Mineola's Iron Horse Marching Classic (Saturday October 4th, 2025)

[lolflame]

Just now, Trumpeter75 said:

Yes. When Palestine was called 12th and Marshall 9th I was like what?

I highly enjoyed, Palestines show too, but Marshall improved a ton from last year, shocked to see how it turned out

[Trumpeter75]

Just now, lolflame said:

I highly enjoyed, Palestines show too, but Marshall improved a ton from last year, shocked to see how it turned out

Yes. I said same about Marshall. I was like that is not the band that came in 5-6th at Winnsboro last year. 

[Alexa890]

Yall think Marshall got robbed? Honestly that’s what I think 

[Trumpeter75]

2 minutes ago, Trumpeter75 said:

Yes. I said same about Marshall. I was like that is not the band that came in 5-6th at Winnsboro last year. 

Like I said. I would be very interested to see the scoring sheets for this contest. 

[lolflame]

Just now, Alexa890 said:

Yall think Marshall got robbed? Honestly that’s what I think 

Yeah, but at the end of the day it’s how the judging system works. They sound and look a whole lot better, we’ll just have to see how their season turns out.

[bigbluebandisthebest1122s]

2 minutes ago, Alexa890 said:

Yall think Marshall got robbed? Honestly that’s what I think 

most likely. this band did not deserve to get 10th place.

[Trumpeter75]

1 minute ago, Alexa890 said:

Yall think Marshall got robbed? Honestly that’s what I think 

I did not have them winning. I thought north Lamar and PG were the top bands but I had them in top 5, not bottom 3. Also not understanding RW scores of sweeping all 3A then be seeded where they were. Oh well subjectivity- what one likes another doesn’t. 

[bigbluebandisthebest1122s]

6 minutes ago, Trumpeter75 said:

I did not have them winning. I thought north Lamar and PG were the top bands but I had them in top 5, not bottom 3. Also not understanding RW scores of sweeping all 3A then be seeded where they were. Oh well subjectivity- what one likes another doesn’t. 

also surprised how terrell took all the awards for 5a

[Alexa890]

Yeah, ether way i hope Marshall has a good overall season still im wondering how are they gonna do at winnsboro 

[Alexa890]

2 minutes ago, bigbluebandisthebest1122s said:

also surprised how terrell took all the awards for 5a

Yeah, I’m looking forward to see them in area c this year!

[TexasStrangers]

9 hours ago, TexasStrangers said:

Final Results

12th Place Palestine (5A)

11th Place Elkhart (3A)

10th Place Marshall (5A)

9th Place Grand Prairie (6A)

8th Place Queen City (3A)

7th Place Redwater (3A)

6th Place Terrell (5A)

5th Place Winnsboro (3A)

4th Place Pine Tree (4A)

3rd Place Farmersville (4A)

2nd Place Pleasant Grove (4A)

1st Place North Lamar (4A)

 

 

Overall Percussion - Terrell (5A)

Overall Colorguard - Farmersville (4A)

Overall Music - North Lamar (4A)

Overall Visual - North Lamar (4A)

 

I'll post my thoughts tomorrow, it's been a long long long long day of 23 bands and 12 bands in finals. Kuddo's to Mineola for hosting! The place was packed and I could see this being a huge beginning of the year showdown for several bands to start the season off for the new few years to come. 

 

So, here is my thoughts after getting some some much needed sleep.

Mt. Vernon (3A) was on the schedule to perform but dropped out. I don't know why but based on their show at PG last weekend they probably would not have made finals.

This Festival was rebranded this year and moved to earlier in BandOctober. If I recall, I believed Mineola would host this on a Monday later in the year and had lots of success until last year when a good majority of the bands dropped out due to having Regionals that week. So, Mineola rebranded the competition and moved to earlier in the year which I think was a great idea to give lots of bands in the East Texas Area an early competition that seemed to be centrally located for most of the bands that were there.  Yes, there were some other competitions going on "4 States" and "Marching on the Prairie" but the competition was not going to so great and "Sounds of the Fall" is getting to be more a big school competition not to mention I don't think anyone wants to go up against Celina. 

