or a miss (and by miss, I just mean placing outside the top 3. Even if that happens, I obviously still expect them to do quite well). And really, the same goes for the Woodlands. They have the talent and design staff to do it, it will just come down to whether or not it all comes together for them. Even though I would prefer one of the other two bands to win simply because The Woodlands already got their first National Championship, I would still be super pumped to see TW take their second one. I think they'll have to top even their 2013 show to win next year (and if they do... wow, that will be one heck of a show to witness). Can't wait to see what next year brings! 
 
And concerning this year's Grand Nationals, I have to give a huge congrats to Flower Mound and Wakeland on representing Texas so well! Wakeland was a well-deserved semi-finalist, and I've got to say that this is the strongest I've ever seen a Wakeland band. I'm also very excited for Flower Mound! 6th place in their first appearance is amazing! All those kids should be very proud of themselves! And finally, it was great to see Tarpon Springs finally get their first championship! As you can probably tell, I love seeing bands get their first win. 
 
Well, another season is done. Here's to next year being just as amazing!

Definitely not. I was excited the minute I heard Hebron is entertaining the thought. I think next year will be a year of the underdogs, like Cedar Park (I shouldn't really put them in the underdog category but I'm sure you guys know what I mean). Cedar park had a fantastic show, I loved the church bells and everything. Very well put together. I'm just waiting to see how they will stack up.
I really hope Hebrons show is more like their World of Wonder show. The music for this year was much harder. Two years ago it was pretty loud, but absolutely gorgeous.
The same goes for the woodlands. If they put together a show like their Grand Nats winning show, it will be crazy.

Gee... 5 State Titles in a row... I think Marcus has set a record that very well may never be broken. When it came to marching and playing, they were way ahead of their time back in 2006, and even now when other bands have finally begun to catch up, they are still good enough to win. Congrats to them! There have been many amazing Texas powerhouses such as Westfield, Spring, Bell, and Reagan, but in my books Marcus is the single greatest band program in the history of Texas marching band. It's been amazing watching them throughout the years. Now I'm already curious to see if they'll walk away with number 6 two years from now... 
 
2nd UIL State silver medal in a row for Hebron, and a well deserved one. This program has truly come into their own these past few years (like many other programs recently). I was super impressed with the insane technicality of their music and how incredible they sounded playing it all year, and I'm glad to see that pay off for them. Now that this year has wrapped up for them, I'm super interested in what they have in store for next year. I'm desperately hoping that they'll FINALLY make their debut at Grand Nationals that has been long overdue. Heck, maybe they'll become the first band in BOA history to bring home the eagle on their first Grand Nats appearance. That would be something.
 
Talk about a group that has come into their own, CTJ has just been killing it all season. The first place finish at BOA San Antonio isn't what I found most surprising about them this year (that was going to happen eventually), it's actually this medal at UIL that really surprised me and made me realize just how good this band is getting. It's one thing to just be good at BOA only or vise versa, but being successful at both BOA and UIL is a sign of a truly well rounded program. I think that's the biggest thing CTJ proved this year: that they're more than just a BOA powerhouse. Like Hebron, I really hope these guys make a trip to Indy next season as well. They would likely have a very, VERY good shot at the eagle as well. Fingers crossed! 
 
Bowie was fantastic this year. They were such a well-balanced group musically and visually. I really wanted them to finally get a medal this year, and they more than deserved it. If they keep being as incredible has they have been, they'll get a medal eventually for sure. 
 
This was such a great contest. It was awesome to see some new bands in Keller and Flower Mound (who is going to kick butt at Nationals), as well as astrong return to finals by Duncanville. Reagan (congrats to them on their well-deserved 5th place finish, by the way), The Woodlands, and Coppell were ALL fantastic as well. Seriously, these San Antonio contests just get better every year. What an awesome end to the season in Texas. I look forward to Flower Mound and Wakeland going up to Indy to represent Texas at Grand Nationals. Good luck to them!

I just think it's so cool how all the finals bands were so hospitable with one another. As a member of Duncanville's 2012 show, this was my first state finals, and every member of every band I ran into under the dome was so nice and had nothing but good things to say. I think that alone says a lot about Texas bands and knowing that making state finals alone is a huge accomplishment and something for everyone to be proud of.

