Texas 4A Area C 2025 marching band predictions.

[SETXgal]

Anyone seen a Canton video?

[rudy12]

On 9/27/2025 at 2:17 PM, BandDad85 said:

I was able to record the prelim performances for the 4A Area C bands (besides Canton I left at the lunch break) that were at the Melissa Director’s Assistant Marching Showcase Today

North Lamar

 

Sulphur Springs
 

 

Farmersville 
 

Celina

 

 

Thanks for sharing!

[Bandnerd178]

I give up just give Celina the 4 peat 💔

[BandDad85]

On 9/28/2025 at 3:34 PM, SETXgal said:

Camera question. Was your sound normalization setting enabled (by default setting) or disabled? Some bands seemed lacking dynamics in videos, but if that setting was left on, I know it kind of cancels some of that out.

I just hit record on my cell phone, so not sure 

[Gpk1968]

On 9/28/2025 at 3:34 PM, SETXgal said:

Camera question. Was your sound normalization setting enabled (by default setting) or disabled? Some bands seemed lacking dynamics in videos, but if that setting was left on, I know it kind of cancels some of that out.

I saw these bands. Which ones did you feel were lacking?

 

Some cell phones even had normalization built in nowadays. 

[TCUlover]

Celina will unfortunately will not be making finals this year at area and will miss out on state and will not be getting a 4 peat.

[Gpk1968]

6 minutes ago, TCUlover said:

Celina will unfortunately will not be making finals this year at area and will miss out on state and will not be getting a 4 peat.

You are full of hot takes today. 

[Saxtastic45]

I think these next 2 weekends are going to be eyeopening. How Celina fairs against SS at Princeton might be a sign of things to come. The ironhorse matchup between Farmersville and NL should shed some light on how it’s looking as well. Also, Pine Tree could be a factor this year. I haven’t seen any Lumberton Bridge City videos. 

having said that, a lot of bands flip positions between festivals and areas. Some bands with unfinished and unproduced shows. Gonna be wild!

[rudy12]

1 hour ago, Saxtastic45 said:

I think these next 2 weekends are going to be eyeopening. How Celina fairs against SS at Princeton might be a sign of things to come. The ironhorse matchup between Farmersville and NL should shed some light on how it’s looking as well. Also, Pine Tree could be a factor this year. I haven’t seen any Lumberton Bridge City videos. 

having said that, a lot of bands flip positions between festivals and areas. Some bands with unfinished and unproduced shows. Gonna be wild!

I liked the video of Celina. They just sound and looked more "stable" than SS. I don't know if NL can score up there with those 2. No closer yet? They also have some timing issues. Farmersville we will see. I feel like NL and Farmers are on the 2 second tier. NL looks crisper and sounds better by quite a bit though. I still wouldn't count out Canton for this second tier.

[SETXgal]

4 hours ago, TCUlover said:

Celina will unfortunately will not be making finals this year at area and will miss out on state and will not be getting a 4 peat.

Rofl! The town could be wiped out by a meteor and they would still find a way to pull it off.

[criscubes]

At the mineola marching invitational, NL beat PG and Farmersville respectively. this puts Farmersville one place lower than last year as of right now for area. I think all three bands have alot to work on, but Farmersville is definitely behind the two imo. I think their change of show designer really affected them this year considering they don't really seem to stand out on the field. they marched well and played decent, but they're missing that wow factor they had last year.

PG really surprised me. Amazing soloists, beautiful show design, and I can't wait to see them at area after they've done some cleaning. I just loved this band and I think they're moving in a great direction as of right now. 

NL is pretty self explanatory. I do like they're show alot better this year. They're playing, idk if just me, but it sounds so much cleaner than last year and it blew me away at the mineola marching invitational. I 100% see NL closing the gap to SS and Celina and hopefully not letting them pull away from the pack like last year.

[Gpk1968]

I’m really happy for both the north Lamar and the pleasant grove band yesterday. I feel like pleasant grove was a little unappreciated last year based on some of the comments. I saw them at area and felt like they were solid. Maybe not the most exciting show, but clean and well executed nevertheless. I think they have a solid shot to advance again. 
 

Community did not have the best showing at Princeton yesterday. I know they are probably disappointed. Canton did ok, and could definitely squeeze into that last spot. Van alstyne was right behind canton, so maybe they could too. I have yet to see bridge city or lumberton. 
 

definitely the two top dogs are Celina and sulphur, but I was told it was not close between them at all (like sulphur had over triple the ordinal points in prelims). Based on what I heard at McKinney (I was in the bathroom because I didn’t know they swapped spots with Melissa) celina still doesn’t have the whole show on the field. I did not make it to the Princeton contest, this is strictly based on the results. 

[J-Mike16]

1 hour ago, GarbagePatchKid said:

Community did not have the best showing at Princeton yesterday. I know they are probably disappointed. Canton did ok, and could definitely squeeze into that last spot. Van alstyne was right behind canton, so maybe they could too. I have yet to see bridge city or lumberton. 