Here is how I had the 12 ranked

12th Elkhart, 11th Grand Prairie, 10th Queen City, 9th Palestine, 8th Winnsboro, 7th Marshall, 6th Redwater, 5th Terrell, 4th Pine Tree, 3rd Farmersville, 2nd PG and 1st North Lamar. 

As far as the judging goes, there was a few head scratching moments but from what I gather there was some big names with skins on the wall that was judging this contest. We all don't truly know what happened unless we see the score sheets from the contest.  Was it a case where one judge went "rogue" and caused a shakeup in the standings, was it pretty consistent across the board or was it really really close on some that could have shook up the standings. 

Yes, I think Palestine and Marshall did better then what they placed but it wasn't nothing that I felt would be something that would advance very far. I think probably the biggest shock for me was Winnsboro over Redwater. I don't see how that happened but of course I'm not a judging expert. I wonder if Redwater getting a bad draw going 1st maybe didn't sit well and they had a bad run. I think Redwater had a better run last week at PG then last night. I know if they would have probably went to "4 States" they would have probably won but it's good to push your program against stiffer competition. 

Terrell I thought had some good and some things to improve and I could possibly be moved to switch the placement with Redwater. I liked the percussion and think they can make it to Area but probably not make Finals.

So, the Final 4 came down to a Battle of 4A's. Farmersville won the Mineola contest last year and North Lamar has a history of winning in Mineola as well. So, I was curious to see an early 4A Area C Battle. 

I liked the Pine Tree show but I don't think they are on the next level that they need to be to be considered a serious contender. I have to be honest, the Farmersville show last year was so much better then what I saw last night. Yes, Farmersville has an outstanding guard and that helps them but they needed that awesome show to push them to State last year and think this show see them right on the outside of a trip to State this year.  PG I think is a serious player this year and I can see how they might shock some people this year. Lots of good things going on, I could see them at State in 4 weeks. North Lamar I think it was their competition to lose last night. They showed why they are consistent year in and year out. Great sound and good marching and very good use of visuals. I don't think they are on the level of Celina but I have no problem in putting money on North Lamar to be a 4A State Finalist. 

As far as Mineola in Exhibition, way way way much better run then last week at PG. Lot more power and sound. I was impressed that many of those students had been at the stadium since 7 am that morning working all day and were still able to come back and put on that performance at 10 at night.  If they were competing I would of had them 3rd. 

Overall I thought it was a great show with some quality judges. As I said before, I could see this as a place that could be a go to every year for a school that is competitive and get some good feedback early in the year. 

I will agree that bathroom situation in Mineola is "subpar". They have the money to do light effects in the stadium but they can't afford a/c in the bathrooms or provide enough bathrooms for the amount of people that were there. I hope they can fix that situation because that might cause schools not to come back. I also think parking was an issue for some as some people had to walk a long long long day to get to the stadium. I knew this was going to be an issue probably in the afternoon so came early.

I wanted to give some props to the concession stand there. I heard a few people complaining about the lines but I told them that they are doing the best they can when you have 4 windows open and 23 high schools are all trying to get food/drink. You just have to pack your patience. Also, kuddos to the teacher I talked to at the front gate who was taking gate money.

At the end of the day, I enjoy my time and would probably come back to this again next year. 

[rudy12]

9 hours ago, Trumpeter75 said:

I will just start by saying Wow?!?  I would love to see the judging scoring from prelims to finals. And I am not just talking about Redwater. They placed about where I had them, think I actually had them maybe 6th overall. After watching all of the finals- I had North Lamar and PG fighting for top two spots. Thought North Lamar was best band there entire day. Thought PG music selection and show was better then last years show. Felt after those two it would be a toss up of Marshall, Farmersville, or Terrell. Thought Marshall had improved hugely from last year when we watched and competed against at Winnsboro comp. Thought Farmersville was OK but think the other two main 4a competitors were much better. Farmersville guard were excellent. After that I had my Redwater band. Thought there were issues in the quartet but overall thought they played better in finals then in prelims where they swept the 3A awards. After that the other bands did not show much for me. The spots that just made me go hmmm was the placement of Marshall and Winnsboro. Did not see Palestine being last over Eckhart either. How is scoring for visual not subtracted by not having any guard over another that had guard for visual effect. Anyway as with all band competitions it is all subjective. What one likes etc may not be someone else’s show or visuals.  Those are my early, almost sleepy thought. Kuddos to Mineola tonight. I thought they sounded 10x better tonight over PG invitational. 
I will say one thing I heard over and over from spectators that I think Mineola will have to fix or come up with a plan is bathroom issues. Every woman I heard was complaining of their facilities and lack there of. It might be a suggestion to rent a row of porta potties, other then that it was a wonderful day watching some good marching. 