Gee... 5 State Titles in a row... I think Marcus has set a record that very well may never be broken. When it came to marching and playing, they were way ahead of their time back in 2006, and even now when other bands have finally begun to catch up, they are still good enough to win. Congrats to them! There have been many amazing Texas powerhouses such as Westfield, Spring, Bell, and Reagan, but in my books Marcus is the single greatest band program in the history of Texas marching band. It's been amazing watching them throughout the years. Now I'm already curious to see if they'll walk away with number 6 two years from now... 
 
2nd UIL State silver medal in a row for Hebron, and a well deserved one. This program has truly come into their own these past few years (like many other programs recently). I was super impressed with the insane technicality of their music and how incredible they sounded playing it all year, and I'm glad to see that pay off for them. Now that this year has wrapped up for them, I'm super interested in what they have in store for next year. I'm desperately hoping that they'll FINALLY make their debut at Grand Nationals that has been long overdue. Heck, maybe they'll become the first band in BOA history to bring home the eagle on their first Grand Nats appearance. That would be something.
 
Talk about a group that has come into their own, CTJ has just been killing it all season. The first place finish at BOA San Antonio isn't what I found most surprising about them this year (that was going to happen eventually), it's actually this medal at UIL that really surprised me and made me realize just how good this band is getting. It's one thing to just be good at BOA only or vise versa, but being successful at both BOA and UIL is a sign of a truly well rounded program. I think that's the biggest thing CTJ proved this year: that they're more than just a BOA powerhouse. Like Hebron, I really hope these guys make a trip to Indy next season as well. They would likely have a very, VERY good shot at the eagle as well. Fingers crossed! 
 
Bowie was fantastic this year. They were such a well-balanced group musically and visually. I really wanted them to finally get a medal this year, and they more than deserved it. If they keep being as incredible has they have been, they'll get a medal eventually for sure. 
 
This was such a great contest. It was awesome to see some new bands in Keller and Flower Mound (who is going to kick butt at Nationals), as well as astrong return to finals by Duncanville. Reagan (congrats to them on their well-deserved 5th place finish, by the way), The Woodlands, and Coppell were ALL fantastic as well. Seriously, these San Antonio contests just get better every year. What an awesome end to the season in Texas. I look forward to Flower Mound and Wakeland going up to Indy to represent Texas at Grand Nationals. Good luck to them!

Gee... 5 State Titles in a row... I think Marcus has set a record that very well may never be broken. When it came to marching and playing, they were way ahead of their time back in 2006, and even now when other bands have finally begun to catch up, they are still good enough to win. Congrats to them! There have been many amazing Texas powerhouses such as Westfield, Spring, Bell, and Reagan, but in my books Marcus is the single greatest band program in the history of Texas marching band. It's been amazing watching them throughout the years. Now I'm already curious to see if they'll walk away with number 6 two years from now... 
 
2nd UIL State silver medal in a row for Hebron, and a well deserved one. This program has truly come into their own these past few years (like many other programs recently). I was super impressed with the insane technicality of their music and how incredible they sounded playing it all year, and I'm glad to see that pay off for them. Now that this year has wrapped up for them, I'm super interested in what they have in store for next year. I'm desperately hoping that they'll FINALLY make their debut at Grand Nationals that has been long overdue. Heck, maybe they'll become the first band in BOA history to bring home the eagle on their first Grand Nats appearance. That would be something.
 
Talk about a group that has come into their own, CTJ has just been killing it all season. The first place finish at BOA San Antonio isn't what I found most surprising about them this year (that was going to happen eventually), it's actually this medal at UIL that really surprised me and made me realize just how good this band is getting. It's one thing to just be good at BOA only or vise versa, but being successful at both BOA and UIL is a sign of a truly well rounded program. I think that's the biggest thing CTJ proved this year: that they're more than just a BOA powerhouse. Like Hebron, I really hope these guys make a trip to Indy next season as well. They would likely have a very, VERY good shot at the eagle as well. Fingers crossed! 
 
Bowie was fantastic this year. They were such a well-balanced group musically and visually. I really wanted them to finally get a medal this year, and they more than deserved it. If they keep being as incredible has they have been, they'll get a medal eventually for sure. 
 
This was such a great contest. It was awesome to see some new bands in Keller and Flower Mound (who is going to kick butt at Nationals), as well as astrong return to finals by Duncanville. Reagan (congrats to them on their well-deserved 5th place finish, by the way), The Woodlands, and Coppell were ALL fantastic as well. Seriously, these San Antonio contests just get better every year. What an awesome end to the season in Texas. I look forward to Flower Mound and Wakeland going up to Indy to represent Texas at Grand Nationals. Good luck to them!