You are not going to see any videos of Lumberton or Bridge City until after Region which happens on the 18th. Many programs here in SETX are very strict with videos of the shows being online. As far as I am aware, I have the only video online of Lumberton, but that performance was all the way back on September 12th. (Don't worry about finding it, I have the video unlisted.) 

 

What I will share though, is that Lumberton and Bridge City should still be in the discussions of advancing to State. Both are looking stronger than they have been in the past. Lumberton specifically is doing amazing with their show and the work they are doing to clean it up. They are specifically gunning after State Finals, which would be a first in program history. 

I am still waiting on the comments from people about Lumberton being an average 4A band and not really up to the level of the other 4A bands in Area C, to then watch Lumberton and Bridge City place in the top 4 in Prelims, and then Top 6 in Finals....

[Gpk1968]

28 minutes ago, J-Mike16 said:

You are not going to see any videos of Lumberton or Bridge City until after Region which happens on the 18th. Many programs here in SETX are very strict with videos of the shows being online. As far as I am aware, I have the only video online of Lumberton, but that performance was all the way back on September 12th. (Don't worry about finding it, I have the video unlisted.) 

 

What I will share though, is that Lumberton and Bridge City should still be in the discussions of advancing to State. Both are looking stronger than they have been in the past. Lumberton specifically is doing amazing with their show and the work they are doing to clean it up. They are specifically gunning after State Finals, which would be a first in program history. 

I am still waiting on the comments from people about Lumberton being an average 4A band and not really up to the level of the other 4A bands in Area C, to then watch Lumberton and Bridge City place in the top 4 in Prelims, and then Top 6 in Finals....

I am definitely not excluding either of those programs from the advancement discussion. I think if they put on a program like they did last year, they are a definite. In my head, it’s looking something like this:

1. Celina

2. Sulphur (but these two could easily flip. I know Sulphur wants it bad and Celina isn’t looking as clean as they have in the past even though they sound amazing)

3-5. NL, Lumberton, BC. In any order, but possibly even moving up into that second place. I rewatched the BC area video from last year earlier today and dang were they cleaner than I remember. 

the other contenders: Canton, Farmersville, PG, VA (likely fighting for 2 maybe 3 spots)

Just on the outside: pine tree, community, Paris? Sunnyvale? Wills point?

has anyone seen Paris this year? I have not, but I know there’s a new director. 

 

 

[SETXgal]

15 hours ago, criscubes said:

At the mineola marching invitational, NL beat PG and Farmersville respectively. this puts Farmersville one place lower than last year as of right now for area. I think all three bands have alot to work on, but Farmersville is definitely behind the two imo. I think their change of show designer really affected them this year considering they don't really seem to stand out on the field. they marched well and played decent, but they're missing that wow factor they had last year.

PG really surprised me. Amazing soloists, beautiful show design, and I can't wait to see them at area after they've done some cleaning. I just loved this band and I think they're moving in a great direction as of right now. 

NL is pretty self explanatory. I do like they're show alot better this year. They're playing, idk if just me, but it sounds so much cleaner than last year and it blew me away at the mineola marching invitational. I 100% see NL closing the gap to SS and Celina and hopefully not letting them pull away from the pack like last year.

From the videos seen of Fville, it seemed to be lower on the number of higher difficulty drill maneuvers that often sets bands apart in points & adds to wow factor. It may have not been the entire show though.

[criscubes]

1 hour ago, SETXgal said:

From the videos seen of Fville, it seemed to be lower on the number of higher difficulty drill maneuvers that often sets bands apart in points & adds to wow factor. It may have not been the entire show though.

Compared to their last show, this year they definitely are a little behind in terms of working with the audience in a sense. You have shows like Celina's, and then you have shows like Panther Creek. One serves to please the judges and one serves to please the Audience. Both shows to an amazing job, but I think Farmersville tried to, or atleast the vibe I get, mix their approach up and I'm not really sure how to approach it as of right now before heavy cleaning takes place. They can be competitive like last year, but I think they need to establish a foundation for their program. Be a crowd pleaser like PC, or be a judge Catcher like Celina. Any takes on this?

[Gpk1968]

12 minutes ago, criscubes said:

Compared to their last show, this year they definitely are a little behind in terms of working with the audience in a sense. You have shows like Celina's, and then you have shows like Panther Creek. One serves to please the judges and one serves to please the Audience. Both shows to an amazing job, but I think Farmersville tried to, or atleast the vibe I get, mix their approach up and I'm not really sure how to approach it as of right now before heavy cleaning takes place. They can be competitive like last year, but I think they need to establish a foundation for their program. Be a crowd pleaser like PC, or be a judge Catcher like Celina. Any takes on this?

See this is the take I do not get. I swear Panther and celina do the exact same type of show. I don’t consider the Panther shows to be particularly entertaining, or at least more entertaining when compared to Celina’s. I think if Panther creek was the three time state champ, they would be getting the same critique as Celina gets. Similar size, similar package, similar execution. Celina has just has ever so slightly better music and content scores, and I think it’s rightfully deserved. 
 