How many of the 4A shows are complete? Did NL have more than the ballad out?

[Trumpeter75]

18 minutes ago, TexasStrangers said:

So, here is my thoughts after getting some some much needed sleep.

Mt. Vernon (3A) was on the schedule to perform but dropped out. I don't know why but based on their show at PG last weekend they probably would not have made finals.

This Festival was rebranded this year and moved to earlier in BandOctober. If I recall, I believed Mineola would host this on a Monday later in the year and had lots of success until last year when a good majority of the bands dropped out due to having Regionals that week. So, Mineola rebranded the competition and moved to earlier in the year which I think was a great idea to give lots of bands in the East Texas Area an early competition that seemed to be centrally located for most of the bands that were there.  Yes, there were some other competitions going on "4 States" and "Marching on the Prairie" but the competition was not going to so great and "Sounds of the Fall" is getting to be more a big school competition not to mention I don't think anyone wants to go up against Celina. 

Here is how I had the 12 ranked

12th Elkhart, 11th Grand Prairie, 10th Queen City, 9th Palestine, 8th Winnsboro, 7th Marshall, 6th Redwater, 5th Terrell, 4th Pine Tree, 3rd Farmersville, 2nd PG and 1st North Lamar. 

As far as the judging goes, there was a few head scratching moments but from what I gather there was some big names with skins on the wall that was judging this contest. We all don't truly know what happened unless we see the score sheets from the contest.  Was it a case where one judge went "rogue" and caused a shakeup in the standings, was it pretty consistent across the board or was it really really close on some that could have shook up the standings. 

Yes, I think Palestine and Marshall did better then what they placed but it wasn't nothing that I felt would be something that would advance very far. I think probably the biggest shock for me was Winnsboro over Redwater. I don't see how that happened but of course I'm not a judging expert. I wonder if Redwater getting a bad draw going 1st maybe didn't sit well and they had a bad run. I think Redwater had a better run last week at PG then last night. I know if they would have probably went to "4 States" they would have probably won but it's good to push your program against stiffer competition. 

Terrell I thought had some good and some things to improve and I could possibly be moved to switch the placement with Redwater. I liked the percussion and think they can make it to Area but probably not make Finals.

So, the Final 4 came down to a Battle of 4A's. Farmersville won the Mineola contest last year and North Lamar has a history of winning in Mineola as well. So, I was curious to see an early 4A Area C Battle. 

I liked the Pine Tree show but I don't think they are on the next level that they need to be to be considered a serious contender. I have to be honest, the Farmersville show last year was so much better then what I saw last night. Yes, Farmersville has an outstanding guard and that helps them but they needed that awesome show to push them to State last year and think this show see them right on the outside of a trip to State this year.  PG I think is a serious player this year and I can see how they might shock some people this year. Lots of good things going on, I could see them at State in 4 weeks. North Lamar I think it was their competition to lose last night. They showed why they are consistent year in and year out. Great sound and good marching and very good use of visuals. I don't think they are on the level of Celina but I have no problem in putting money on North Lamar to be a 4A State Finalist. 

As far as Mineola in Exhibition, way way way much better run then last week at PG. Lot more power and sound. I was impressed that many of those students had been at the stadium since 7 am that morning working all day and were still able to come back and put on that performance at 10 at night.  If they were competing I would of had them 3rd. 

Overall I thought it was a great show with some quality judges. As I said before, I could see this as a place that could be a go to every year for a school that is competitive and get some good feedback early in the year. 

I will agree that bathroom situation in Mineola is "subpar". They have the money to do light effects in the stadium but they can't afford a/c in the bathrooms or provide enough bathrooms for the amount of people that were there. I hope they can fix that situation because that might cause schools not to come back. I also think parking was an issue for some as some people had to walk a long long long day to get to the stadium. I knew this was going to be an issue probably in the afternoon so came early.

