Texas 4A Area C 2025 marching band predictions.

[SETXgal]

35 minutes ago, TexasStrangers said:

Yup, 33 right now. Gotta get to 35 to take 7 to state. They had 7 last year but with only 2 left it's gonna be tight. Tarkington is left and made it last year but Shepherd who is also left did not last year. 

So, if the Area stays at 33 or adds 1 that will only give 6 to State which is gonna be tough..tough..tough..

I couldn’t find any video of Sheperd. Anyone else?

[J-Mike16]

11 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

I couldn’t find any video of Sheperd. Anyone else?

This is the only known video that I am aware of.

[TexasStrangers]

Not to be negative but I don't see it getting to 35. I think it will end up being 6 and will be no more then that for a long time. I think there will be some schools either moving up to 5A or a couple of schools will get drawn back to Area B next year. 

[SETXgal]

6 hours ago, TexasStrangers said:

Not to be negative but I don't see it getting to 35. I think it will end up being 6 and will be no more then that for a long time. I think there will be some schools either moving up to 5A or a couple of schools will get drawn back to Area B next year. 

I would agree it looks quite likely there will just be 6 advancing.

[Saxtastic45]

22 hours ago, GarbagePatchKid said:

I found a NL video from last night. It looks like the full show is finally on the field. 
 

 

I’m still not 100% sold on the show yet but I do think they have the potential to place VERY high. The end is a little rough but they have a  week to clean. I wish they interacted with the props a little more. I’ve been told a lot is coming and to expect it to be big. I’m excited to see it on Saturday. It might be as late as Thursday before a schedule is released!!

Also, Bonham got a two. Is there any other band that could potentially get a one that so we can get 8 advancing?

This is solid to advance for state. If they continue on their established trajectory. I think it’s better than Sulphur. I watched the KGAS livestream and have seen some videos of the 25 and 10 bands

Here are my new projections:

1 Celina consistent pure sounds and flawless marching. They will win. They have the numbers, the finesse, and the difficulty. Their Achilles heel is the guard and battery. But both have gotten considerably better. 

2 NL almost consistent pure sounds, fantastic marching, ridiculous choreography, tons of variety. This little band punches so far above its weight. Medal contention is possible. State finalists for sure.

3 SS this band is the definition of solid. The last video I’ve seen of them from Friday seems like they are trying to get the mix just right. They could overtake NL with power and the difficulty of their wind book. But they aren’t as good visually. Solid lock for advancement. Almost a certainty for State finals

4 Farmersville. They are so artistic and expressive. I love their show. They may have my favorite ballad I’ve seen all year. They do everything so well. Power and projection is their biggest weakness. They have some timing challenges to overcome. High probability for state advancement
 

5 BC. Another great band. I don’t know if the growth from last year to this has been significant enough to put them in the top three. But I could see them overtaking Farmersville. 
 

6 Wills Point. Here is my hottest of takes. I think they are the stunner. They are young but hungry and well taught. I think they come in and take out a few perennial state contenders and with it likely only being 6 bands this year, only the most well programmed and best sounding bands will make the cut. 

 

[Gpk1968]

39 minutes ago, Saxtastic45 said:

This is solid to advance for state. If they continue on their established trajectory. I think it’s better than Sulphur. I watched the KGAS livestream and have seen some videos of the 25 and 10 bands

Here are my new projections:

1 Celina consistent pure sounds and flawless marching. They will win. They have the numbers, the finesse, and the difficulty. Their Achilles heel is the guard and battery. But both have gotten considerably better. 

2 NL almost consistent pure sounds, fantastic marching, ridiculous choreography, tons of variety. This little band punches so far above its weight. Medal contention is possible. State finalists for sure.

3 SS this band is the definition of solid. The last video I’ve seen of them from Friday seems like they are trying to get the mix just right. They could overtake NL with power and the difficulty of their wind book. But they aren’t as good visually. Solid lock for advancement. Almost a certainty for State finals

4 Farmersville. They are so artistic and expressive. I love their show. They may have my favorite ballad I’ve seen all year. They do everything so well. Power and projection is their biggest weakness. They have some timing challenges to overcome. High probability for state advancement
 

5 BC. Another great band. I don’t know if the growth from last year to this has been significant enough to put them in the top three. But I could see them overtaking Farmersville. 
 

6 Wills Point. Here is my hottest of takes. I think they are the stunner. They are young but hungry and well taught. I think they come in and take out a few perennial state contenders and with it likely only being 6 bands this year, only the most well programmed and best sounding bands will make the cut. 

 

With likely only 6 advancing it’s is going to be so tight! The only ones I think will advance no matter what are:

Celina, NL, and Sulphur in that order (but it wouldn’t surprise me if Sulphur placed a few spots further back depending on how much a few other bands can clean and work in visuals).

BC, Lumberton, Farmersville, Canton, VA, PG, and Wills Point (I agree they look solid this year) are fighting for three spots. Some bands who deserve to advance will not. This is going to be much, much tighter than last year IMO

 

[TexasStrangers]

13 minutes ago, GarbagePatchKid said:

With likely only 6 advancing it’s is going to be so tight! The only ones I think will advance no matter what are:

Celina, NL, and Sulphur in that order (but it wouldn’t surprise me if Sulphur placed a few spots further back depending on how much a few other bands can clean and work in visuals).

