UIL 5A State Marching Contest 2025 (Nov. 10 & 11)

[igarc349]

i agree prelims is iffy very much so we need to see these bands now at state and lets see how they do i really wish the best of luck to every band and who knows we might see some new finalists this year...!!!

[Karma_Savior]

I just finished watching every single video I could find of every state qualifying band. Here's my hot take (that will probably be wrong). I only watched videos from the past week or 2, so things could definitely change by Monday. 

1. Cedar Park

2. Rouse

3. Lone Star

4. Wakeland

5. Aledo

6. Leander 

7. Lebanon Trail

8. Burleson Centennial 

9. Argyle

10. Hendrickson

11. Friendswood

12. Midlothian

On the Bubble: Richland, Lake Belton, Hays, Roma (In no particular order)

[sdhjhgfertyygtvt]

Im gonna say friendswood beats hendrickson and mabye argyle.

[igarc349]

karma_savior what were your thoughts on Psja North i feel a little crazy am i the only one prospecting them for near finals this year 😭

[lingram07]

15 minutes ago, Karma_Savior said:

I just finished watching every single video I could find of every state qualifying band. Here's my hot take (that will probably be wrong). I only watched videos from the past week or 2, so things could definitely change by Monday. 

1. Cedar Park

2. Rouse

3. Lone Star

4. Wakeland

5. Aledo

6. Leander 

7. Lebanon Trail

8. Burleson Centennial 

9. Argyle

10. Hendrickson

11. Friendswood

12. Midlothian

On the Bubble: Richland, Lake Belton, Hays, Roma (In no particular order)

I do love this list but I would put Roma HS or even Lake Belton HS above Midlothian HS on this list. Could be opinion based as well so that could just be me. But overall I would very much agree with this ranking. 

[Karma_Savior]

4 minutes ago, igarc349 said:

karma_savior what were your thoughts on Psja North i feel a little crazy am i the only one prospecting them for near finals this year 😭

GREAT Percussion, Solid Woodwinds. Show Design/GE is through the roof. I have them 22-26, but man! It's such an honor to even make it this far, ya know?

[igarc349]

yeah for sure im iffy on them and roma because it was neck and neck for ROMA this year at their Area 

[lingram07]

8 minutes ago, igarc349 said:

karma_savior what were your thoughts on Psja North i feel a little crazy am i the only one prospecting them for near finals this year 😭

I agree with Karma it is a great show just not top 15 good. I like the show as well but that area is not very hard as well the only other real competitor in that are is Roma so..... Also I did not agree with any of the judges in any area this year I do not like the judging system. 

[igarc349]

Yeah i totally agree with you lingram07 the judging was so weird this year not just 5a but also 6a judging... Also yeah i get what you are saying about psja north the part i think they will place like in the 20's this year since their last appearance ay the dome was 2023 with The Tale-Tell Heart show didn't get them placed very well so with my info. them placing in the 20's is history for them. Honestly i have ROMa as a dark horse for finals this year. 

[lingram07]

33 minutes ago, igarc349 said:

Yeah i totally agree with you lingram07 the judging was so weird this year not just 5a but also 6a judging... Also yeah i get what you are saying about psja north the part i think they will place like in the 20's this year since their last appearance ay the dome was 2023 with The Tale-Tell Heart show didn't get them placed very well so with my info. them placing in the 20's is history for them. Honestly i have ROMa as a dark horse for finals this year. 

I believe that the most likely schools to get the 12th place to get into finals are A&M Consolidated, Roma, and Lake Belton, also maybe Richland. Those 4 are most likely in my eyes to get the last finalist spot. 

 

[OGFISD99]

With the regional going in San Antonio are any of the judges there judging the 5A competition on Monday?.... 

[WanderingTraveler]

1 hour ago, OGFISD99 said:

With the regional going in San Antonio are any of the judges there judging the 5A competition on Monday?.... 

5A: Chip Crotts, Wayne Dillon, Beth Fabrizio, John Howell, Tim Ochran, Chris Romanowski, Adam Sage, Richard Saucedo, Kerry Taylor

 

These are the adjudicators for 5A State Marching Contest. Seems both John Howell and Richard Saucedo are both pulling double duty for both the BOA regional and state.

[Tailgate88]

I think there is going to be some movement up and down for a few bands from area placements, because some will do better or worse under the seven judge system as opposed to five. 