Gee... 5 State Titles in a row... I think Marcus has set a record that very well may never be broken. When it came to marching and playing, they were way ahead of their time back in 2006, and even now when other bands have finally begun to catch up, they are still good enough to win. Congrats to them! There have been many amazing Texas powerhouses such as Westfield, Spring, Bell, and Reagan, but in my books Marcus is the single greatest band program in the history of Texas marching band. It's been amazing watching them throughout the years. Now I'm already curious to see if they'll walk away with number 6 two years from now... 
 
2nd UIL State silver medal in a row for Hebron, and a well deserved one. This program has truly come into their own these past few years (like many other programs recently). I was super impressed with the insane technicality of their music and how incredible they sounded playing it all year, and I'm glad to see that pay off for them. Now that this year has wrapped up for them, I'm super interested in what they have in store for next year. I'm desperately hoping that they'll FINALLY make their debut at Grand Nationals that has been long overdue. Heck, maybe they'll become the first band in BOA history to bring home the eagle on their first Grand Nats appearance. That would be something.
 
Talk about a group that has come into their own, CTJ has just been killing it all season. The first place finish at BOA San Antonio isn't what I found most surprising about them this year (that was going to happen eventually), it's actually this medal at UIL that really surprised me and made me realize just how good this band is getting. It's one thing to just be good at BOA only or vise versa, but being successful at both BOA and UIL is a sign of a truly well rounded program. I think that's the biggest thing CTJ proved this year: that they're more than just a BOA powerhouse. Like Hebron, I really hope these guys make a trip to Indy next season as well. They would likely have a very, VERY good shot at the eagle as well. Fingers crossed! 
 
Bowie was fantastic this year. They were such a well-balanced group musically and visually. I really wanted them to finally get a medal this year, and they more than deserved it. If they keep being as incredible has they have been, they'll get a medal eventually for sure. 
 
This was such a great contest. It was awesome to see some new bands in Keller and Flower Mound (who is going to kick butt at Nationals), as well as astrong return to finals by Duncanville. Reagan (congrats to them on their well-deserved 5th place finish, by the way), The Woodlands, and Coppell were ALL fantastic as well. Seriously, these San Antonio contests just get better every year. What an awesome end to the season in Texas. I look forward to Flower Mound and Wakeland going up to Indy to represent Texas at Grand Nationals. Good luck to them!

Gee... 5 State Titles in a row... I think Marcus has set a record that very well may never be broken. When it came to marching and playing, they were way ahead of their time back in 2006, and even now when other bands have finally begun to catch up, they are still good enough to win. Congrats to them! There have been many amazing Texas powerhouses such as Westfield, Spring, Bell, and Reagan, but in my books Marcus is the single greatest band program in the history of Texas marching band. It's been amazing watching them throughout the years. Now I'm already curious to see if they'll walk away with number 6 two years from now... 
 
2nd UIL State silver medal in a row for Hebron, and a well deserved one. This program has truly come into their own these past few years (like many other programs recently). I was super impressed with the insane technicality of their music and how incredible they sounded playing it all year, and I'm glad to see that pay off for them. Now that this year has wrapped up for them, I'm super interested in what they have in store for next year. I'm desperately hoping that they'll FINALLY make their debut at Grand Nationals that has been long overdue. Heck, maybe they'll become the first band in BOA history to bring home the eagle on their first Grand Nats appearance. That would be something.
 
Talk about a group that has come into their own, CTJ has just been killing it all season. The first place finish at BOA San Antonio isn't what I found most surprising about them this year (that was going to happen eventually), it's actually this medal at UIL that really surprised me and made me realize just how good this band is getting. It's one thing to just be good at BOA only or vise versa, but being successful at both BOA and UIL is a sign of a truly well rounded program. I think that's the biggest thing CTJ proved this year: that they're more than just a BOA powerhouse. Like Hebron, I really hope these guys make a trip to Indy next season as well. They would likely have a very, VERY good shot at the eagle as well. Fingers crossed! 
 
Bowie was fantastic this year. They were such a well-balanced group musically and visually. I really wanted them to finally get a medal this year, and they more than deserved it. If they keep being as incredible has they have been, they'll get a medal eventually for sure. 
 