BC, Lumberton, Farmersville, Canton, VA, PG, and Wills Point (I agree they look solid this year) are fighting for three spots. Some bands who deserve to advance will not. This is going to be much, much tighter than last year IMO

 

Yup, at the end of the night there is going to be a few bands who are going to be devastated. 

[SETXgal]

1 hour ago, Saxtastic45 said:

This is solid to advance for state. If they continue on their established trajectory. I think it’s better than Sulphur. I watched the KGAS livestream and have seen some videos of the 25 and 10 bands

Here are my new projections:

1 Celina consistent pure sounds and flawless marching. They will win. They have the numbers, the finesse, and the difficulty. Their Achilles heel is the guard and battery. But both have gotten considerably better. 

2 NL almost consistent pure sounds, fantastic marching, ridiculous choreography, tons of variety. This little band punches so far above its weight. Medal contention is possible. State finalists for sure.

3 SS this band is the definition of solid. The last video I’ve seen of them from Friday seems like they are trying to get the mix just right. They could overtake NL with power and the difficulty of their wind book. But they aren’t as good visually. Solid lock for advancement. Almost a certainty for State finals

4 Farmersville. They are so artistic and expressive. I love their show. They may have my favorite ballad I’ve seen all year. They do everything so well. Power and projection is their biggest weakness. They have some timing challenges to overcome. High probability for state advancement
 

5 BC. Another great band. I don’t know if the growth from last year to this has been significant enough to put them in the top three. But I could see them overtaking Farmersville. 
 

6 Wills Point. Here is my hottest of takes. I think they are the stunner. They are young but hungry and well taught. I think they come in and take out a few perennial state contenders and with it likely only being 6 bands this year, only the most well programmed and best sounding bands will make the cut. 

 

I need to find Wills Point video today to look at. BC- you don't know if the growth will be enough - is that because you haven't seen video? NL, I will re-watch today. I remember thinking after viewing recently that they could have it all clean by state, but that they might still have some issues that put them at 4th or 5th at Area.

[SETXgal]

10 minutes ago, TexasStrangers said:

Yup, at the end of the night there is going to be a few bands who are going to be devastated. 

I remember the faces of Canton & Paris kids after finals. Devastated. I think after last year though, that most bands will be a little better prepared mentally for the possibility of not going to state.

[SETXgal]

1 hour ago, Saxtastic45 said:

This is solid to advance for state. If they continue on their established trajectory. I think it’s better than Sulphur. I watched the KGAS livestream and have seen some videos of the 25 and 10 bands

Here are my new projections:

1 Celina consistent pure sounds and flawless marching. They will win. They have the numbers, the finesse, and the difficulty. Their Achilles heel is the guard and battery. But both have gotten considerably better. 

2 NL almost consistent pure sounds, fantastic marching, ridiculous choreography, tons of variety. This little band punches so far above its weight. Medal contention is possible. State finalists for sure.

3 SS this band is the definition of solid. The last video I’ve seen of them from Friday seems like they are trying to get the mix just right. They could overtake NL with power and the difficulty of their wind book. But they aren’t as good visually. Solid lock for advancement. Almost a certainty for State finals

4 Farmersville. They are so artistic and expressive. I love their show. They may have my favorite ballad I’ve seen all year. They do everything so well. Power and projection is their biggest weakness. They have some timing challenges to overcome. High probability for state advancement
 

5 BC. Another great band. I don’t know if the growth from last year to this has been significant enough to put them in the top three. But I could see them overtaking Farmersville. 
 

6 Wills Point. Here is my hottest of takes. I think they are the stunner. They are young but hungry and well taught. I think they come in and take out a few perennial state contenders and with it likely only being 6 bands this year, only the most well programmed and best sounding bands will make the cut. 

 

Hasn't SS been beating NL at all the competitions?

[Gpk1968]

2 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

Hasn't SS been beating NL at all the competitions?

Yes - but SS had their full show on the field VERY early and NL only just got their full show on. That might’ve played a role.

 

Like I said previously, I don’t fully get the NL show - it’s very artistic - but I think it is more dynamic and interesting than the SS show. 

[TexasStrangers]

Paris Percussion beat SS Percussion in both Prelims and Finals at Royse City. Mineola (3A) beat SS Percussion as well. 

[SETXgal]

4 minutes ago, GarbagePatchKid said:

Yes - but SS had their full show on the field VERY early and NL only just got their full show on. That might’ve played a role.

 

Like I said previously, I don’t fully get the NL show - it’s very artistic - but I think it is more dynamic and interesting than the SS show. 

I do agree on the dynamic and interesting (minus the Sugar Plum Fairy) over SS. It just seems to me that at Area last year, the clean marching & drill difficulty seemed to weigh more with the judges.

[SETXgal]

5 minutes ago, TexasStrangers said:

Paris Percussion beat SS Percussion in both Prelims and Finals at Royse City. Mineola (3A) beat SS Percussion as well. 

Where was the overall placement?