Im probably going to get blasted for this take but I will die on this hill. Its flabbergasted me for two years. 
 

When I think of entertaining and crowd pleasers, I think of Sulphur and China, maybe even the Paris High show last year. Entertaining is subjective. I find the artistry of Celina to be entertaining, others want their faces blasted off by volume. 

[SETXgal]

Anyone else have problems getting email notifications? Mine stopped a few weeks ago. I've rechecked notification settings (even though I had not changed any from before the problem).

[OGFISD99]

11 hours ago, SETXgal said:

Anyone else have problems getting email notifications? Mine stopped a few weeks ago. I've rechecked notification settings (even though I had not changed any from before the problem).

I have that same issue... 

[J-Mike16]

After watching Lumberton's outstanding performance at Lone Star Preview, they are on track to do great things in a few weeks. 

I am impressed with what they have in the show so far, oh my lord those woodwinds are fire. Definitely makes me think back to when they got a 23 in woodwinds last year at State... yeah they upped the woodwinds this year. OH, and the percussion got a 21 last year.... they have a kick a** feature this year, just sayin. lol

Overall, how do yall feel about an entirely new area champion? I'm not naming anyone specific, just throwing it out there lol

[Gpk1968]

4 hours ago, J-Mike16 said:

 

Overall, how do yall feel about an entirely new area champion? I'm not naming anyone specific, just throwing it out there lol

I think it’s hard to say because lumberton and BC don’t often go head to head with the big competitors in the area. Also hard to judge since the Lone Star preview doesn’t use the UIL judging system. I still think it’s going to be a Sulphur and Celina showdown and Celina currently has the edge having already beaten Sulphur twice with some impressive ordinals. I also think these two bands have a record of going against larger schools at invitationals and making finals (excluding the wonky judging at McKinney). 

Farmersville beat NL yesterday at prelims at CMI but NL came back in finals as the top 4a. China Spring has been doing its own thing since Melissa so it’s hard to say where they are. I think Pleasant Grove, Canton, and Van Alstyne are going to fight it out for those last few spots.

I have no idea where to rank those middle bands - lumberton, bridge, China, NL, Farmersville. I’m not saying there won’t be a new area champ because anything can happen and I definitely think there are a few cracks in Celina’s current standing that could allow a new band to slip through with a great run  

 

[Gpk1968]

It’s also worth pointing out that both VA and Wills Point beat Pleasant Grove yesterday at celina. I really don’t know what to expect with those last few state spots! Community was pretty far back at Celina. I dont think it’s their year, unfortunately. 

[SETXgal]

On 10/12/2025 at 2:52 AM, J-Mike16 said:

 

Overall, how do yall feel about an entirely new area champion? I'm not naming anyone specific, just throwing it out there lol

Based on consistent placements in early competitions, I think that Celina is still the likely area champ. However, everything else is us just making semi-informed guesses, lol.

I saw a video of a band (not naming) from last Friday, and the performance was flat out bad. There were so many wrong notes, and I mean LOUD wrong notes, from very early on in their show. We gasped several times. They used to be really good! Bands can sometimes get advanced from Region with some muddy marching these days, but sounding like that wouldn't have had them advancing. However, they made noticeable improvements this past week, and if they continue pushing then I think they can get 1s and advance. I also saw videos of a school that was already putting a very strong program on the field. They had taken big steps in the past week on cleaning, tweaking, & adding things. It left me even more impressed. I think with 2 weeks to go, lots can happen.

[rudy12]

6 hours ago, GarbagePatchKid said:

I think it’s hard to say because lumberton and BC don’t often go head to head with the big competitors in the area. Also hard to judge since the Lone Star preview doesn’t use the UIL judging system. I still think it’s going to be a Sulphur and Celina showdown and Celina currently has the edge having already beaten Sulphur twice with some impressive ordinals. I also think these two bands have a record of going against larger schools at invitationals and making finals (excluding the wonky judging at McKinney). 

Farmersville beat NL yesterday at prelims at CMI but NL came back in finals as the top 4a. China Spring has been doing its own thing since Melissa so it’s hard to say where they are. I think Pleasant Grove, Canton, and Van Alstyne are going to fight it out for those last few spots.

I have no idea where to rank those middle bands - lumberton, bridge, China, NL, Farmersville. I’m not saying there won’t be a new area champ because anything can happen and I definitely think there are a few cracks in Celina’s current standing that could allow a new band to slip through with a great run  

 

I’m still saying that Canton is going to surprise some folks. 
I was following your comments on the state thread. I couldn’t find the CMI stream. I agree with your take on NL. I just don’t get it.

[Gpk1968]

27 minutes ago, rudy12 said:

I’m still saying that Canton is going to surprise some folks. 
I was following your comments on the state thread. I couldn’t find the CMI stream. I agree with your take on NL. I just don’t get it.

Rooting for Canton for sure! I missed them at Melissa so I don’t know exactly where to place them. 
 

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting really excited for this contest. I’ve seen most of the heavy hitters and I think it will be a great showdown!