2025 McKinney Marching Invitational (Oct 4th)

[hebronglazerisnotright23]

rockhill 21st IN VISUAL and still MAKING finals is wild af, visual def needs alot of work

[JFNDOWBFAN]

Think I counted 9 bands (including Mckinney exhibitions) that will go from MMI to BOA Prosper next week. 
 

curious with BOA scoring if there will be much of a difference 

[Thatonedoublereed14]

Does anyone have the finals scoresheet?

[hebronglazerisnotright23]

Rockhill needs to lock in and finish the show to make finals at BOA prosper next week

 

[Miswordedstatements]

2 minutes ago, hebronglazerisnotright23 said:

Rockhill needs to lock in and finish the show to make finals at BOA prosper next week

 

I’m not sure if they can… McKinney north sounded crazy, Reedy over both rockwall and rock hill. The competition is crazy next week 

[JFNDOWBFAN]

10 minutes ago, hebronglazerisnotright23 said:

Rockhill needs to lock in and finish the show to make finals at BOA prosper next week

 

Anything can happen at BOA’s but the 2 runs I saw did not suggest a BOA finals breakthrough 

[JFNDOWBFAN]

On 8/14/2025 at 10:38 AM, Tubalord11 said:

As of now:

1. Wylie 

2. RockHill (this season will be much better)

3. Pearce 

4. Rockwall 

5. Argyle   

6. Colleyville 

7. Lebanon 

8. Plano East 

9. Reedy 

10. Emerson. 
 

this feels so wrong and I have no clue how this will play out, will need some early season results to make more concrete placements 

Just pointing out, 8-10 bands did make finals. That’s impressive for an early prediction 

[hebronglazerisnotright23]

4 minutes ago, JFNDOWBFAN said:

Anything can happen at BOA’s but the 2 runs I saw did not suggest a BOA finals breakthrough 

I really need rockhill to break through, rockhill just had some uninspired runs today ig

[heybud]

[Gpk1968]

I don’t know what it was about the Rock Hill performances yesterday. Something was off and I could not pinpoint what it was but I definitely did not notice it the week prior. At Melissa it was visually solid and I couldn’t look away. I did not get that same energy at McKinney. I really liked their show and I hate that something was off for them. Hoping the best for them as they move forward. 

[flamingo123]

Shoulda been IMO
 

Wylie
LT
Reedy
Argyle 

[JFNDOWBFAN]

The one visual judge…🤯  guess did not care for the Wylie show at all in finals. Didn’t go back to see where that judge had them in prelims!

To those discussing RockHill. Hard to put finger on it. Felt tired or uninspired. Bet they bring it all next week in home turf. 

[JFNDOWBFAN]

41 minutes ago, JFNDOWBFAN said:

The one visual judge…🤯  guess did not care for the Wylie show at all in finals. Didn’t go back to see where that judge had them in prelims!

To those discussing RockHill. Hard to put finger on it. Felt tired or uninspired. Bet they bring it all next week in home turf. 

Same judge had them (Wylie) lower in prelims too. All subjective but this an example that shows one judge can change everything. Not calling judge out in bad way. Its subjective. Is what it is

[Tubalord11]

Okay we back! So ummm yeah, Wylie just got screwed over lol. Still so happy for LT but I don't think that this means Wylie is in a bad spot. Here's a little recap on the other bands I missed: 

Argyle: Wow, they are not letting off the gas. At this point idk how the judges will decide between them, MN,LT and Reedy for state bc wow they sound and look amazing. Just such a big sound, and ofc visually they are always strong. 

LT: Yeah soooo, they were not happy about last season. At this point, I think they've got 3rd place at area in the bag unless they have a band run but I'm happy they've been pacing out the show, hoping to see more in a few days at Prosper. They have such a huge field presence, those soloists, especially the Oboe, just so good. Visual package is so demanding, so much GE, they are bringing the heat, will probably make state finals 

Heath: Another band building off new momentum from last season. Just a wall of sound, that opener gave me chills. Love the theming and use of the props. Very cool show should do very well at area. 

Reedy: Guys they want state so bad. It sucks they have such an early performance time but even so I think they are a really strong contender for finals at prosper, which would give them so much momentum into area. I mean they are just so clean musically, the end was a little rough, but they got it back together. 

Rockwall: Wow wow wow!! @Meatballmax07, that solo was phenomenal. They have such a big sound. I think though that the crazy drill, which is so mesmerizing, is at times causing some inconsistency in the sound, but still plenty time to clean. A very strong show and could def make state.

Mckinney North: Just what you would expect from them at this point. Huge sound, amazing soloists, but again imo to much soloing and not enough band. I do think that they might have to change styles under the new judging system, maybe. But they are just as strong as ever, really entertaining show. 

Mckinney: OMG!!! They probably would have won if they were competing. Wall Of Sound. I was not ready for that opening impact, they are gonna do soooo well this coming weekend. If area J took 5, they would be the 5th, I think. Soloists were fantastic, and visually so much going on. Lots of super cool bodywork, and wow that guard. Really happy to see them doing so well. 

But yeah, a great night, congrats again to everyone!! 

[hebronglazerisnotright23]

rock hill

[The11thTrumpet]

18 hours ago, JFNDOWBFAN said:

Did anyone see JJP in prelims? I thought they would be in 2nd half of final bands. 

They have to be bummed after doing really well here last year. 
 

North Forney and Heath are putting Area C on notice!

Pearce had a decent run, was very surprised they didn’t make it. Guessing it’s because of some things that need to be cleaned and the show being geared toward a different judging system.