[Tubalord11]

Hello everyone! I will be watching pretty much all of this comp, will be all of prelims except last two blocks bc of band and work and will be watching all of finals! Super excited to be able to watch one last comp this season. Here are my final predictions. I am taking into consideration yesterday's results: 

1. Cedar Park 

2. Rouse (could be 1 but as history has followed...) 

3. Wakeland 

4. Lone Star 

5. Leander 

6. Aledo 

7. Lebanon Trail 

8. Argyle 

9. Burleson Centennial 

10. Hendrickson 

11. Friendswood 

12. Midlothian 

 

Yes, they do have a very not ideal performance time but seeing how they scored against some of the top 5A and 6A bands this past weekend, if performance time doesn't screw them over, I'm fully convinced Midlothian will take that last spot, and honestly if they make finals, they could be higher than 12th imo.  

[WanderingTraveler]

Still working on predictions for this contest, but one thing to note here. Argyle and Aledo had back-to-back performance times at BOA, and Argyle came out on top. Argyle scored higher in both music and visual, although Aledo placed higher in visual ensemble and individual music.

[JUST A FAN]

5 A State Prediction:

1) CP

2) Rouse or Lone Star

3) Rouse, Lone Star or Wakeland

Could also be a red herring as most judges are DCI/BOA judges.

 

[utee94]

Getting up and getting ready for send-off.  I'm gonna skip some pit crew duties for my own kids' band today, in order to watch my alma mater Anderson perform earlier in the day.  They're so excited to be going to State for the first time since 2010!  (and that might be the only time, not sure.  We certainly weren't good enough to go when I marched there WAY back in the day)

Best of luck to all the bands today, it's going to be really exciting. I won't get to watch many shows live since I'm working pit crew today but I've seen many of them already and it's going to be a treat for all of those who get to view them.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

On 11/19/2024 at 12:56 PM, WanderingTraveler said:

Hard to say without knowing any possible region (or area) changes/new schools/etc. But there are a few things to note.

Area A: I think JM Hanks and the Lubbock schools retain their state bids, but I think Coronado makes a push to state.
Area B: I don't expect Wakeland or Lonestars tenure in this Area to be challenged, but I know that that Lebanon Trail is going to come back with vengeance and make it hard for McKinney North and Argyle to keep their state spots. However, it's hard to see either one of those programs getting knocked out. Interested to see what MN does show-wise next year. Also can't knock Reedy out of this picture, that program is getting super strong. This area only having 4 spots (assuming nothing changes) is going to unfortunately leave someone out...Having all 4 of these groups in 2024 finals is telling.
Area C- I do think Highland Park will eventually make it back to earning a state spot, its just a question of how long it will take. Mt. Pleasant and Poteet retain their state bids IMO, and I think either Kaufman (I see an upwards trend here) or HP takes a spot.
Area D- I don't really see any changes here. Hopefully they retain 5 state spots, but Hendrickson will stay at the top, but Pieper I think can maybe bubble to finals. I really like what the brass is doing in this group, and with a good show I think this is the trend. LB, JCH, and SV I see also advancing to the SMBC, making this area the same
Area E: If they retain 6 spots, I could see some shakeup. Friendswood, College Station, A&M Cons., and Barbers Hill I think keep their spots. I think Kempner also remains, but I think this groups trajectory is up, so I could see them placing higher in the area. My sleeper pick is Porter, is could see this group getting in.
Area F: This is another area that I don't see enough evidence pre-season to jump to any conclusions. I think Aledo, BC, Midlothian, CH, and Richland still advance, but I can see some shake up in finals. Aledo remains untouched in my opinion, but I could see an argument that Midlothian and BC swap finals spots. In my 2024 5A state predictions (after watching all the bands perform) I had Midlothian in finals, but that didn't end up happening. Also, BC has a INCREDIBLE drumline which makes it hard to surpass them with the state judging rubric. 
Area G: This area has a pretty competitive self-contained finals. Roma remains the Area G champion I think, but I could see massive shakeup to get Gladys Porter, James Pace, and Robert Vela a trip to the SMBC.
Area H: Cedar Park, Rouse and Leander clear this competition. Its hard to bet against the reigning medalists, but they are truly...that good. Final two, Glenn and LH keep like a pretty sure-pick, but I know I had Wagner initially in my predictions.