I wanted to give some props to the concession stand there. I heard a few people complaining about the lines but I told them that they are doing the best they can when you have 4 windows open and 23 high schools are all trying to get food/drink. You just have to pack your patience. Also, kuddos to the teacher I talked to at the front gate who was taking gate money.

At the end of the day, I enjoy my time and would probably come back to this again next year. 

I had heard that some of the judges came from the DCI ranks so I was figuring on a tough form of judging over having local band directors on their off day come in and judge. Now that I have slept a few hours, like I said previously there were a couple bands NL and PG that stood out above the others last night. I thought Terrell had a very good performance and not sure how PT, with a performance of having band behind a visual for about a minute while guard put on a performance to a drum cadence scores higher then them or Winnsboro gets anywhere close to top 6. Nothing against their program or anything but I just do not like the show-seems very basic to me-no excitement for me. But we all have opinions.  
I had made a comment about the complaining of concession running out of this or that or taking too long. I said if anyone of those people had ever worked at their bands concession stand during a football game they would have known how much time and trouble goes into something like this. Just ordering for a football game is daunting much less an event like this where 23 bands are coming and spectators and meal plans. If anyone of those people spent the time they took to complain and spend that time in the concession stand to give “the group of 10” that are in those stands Friday nights, events, feeding kids at competition a break they wouldn’t complain as much!  
I don’t think the draw helped Redwater out at all. But as I told someone on the way home. If Mineola was in that contest and drew 1st, they wouldn’t be sitting 7th. So if you wanna beat a state winning powerhouse you have to perform like them. I hope RW takes this weekend and improves on it. I am sure there are critiques to help the program. I hope they come back next contest and act like Mineola and blow the doors off of the people that thought they hadn’t performed as well as they should have. That’s how you win state.  In all enjoyed the day and hope to see everyone at Battle of the spear in two weeks. 

[Trumpeter75]

40 minutes ago, rudy12 said:

How many of the 4A shows are complete? Did NL have more than the ballad out?

Umm. Not quite sure but I think NL was only show that still had about 2 mins left when they finished so I would suspect that they had more show to put in. The others I think if I recall correctly didn’t have but about 30-45 secs left on the clock which would leave me to believe a majority of their music program was in. 

[rudy12]

4 minutes ago, Trumpeter75 said:

Umm. Not quite sure but I think NL was only show that still had about 2 mins left when they finished so I would suspect that they had more show to put in. The others I think if I recall correctly didn’t have but about 30-45 secs left on the clock which would leave me to believe a majority of their music program was in. 

I’m sorry, I don’t have anything against NL and I had a pretty good idea that they would win. But how? I think it says a lot about a program that works hard enough to get their whole show on the field by October 1. At least the drill and music. I just don’t understand that.

[Trumpeter75]

20 minutes ago, rudy12 said:

I’m sorry, I don’t have anything against NL and I had a pretty good idea that they would win. But how? I think it says a lot about a program that works hard enough to get their whole show on the field by October 1. At least the drill and music. I just don’t understand that.

I agree that I would prolly place programs ahead of ones that didn’t have a complete show if they were neck and neck in rating. Now as far as working harder- sometimes the drill just isn’t sent to the directors yet to implement so the program is hindered by a third party getting them the drill.

[Gpk1968]

I don’t think it is a matter or working harder to get more drill on the field. I think it is a matter  or different styles of working. 

option a: learn it all really fast and clean all at once

option b: learn it slower and clean as you go 

personally, I think option b is the better way to do things. 

[rudy12]

2 minutes ago, Trumpeter75 said:

I agree that I would prolly place programs ahead of ones that didn’t have a complete show if they were neck and neck in rating. Now as far as working harder- sometimes the drill just isn’t sent to the directors yet to implement so the program is hindered by a third party getting them the drill.

Sure, but for the last 3 years, it seems like NL just takes forever. And gets away with it. I remember watching the livestream last year and they didn’t even have it done by region. Our directors always made a big deal out of having it done so we could clean it. 
 