[Dave609]

I still would feel that Lumberton has a shot at making state. It definitely will suck if/when the number of qualifiers drops to 6. I feel that 2 of the 3 qualifiers frok last year won't make the cut this year, which sucks.

[Saxtastic45]

8 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

I need to find Wills Point video today to look at. BC- you don't know if the growth will be enough - is that because you haven't seen video? NL, I will re-watch today. I remember thinking after viewing recently that they could have it all clean by state, but that they might still have some issues that put them at 4th or 5th at Area.

 

2 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

Hasn't SS been beating NL at all the competitions?

I am basing this of the region livestream vs the Friday video. They added 7-8 moving sets in day plus visuals. If they make the same sounds at the end of the show that they did on Tuesday. It’s a done deal.

i think if region was ranked. NL beats SS by a margin. 
 

BC is really big and really good. I hope my comment didn’t come off as an insult. They were big and good last year. It should advance. But the evidence that they do the refinement game the same as my top 3 is not quite as apparent. I hope I’m wrong tbh. It would be more interesting that way.

[TexasStrangers]

1 minute ago, SETXgal said:

Where was the overall placement?

They did 3A/4A Division and a 5A/6A Division. The directors then found out how they all did if everyone was included but I don't know that. 

 

I just knew that Paris got 4A Percussion in Prelims and got Best Percussion in the 3A/4A Finals and Mineola got 2nd in Percussion. 

[TexasStrangers]

3 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

Where was the overall placement?

Mineola's guard also beat Sulphur Springs guard. 

[Saxtastic45]

12 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

I do agree on the dynamic and interesting (minus the Sugar Plum Fairy) over SS. It just seems to me that at Area last year, the clean marching & drill difficulty seemed to weigh more with the judges.

The drill cleanliness and difficulty of NL is better than everyone except Celina (except the last part of the closer)

The fundamental marching is also next level. IMHO

[Gpk1968]

21 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

So I wonder if the guard scores will include judging the part where SS has like 15-20 marchers suddenly pick up flags? 

There isn’t a separate guard score at area/state for 4A. Someone correct me if I’m wrong,  but I believe guard will end up falling mostly in visual/content. So, it could help their visual and content score possibly if done well but it could also hurt if not done well. 

[rudy12]

52 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

Hasn't SS been beating NL at all the competitions?

This☝️

[SETXgal]

45 minutes ago, Saxtastic45 said:

 

I am basing this of the region livestream vs the Friday video. They added 7-8 moving sets in day plus visuals. If they make the same sounds at the end of the show that they did on Tuesday. It’s a done deal.

i think if region was ranked. NL beats SS by a margin. 
 

BC is really big and really good. I hope my comment didn’t come off as an insult. They were big and good last year. It should advance. But the evidence that they do the refinement game the same as my top 3 is not quite as apparent. I hope I’m wrong tbh. It would be more interesting that way.

I was just commenting on your rank predictions & wondering if you'd seen BC video from this year. I haven't been able to find any recent competition videos on YouTube. Most of the 4A from Region 10 had serious winds to fight yesterday. We saw all but a few. Most guard were struggling, and bands started to have prop issues as the day went on.

Anyways, there is a guy on YT who has been filming Region 10 bands for like 20 or 30 something years. Rocketfan86 I think is his username. We are hoping his setup was able to shield the wind. Some sounds definitely did not carry well to the top. His videos of LCM, Jasper, Lumberton, Bridge City & Hargrave should pop up today or tomorrow. 

NL is on our list to rewatch on the tv today. SS is too.

[SETXgal]

7 minutes ago, GarbagePatchKid said:

There isn’t a separate guard score at area/state for 4A. Someone correct me if I’m wrong,  but I believe guard will end up falling mostly in visual/content. So, it could help their visual and content score possibly if done well but it could also hurt if not done well. 

I think you are right! I was thinking about other UIL judging format competitions and some of those give out caption awards for guard.

[Saxtastic45]

14 minutes ago, SETXgal said:

I was just commenting on your rank predictions & wondering if you'd seen BC video from this year. I haven't been able to find any recent competition videos on YouTube. Most of the 4A from Region 10 had serious winds to fight yesterday. We saw all but a few. Most guard were struggling, and bands started to have prop issues as the day went on.

Anyways, there is a guy on YT who has been filming Region 10 bands for like 20 or 30 something years. Rocketfan86 I think is his username. We are hoping his setup was able to shield the wind. Some sounds definitely did not carry well to the top. His videos of LCM, Jasper, Lumberton, Bridge City & Hargrave should pop up today or tomorrow. 

NL is on our list to rewatch on the tv today. SS is too.

I am basing my opinion of BC off a football livestream from about a week ago. If they came up and shocked at area I wouldn’t be exactly surprised. They do all of the elements very well. But I was also impressed with them last year. 
they beat NL at area. But this years NL and last years NL are 2 completely different bands.

Keep in mind, this is just my opinion. I’m just a burnout former director who never had any bands as good as the top 10 from this area.

[Crazybandkid08]

On 10/12/2025 at 2:22 PM, GarbagePatchKid said:

So when will we know for sure how many bands will go to state?