This was such a great contest. It was awesome to see some new bands in Keller and Flower Mound (who is going to kick butt at Nationals), as well as astrong return to finals by Duncanville. Reagan (congrats to them on their well-deserved 5th place finish, by the way), The Woodlands, and Coppell were ALL fantastic as well. Seriously, these San Antonio contests just get better every year. What an awesome end to the season in Texas. I look forward to Flower Mound and Wakeland going up to Indy to represent Texas at Grand Nationals. Good luck to them!

Gee... 5 State Titles in a row... I think Marcus has set a record that very well may never be broken. When it came to marching and playing, they were way ahead of their time back in 2006, and even now when other bands have finally begun to catch up, they are still good enough to win. Congrats to them! There have been many amazing Texas powerhouses such as Westfield, Spring, Bell, and Reagan, but in my books Marcus is the single greatest band program in the history of Texas marching band. It's been amazing watching them throughout the years. Now I'm already curious to see if they'll walk away with number 6 two years from now... 
 
2nd UIL State silver medal in a row for Hebron, and a well deserved one. This program has truly come into their own these past few years (like many other programs recently). I was super impressed with the insane technicality of their music and how incredible they sounded playing it all year, and I'm glad to see that pay off for them. Now that this year has wrapped up for them, I'm super interested in what they have in store for next year. I'm desperately hoping that they'll FINALLY make their debut at Grand Nationals that has been long overdue. Heck, maybe they'll become the first band in BOA history to bring home the eagle on their first Grand Nats appearance. That would be something.
 
Talk about a group that has come into their own, CTJ has just been killing it all season. The first place finish at BOA San Antonio isn't what I found most surprising about them this year (that was going to happen eventually), it's actually this medal at UIL that really surprised me and made me realize just how good this band is getting. It's one thing to just be good at BOA only or vise versa, but being successful at both BOA and UIL is a sign of a truly well rounded program. I think that's the biggest thing CTJ proved this year: that they're more than just a BOA powerhouse. Like Hebron, I really hope these guys make a trip to Indy next season as well. They would likely have a very, VERY good shot at the eagle as well. Fingers crossed! 
 
Bowie was fantastic this year. They were such a well-balanced group musically and visually. I really wanted them to finally get a medal this year, and they more than deserved it. If they keep being as incredible has they have been, they'll get a medal eventually for sure. 
 
This was such a great contest. It was awesome to see some new bands in Keller and Flower Mound (who is going to kick butt at Nationals), as well as astrong return to finals by Duncanville. Reagan (congrats to them on their well-deserved 5th place finish, by the way), The Woodlands, and Coppell were ALL fantastic as well. Seriously, these San Antonio contests just get better every year. What an awesome end to the season in Texas. I look forward to Flower Mound and Wakeland going up to Indy to represent Texas at Grand Nationals. Good luck to them!

What a year for Johnson.  1st at Conroe, 1st at San Antonio, and 3rd at state, wow!  They're a new powerhouse, I can't wait for them to go back to nationals.  
 
Hebron was close!  Those visual scores sure flipped from prelims. 
 
Marcus, that's 9 years you've been the reigning champion, and in this state, that's absolutely incredible, congratulations!  

Yeah... there's not much to say except:
 

 
In all seriousness though, despite a few of those INSANE results, the judges also did a very good job in quite a few other areas. Hats off to them, state prelims sure isn't easy to judge.

"Indie Darling Contest #22"... That needs to be an actual contest. I had the stupidest grin on my face as I read that.

Absurdly bloated non-BOA/ UIL scores aside, I was able to watch Hebron's finals performance at HEB, and what I saw changed my previous opinion. I originally thought there wasn't a very big chance anyone was going to knock off Marcus at UIL, but Hebron really blew me away with this most recent performance. I've become convinced that they have a better chance at walking away with the gold medal than Marcus does.

Musically, they seemed to be even more confident than they were last weekend.The brass are flat out nailing the ridiculous articulation in their multiple features throughout the closing movement (especially for this early in the season, it's just ridiculous). They HAVE to pull off those articulation sections with flying colors if they want to win at state, and so far they are doing it. I will say, the beginning section of the closer after the dance section still sounds a little rocky. It's kind of strange how all the insane technical runs aren't really giving them much trouble, but the much slower section is what they seem to be struggling with right now. However, the first and second movements of the show were wonderful and flat out gorgeous. Nothing more to say about them other than that. Come November, this show is probably going to be about as flawless as it gets from a musical standpoint.