[Tubalord11]

Regarding Pearce, I think they just aren't as strong as last couple years. After seeing their finals run from Wylie, I'm not super shocked to see them and Lovejoy tying for 13th. It's a really good show just needs more cleaning, still think they will make area finals 

[TrumpetLord]

5 hours ago, flamingo123 said:

Shoulda been IMO
 

Wylie
LT
Reedy
Argyle 

Results surprised me, i was very confused when they gave wylie 3 awards and not a 1st place

 

4 hours ago, Tubalord11 said:

Okay we back! So ummm yeah, Wylie just got screwed over lol. Still so happy for LT but I don't think that this means Wylie is in a bad spot. Here's a little recap on the other bands I missed: 

Argyle: Wow, they are not letting off the gas. At this point idk how the judges will decide between them, MN,LT and Reedy for state bc wow they sound and look amazing. Just such a big sound, and ofc visually they are always strong. 

LT: Yeah soooo, they were not happy about last season. At this point, I think they've got 3rd place at area in the bag unless they have a band run but I'm happy they've been pacing out the show, hoping to see more in a few days at Prosper. They have such a huge field presence, those soloists, especially the Oboe, just so good. Visual package is so demanding, so much GE, they are bringing the heat, will probably make state finals 

Heath: Another band building off new momentum from last season. Just a wall of sound, that opener gave me chills. Love the theming and use of the props. Very cool show should do very well at area. 

Reedy: Guys they want state so bad. It sucks they have such an early performance time but even so I think they are a really strong contender for finals at prosper, which would give them so much momentum into area. I mean they are just so clean musically, the end was a little rough, but they got it back together. 

Rockwall: Wow wow wow!! @Meatballmax07, that solo was phenomenal. They have such a big sound. I think though that the crazy drill, which is so mesmerizing, is at times causing some inconsistency in the sound, but still plenty time to clean. A very strong show and could def make state.

Mckinney North: Just what you would expect from them at this point. Huge sound, amazing soloists, but again imo to much soloing and not enough band. I do think that they might have to change styles under the new judging system, maybe. But they are just as strong as ever, really entertaining show. 

Mckinney: OMG!!! They probably would have won if they were competing. Wall Of Sound. I was not ready for that opening impact, they are gonna do soooo well this coming weekend. If area J took 5, they would be the 5th, I think. Soloists were fantastic, and visually so much going on. Lots of super cool bodywork, and wow that guard. Really happy to see them doing so well. 

But yeah, a great night, congrats again to everyone!! 

not to be captain obvious, but area J 6a and area B 5a are gonna be so competitive this year. top 6 for area j are all going to be very strong, same with top 6 for area B. very excited to see how things go!!

[ScaryTrumpetMan]

Just to clarify (yes, it's a month later) But I'm still very new to the band world and now that I've done some... Ahem... "Scouting", I can truly see how I'm wrong in all sorts of ways.

 

What I should've said:

Melissa: I enjoy their show and I really thought they could've made finals. Their show was very enjoyable but now looking at it critically, I see how it didn't make finals.

Allen: Okay, I feel like their Gimmick is that they're just big. that's it. I never got to truly watch their show so I don't really have anything I can say about that except I feel like their gimmick is just that they're big.

Rock Hill: Ok, their show definitely needed some cleaning, and comparing their performance at UIL Area J and Mckinney Marching Invitational, I can totally see how they've improved as the season went on. Still, good job making finals, just didn't go as high as I expected, but that's okay.

Argyle: Their show is nonetheless amazing and very good. (If I remember correctly, they did get pretty high in finals), but I do agree with Lebanon trail getting first.

All in all, these performances from all the bands were amazing and some were undoubtly amazing, and I'm so happy to see how far these bands have come from the start of the season.

[JFNDOWBFAN]

MMI is also early. Some shows finished some not at that point. 

[TrenBS]

On 11/4/2025 at 11:01 AM, ScaryTrumpetMan said:

Just to clarify (yes, it's a month later) But I'm still very new to the band world and now that I've done some... Ahem... "Scouting", I can truly see how I'm wrong in all sorts of ways.

 

What I should've said:

Melissa: I enjoy their show and I really thought they could've made finals. Their show was very enjoyable but now looking at it critically, I see how it didn't make finals.

Allen: Okay, I feel like their Gimmick is that they're just big. that's it. I never got to truly watch their show so I don't really have anything I can say about that except I feel like their gimmick is just that they're big.

Rock Hill: Ok, their show definitely needed some cleaning, and comparing their performance at UIL Area J and Mckinney Marching Invitational, I can totally see how they've improved as the season went on. Still, good job making finals, just didn't go as high as I expected, but that's okay.

Argyle: Their show is nonetheless amazing and very good. (If I remember correctly, they did get pretty high in finals), but I do agree with Lebanon trail getting first.

All in all, these performances from all the bands were amazing and some were undoubtly amazing, and I'm so happy to see how far these bands have come from the start of the season.

Early season is naturally difficult to predict unlike in DCI, where High School is extremely volatile for many mid bubble bands such as with MMIs roster.

In hindsight its easy to see where you mess up in predictions and expectations for bands so its not something I would be particularly worried about. Im always wrong in the area J forum over-ranking McKinney Boyd on average and downplay schools just based on previous years (which is NOT a good tool to use when predicting), but as long as you dont attack someone for their predictions or guesses, no matter how dumb, theres no problem in having bias or being horrendously wrong.

[JFNDOWBFAN]

Who we got making finals in 2026

[BbMarching]

3 hours ago, JFNDOWBFAN said:

Who we got making finals in 2026

No one knows who’s going😅

[JFNDOWBFAN]

1 hour ago, BbMarching said:

No one knows who’s going😅

So your saying there’s a chance. 😂 

[BbMarching]

2 hours ago, JFNDOWBFAN said:

So your saying there’s a chance. 😂 

For who😭