Way-to-early-top-12:

1. Cedar Park

2. Rouse

3. Lone Star (I will stand by Lone Stars prelims run at area, if they can have a run like again, I see them medaling)

4. Leander

5. Wakeland

6. Argyle

7. Hendrickson

8. McKinney North

9. Friendswood

10. Pieper

11. Midlothian

12. Lake Belton

NOTE: All of this is subjective without any show announcements, director changes, etc...So anything can happen.

Well, its my favorite contest of the season. Looking back at my way to early predictions from 2024, and obviously my thoughts have changed a bit. I could go on and on about my thoughts but I’ll limit to a few. Area B, LT did come back with vengeance, and they look VERY strong. Pieper and MN being first out at area opens up for Argyle and someone else. I think the Aledo / BC race ~felt~ close this year, so wouldn’t be surprised if theres a shake up at this contest. Im glad Midlothian did end up having a successful season, and I still see them in finals. I have Lake Belton as first out today at this current moment. More to come!
 

Predictions:

1: Cedar Park HS

2: Rouse HS

3: Wakeland HS

4: Lone Star HS

5: Leander HS

6: Lebanon Trail HS

7: Aledo HS

8: Argyle HS

9: Burleson Centennial HS

10: Hendrickson HS

11: Friendswood HS

12: Midlothian HS

[WanderingTraveler]

Good morning! Grabbing breakfast and then walking over to the stadium. Super excited for getting to see everyone today, and will try to give updates (Whatever connection I can get).

[Tailgate88]

42 minutes ago, WanderingTraveler said:

Good morning! Grabbing breakfast and then walking over to the stadium. Super excited for getting to see everyone today, and will try to give updates (Whatever connection I can get).

Appreciate your commentary! I will be there for the first two blocks but we have a 2 year old grandchild in tow so not going to be able to stay the whole time. I hope everyone will add to this thread as day goes on, it makes it more fun! Best of luck to the amazing kiddos performing today! As the sign says “You are among the very best marching bands in Texas!”

[Tubalord11]

Good morning, everyone! Watching live on NFHS these next two days, super excited for some more awesome band! 

[WanderingTraveler]

Hendrickson: Really cool opening visually. Great sounds for the first ensemble of the day. Interesting uniform design. Visually pretty clean, especially in more fluid forms. Some great soloists to start the day. Despite the weather being fairly cold outside, some super warm sound, especially in the buildup in the closer. Loved the butterfly set here. Great way to start the day.

[Tubalord11]

Hendrickson: really solid opening with percussion, those snares sound really clean. Huge impact from the brass, pitch is slightly off center but it's super early in the day. WW and high brass features were nails. Super clean big curvilinear move, really good spatial awareness. Really beautiful back field playing into this wonderful Euph solo; they are playing with such a mature tone in this ballad. Super cool sax feature during the drum break, again forms are really clean, really impressed with their visual package. Butterfly set is super effective, great GE there. Great resolution coming out of that major 7th, really like how they called back at the end to the pieces throughout the show. huge sound at the end, extremely impressive opening to today, one of my favorite shows of theirs of late, great job Hawk Band! 

[anotherbandmom]

Happy 5A Day everyone! Logistics and timing have me sitting in the parking lot just waiting for the send off so I am going to watch the stream on my phone while I wait. I can hear our band getting in some last minute rehearsal in the distance. I'm so excited! Congratulations to all of today's bands and I can't wait to see everyone's shows!

[Tubalord11]

Midlothian: Love the fun preshow "visual". Okay Bari Sax let's get it! Great groove going by him with this Trumpet on top. Full ensemble sounds fantastic, love that jazzy chord, screamer killed it. Moving these small triangles very well with the Bari solo. Amazing brass and WW features. Tempo change handled very well, really great form control, nailed those cover downs. I'm actually being blown away by their sound, I mean holy cow. Lovely Trumpet our Flugelhorn quartet, wow; great backfield playing from the brass, love the moon in the WW's. Flag work is super effective in this last chord, yeah, they are locked in holy cow. Great intro into Asphalt, I hear you Mellos! Love this Trumpet trio ringing over the full ensemble, little stick out from trombones in the jam out part. JESUS Bari, that guy is not real. Yeah, actually insane ending, if this doesn't make finals, I will be shocked, mind is blown. Amazing job Midlothian!!