I also feel like they have improved quite a bit visually since last weekend. They especially seemed to be paying much more attention to keeping their lines straight. They still have some kinks to work out (I feel like the curvilinear formations in particular, while great already, need to be fine tuned just a little bit more in some areas), but they are small kinks.

I still don't and probably never will have even the slightest clue who will win BOA SA, but after seeing that HEB finals performance, I think UIL could very well be Hebron's for the taking. If it's not freezing cold this year like it sometimes is, I'm hoping to go watch Area B finals to see how Marcus and Hebron match up against each other in the late season. but until then, a Hebron win is my prediction as of now.

You've also gotta scratch your head on that 12th place ordinal in music for Hebron. LOL.

The Auburn judge gave johnson 28th place ? 

4A UIL State Finals Results:
 
http://utdirect.utexas.edu/uilsmbc/lbw2_sched_results.WBX?s_conference=4A&s_round=2&s_display_sw=R
 
1) Argyle
2) North Lamar
3) Princeton
4) Grulla
5) Kennedale
6) Canton
7) Atlanta
8) Fredericksburg
9) Wills Point
10) Pearsall

Marcus is probably going to win gold, with Hebron winning sillver. The only way I don't see that happening is if Hebron manages to sweep 1s across the board in music. I think bronze will be a battle between Bowie and Coppell, with Duncanville as a potential dark horse. For those curious, I'm posting a video of Duncanville at Area. I don't think they're quite as strong as Bowie or Coppell in this video, but depending on how much they will have improved this Tuesday, I think they've got a very legitimate shot at a medal. They certainly sound pretty fantastic.
 

Thanks to everyone for posting all these recaps and ordinals! It's VERY enlightening. Before I go into my personal gripes, I just want to say that I respect the judges ( who undoubtedly know WAY more than I do about the activity) and did not envy them AT all last night with that unbelievably tough job of judging arguably the most competitive BOA contest ever. But that doesn't mean I can't turn around and disagree with their opinions. :b These were the things that made me say "HUH???":
 
Flower Mound's placement was pretty odd, but we've clearly already established that. They are going to do awesome at Grand Nats though, there's no denying that!
 
Maybe there's something I'm just not seeing, or maybe the multicam view showed me things the judges didn't see, but I highly disagree with CTJ placing so high in both visual performance captions. I probably would have had them in 6th behind Bowie, Woodlands, Marcus, Leander, and Bell visually overall (Not wanting to discredit CTJ's gold medal though, they EARNED that. I have zero complaints with them finishing first overall). And admittedly, their show looked quite difficult to perform visually and the drill was stunning. But still, I just didn't feel that the execution and individual technique was quite there for them to be winning the visual caption.
 
Music Ensemble Performace... With this one I at least understand the judge's reasoning, and I think this is just a clash of personal preference for me. This judge clearly preferred the in-your-face BOA sound that CTJ and Leander had over the concert-band-on the-field sound that I generally prefer from Marcus. I would have had Marcus and Hebron as the top 2 in this category, but like I said, it all comes down to personal preference. That being said, I do think this is the second year in a row Hebron has kinda gotten jipped musically at BOA SA. I felt like they should have won the overall music caption last year, and I felt the same way this year. They had the guts to put out one of the most technically intricate and demanding shows I've heard in years, and they pulled it off in spades with a refined sound on par with that of Marcus. Hence why that 5th place finish in Ensemble Music kinda baffles me. The same goes for Marcus's 4th place finish, although I'm happy they still won the overall Music Caption.
 
The STRANGE Music GE stuff has already been covered, so I'll just say yeah, I have no idea what they were doing. Maybe Leander could have won the whole thing if not for that 13th place...
 
Overall though, I still feel like the judges did a pretty solid job this year. They especially nailed who the top 6 were, and I've already stated how I think it's pretty cool that all 6 of them were the bands that broke 90. And with an exception to Flower Mound, I think they did a pretty good job with the 7-14 bands as well. Yeah, there's some head scratchers, but they ultimately did a fantastic job. Kudos to the brave judges who actually had the guts to judge such an insane contest!

All 6A except for the 4 5A Leander ISD bands. What a district!

13th - 30th, over 17 bands is a spread of just 6.65 points.  THAT is a testament to how deep this competition is, that's insane.
 
Shout out to Hendrickson, what an incredible show that is one of my favorites of the year, I was REALLY pulling for them to make it in, had them in 14th myself, but what a well deserved 15th at the most competitive contest of the year.  That's quite an accomplishment.