I know what they have so far is really clean and good. Is it really so good that they could have 1-2 min of show less than a PG or Farmersville and still beat them? I was wondering this last week from the Melissa videos. They have some cool brass features and all, but the soloists are not playing as hard of stuff and they are winning music. I’ll give them the visual side. They march crisper than almost everyone I’ve seen in 4A except Celina. I guess I don’t really understand judging.

[TexasStrangers]

59 minutes ago, Trumpeter75 said:

I had heard that some of the judges came from the DCI ranks so I was figuring on a tough form of judging over having local band directors on their off day come in and judge. Now that I have slept a few hours, like I said previously there were a couple bands NL and PG that stood out above the others last night. I thought Terrell had a very good performance and not sure how PT, with a performance of having band behind a visual for about a minute while guard put on a performance to a drum cadence scores higher then them or Winnsboro gets anywhere close to top 6. Nothing against their program or anything but I just do not like the show-seems very basic to me-no excitement for me. But we all have opinions.  
I had made a comment about the complaining of concession running out of this or that or taking too long. I said if anyone of those people had ever worked at their bands concession stand during a football game they would have known how much time and trouble goes into something like this. Just ordering for a football game is daunting much less an event like this where 23 bands are coming and spectators and meal plans. If anyone of those people spent the time they took to complain and spend that time in the concession stand to give “the group of 10” that are in those stands Friday nights, events, feeding kids at competition a break they wouldn’t complain as much!  
I don’t think the draw helped Redwater out at all. But as I told someone on the way home. If Mineola was in that contest and drew 1st, they wouldn’t be sitting 7th. So if you wanna beat a state winning powerhouse you have to perform like them. I hope RW takes this weekend and improves on it. I am sure there are critiques to help the program. I hope they come back next contest and act like Mineola and blow the doors off of the people that thought they hadn’t performed as well as they should have. That’s how you win state.  In all enjoyed the day and hope to see everyone at Battle of the spear in two weeks. 

Well said about the concession stand, Mineola had a huge game the night before at home from what was told to me and didn't have much parent support in the concession stand during the event. Those people busted their **** off for the amount of people they served. 

I agree about the draw, going 1st is a buzzkill and I don't remember in recent memory of anyone going that early ending up doing well in the final tabulations.  Like I said, I think Redwater made the right choice in going to Mineola over "Four States". You want to go up against stiff competition instead of competition that is probably not going to Area or at least not make Area Finals.  I am looking forward to seeing how Redwater responds and how they look against Atlanta in 2 weeks. 

[bigbluebandisthebest1122s]

1 hour ago, TexasStrangers said:

So, here is my thoughts after getting some some much needed sleep.

Mt. Vernon (3A) was on the schedule to perform but dropped out. I don't know why but based on their show at PG last weekend they probably would not have made finals.

This Festival was rebranded this year and moved to earlier in BandOctober. If I recall, I believed Mineola would host this on a Monday later in the year and had lots of success until last year when a good majority of the bands dropped out due to having Regionals that week. So, Mineola rebranded the competition and moved to earlier in the year which I think was a great idea to give lots of bands in the East Texas Area an early competition that seemed to be centrally located for most of the bands that were there.  Yes, there were some other competitions going on "4 States" and "Marching on the Prairie" but the competition was not going to so great and "Sounds of the Fall" is getting to be more a big school competition not to mention I don't think anyone wants to go up against Celina. 

Here is how I had the 12 ranked

12th Elkhart, 11th Grand Prairie, 10th Queen City, 9th Palestine, 8th Winnsboro, 7th Marshall, 6th Redwater, 5th Terrell, 4th Pine Tree, 3rd Farmersville, 2nd PG and 1st North Lamar. 

As far as the judging goes, there was a few head scratching moments but from what I gather there was some big names with skins on the wall that was judging this contest. We all don't truly know what happened unless we see the score sheets from the contest.  Was it a case where one judge went "rogue" and caused a shakeup in the standings, was it pretty consistent across the board or was it really really close on some that could have shook up the standings. 

Yes, I think Palestine and Marshall did better then what they placed but it wasn't nothing that I felt would be something that would advance very far. I think probably the biggest shock for me was Winnsboro over Redwater. I don't see how that happened but of course I'm not a judging expert. I wonder if Redwater getting a bad draw going 1st maybe didn't sit well and they had a bad run. I think Redwater had a better run last week at PG then last night. I know if they would have probably went to "4 States" they would have probably won but it's good to push your program against stiffer competition. 

Terrell I thought had some good and some things to improve and I could possibly be moved to switch the placement with Redwater. I liked the percussion and think they can make it to Area but probably not make Finals.

So, the Final 4 came down to a Battle of 4A's. Farmersville won the Mineola contest last year and North Lamar has a history of winning in Mineola as well. So, I was curious to see an early 4A Area C Battle. 

I liked the Pine Tree show but I don't think they are on the next level that they need to be to be considered a serious contender. I have to be honest, the Farmersville show last year was so much better then what I saw last night. Yes, Farmersville has an outstanding guard and that helps them but they needed that awesome show to push them to State last year and think this show see them right on the outside of a trip to State this year.  PG I think is a serious player this year and I can see how they might shock some people this year. Lots of good things going on, I could see them at State in 4 weeks. North Lamar I think it was their competition to lose last night. They showed why they are consistent year in and year out. Great sound and good marching and very good use of visuals. I don't think they are on the level of Celina but I have no problem in putting money on North Lamar to be a 4A State Finalist. 

As far as Mineola in Exhibition, way way way much better run then last week at PG. Lot more power and sound. I was impressed that many of those students had been at the stadium since 7 am that morning working all day and were still able to come back and put on that performance at 10 at night.  If they were competing I would of had them 3rd. 

Overall I thought it was a great show with some quality judges. As I said before, I could see this as a place that could be a go to every year for a school that is competitive and get some good feedback early in the year. 

I will agree that bathroom situation in Mineola is "subpar". They have the money to do light effects in the stadium but they can't afford a/c in the bathrooms or provide enough bathrooms for the amount of people that were there. I hope they can fix that situation because that might cause schools not to come back. I also think parking was an issue for some as some people had to walk a long long long day to get to the stadium. I knew this was going to be an issue probably in the afternoon so came early.

I wanted to give some props to the concession stand there. I heard a few people complaining about the lines but I told them that they are doing the best they can when you have 4 windows open and 23 high schools are all trying to get food/drink. You just have to pack your patience. Also, kuddos to the teacher I talked to at the front gate who was taking gate money.

At the end of the day, I enjoy my time and would probably come back to this again next year. 

yall think marshall and terrell are making finals for their area this year again?

[TexasStrangers]

45 minutes ago, Trumpeter75 said:

Umm. Not quite sure but I think NL was only show that still had about 2 mins left when they finished so I would suspect that they had more show to put in. The others I think if I recall correctly didn’t have but about 30-45 secs left on the clock which would leave me to believe a majority of their music program was in. 

I think there were a few that had about a minute left. NL I think was around 90 seconds left. 

[olivelover47]

Are full results and scores going to be released for this comp?

[TexasStrangers]

43 minutes ago, rudy12 said:

I’m sorry, I don’t have anything against NL and I had a pretty good idea that they would win. But how? I think it says a lot about a program that works hard enough to get their whole show on the field by October 1. At least the drill and music. I just don’t understand that.

Judges have to judge what is presented on the field, if someone is doing an entire show they might score higher then someone who doesn't put on a full show. But then you have to ask yourself, if it is a full show are they just playing the music or are they actually doing things with it. I think what sets North Lamar apart from others is their visual performance is pretty good. 

[Gpk1968]

4 minutes ago, TexasStrangers said:

I think what sets North Lamar apart from others is their visual performance is pretty good. 

NL and Celina (I believe) still use the same show designer, so this tracks. 

[TexasStrangers]

14 minutes ago, GarbagePatchKid said:

I don’t think it is a matter or working harder to get more drill on the field. I think it is a matter  or different styles of working. 

option a: learn it all really fast and clean all at once

option b: learn it slower and clean as you go 

personally, I think option b is the better way to do things. 

And for some judges they go with A and some with B. As a program yes you want to be clean but you don't want to peak at the beginning of the year. I seen so many programs that go with option A and do well to begin the year and win and then get comfortable and don't do anything to make it better and then lose out when it matters at the end.