Band2013

My predictions Top Five: Tarpon Springs H.S., FL - Now there is not much I can say about this group, the only thing is that they have to be careful musically. A group like Cedar Ridge can easily steal away the music caption from them. Last year Dobyns-Bennett won music so it will be interesting to see what happens with two strong Texas groups coming to compete. Cedar Ridge H.S., TX - I have seen their show several times in the past weeks, and I am very impressed with their improvement, they have improved a lot since BOA Austin. I think their show will fare better in Atlanta because it is a BOA type show. Now I have one reservation, and it always goes back to them visually. Their lowest scores at boa have been in the visual caption; now I believe it has to be because of a change in style a few years back. When they first started in 2010, they used bent leg, and now they are using straight leg I noticed this last year. However, they do look cleaner because of this change they are still a young group, with age comes refinement. They came in 6th at Austin but that was weeks ago, they will use scores and feedback from their exhibition performance at TMC to improve themselves. *I have another prediction, if they don't place 2nd here with a great score, they may miss finals in San Antonio. It's just too competitive in Texas these days, with a strong 2nd place finish it may boost their confidence pushing them into the end of the season. Haltom H.S., TX - I have seen both them and Keller live about two weeks ago at a football game, they are another group contending for silver. Because of Keller, I was able to gage them off each other, which Keller seemed more put together and stronger musically then Haltom. Now Haltom did win Broken Arrow Invitational that same weekend but by a slim .70 over Richland. Now you have to be careful when using non-boa scores because you never know how they will match up contest to contest. Broken Arrow Invitational was competitive but on a lower scale. Groups like Union and Owasso were not present which along with Broken Arrow are the best in that region. Haltom will have to compete against groups like Tarpon, Cedar Ridge, and Wando in Atlanta all three of which were BOA Grand National finalist (in recent years*). Their goal should be to beat Cedar Ridge in both Music and General Effect. As stated above Cedar Ridge struggles visually so Haltom will have to use that to their advantage and raise their score in GE. Wando H.S., SC - At this contest, Wando has fluctuated over the years from a low 10th place in 2015 to placing 2nd with a 90.60, one point away from Tarpon Springs. After watching some videos I think they can be an easy top 4 finalist, Atlanta is nowhere near as competitive as San Antonio which leaves a lot of room for bands to one-up each other. I have them coming in at 4th because I believe they will struggle to fight the TX groups musically. In 2016 they took the visual caption which was a huge surprise because of Tarpon!!! I saw some comment that they have one of the best visual programs in the nation, that may be true, but anything can happen in marching band. Wando will have to improve themselves all around if they want to walk away with the silver. They are a great group and remember they have had years of success, so they are not to be underestimated. Park Vista H.S., FL - Placed 4th last year, so they are the third strongest returner this year. They could pose a threat and even medal if the other groups are not on their toes. What I like about this group is like Tarpon they are very "performance" oriented which help tons with GE. Always great to have a wild card in the mix. Bottom Five: Walton H.S., GA James F. Byrnes H.S., SC Hillgrove H.S., GA Kennesaw Mountain H.S., GA Lafayette H.S., LA

Very interesting.... I predicted that if Vandy did not take two captions Reagan would come out on top. Vandy is amazing musically but if they want to be a major threat for gold at San Antonio they must take GE, the fact that they tied for music shows Reagan still has some fight in them. this year is so crazy I Love it !!!!

Wow yes, they did how could I forget

Cedar Ridge can take home silver if they clean up visually. They have a great show that will do well in Atlanta, Wando is a great program, but both cedar ridge and Haltom can beat them musically with a great finals run. If Tarpon Springs wins they will have won this contest 9 consecutive times, so you know that they will come swinging they have fought off great TX bands before (Bowie in 2011 and LD Bell in 2015 ).

I like the overall observation on hornrank but I to think that Marcus will place higher, they are one of the top programs in the state and their music score has always guaranteed their safety. I love Dripping Springs but I don't see them beating Wakeland or (my wild card for finals) Hendrickson. As for the rest I can see them making finals but I'm still not sure who will walk away with a win.

I have not jumped to any conclusions I was only referencing Reagan. I like you believe that Hebron, FM, Marcus, The Woodlands, CTJ, and James Bowie will have an amazing shot at coming out at the top. I also don't want you to believe I am crazy over Leander's show because I am not. I have been a fan of BOA for 20 years, back when I was a freshman at Westfield we placed 1st with a 93.65 at San Antonio when the contest was in it's 2nd year in existence. I love the activity very much and when i see a marching band doing well they deserve a little appreciation. At BOA Austin i was a little upset when Bowie didn't place 1st however i respected Leander for doing an amazing job. My point is it could go to anyone this year and I have stated that before, I was just appreciating what a great performance I saw in the video.

Leander is no doubt on the verge of being the next Grand National Champion i really wished they would have went this year. Ronald Reagan better prepare for a fight in San Antonio because Leander has certainly showed they really want 1st. As for state their biggest threat is Cedar Park and Vandi who (judging by the past may come out at the top) due to the difference in the way both contest are judged (Example CTJ lost to Marcus). but of course anything can happen

This video of Cedar Ridge doesn't show their closer which brings back memories of L.D. Bell's 2007 Grand National championship show Transcendence. Which I believe with a lot more refining (which can happen in two weeks!!!) will allow CR to jump into finals at San Antonio. I think musically Cedar Ridge can hold it's own against Wakeland. What I've seen a lot from the big named bands are shows built for stadiums, which will benefit greatly in that two day prelims setting.

Hebron will definitely place in the top 3 if they continue to build their show up. Round Rock will no doubt place within the top five, they are still amazing no doubt about that.

Round Rock has improved alot this year in terms of visual capability. By decreasing their size it has cleaned them up alot. The LISD bands are just as good but with stronger musicality. I have no doubt RR will make finals at GN but win visual there is way more difficult than in SA. Plus there GE i believe is what put RR high in earlier contest.

I agree on the woodlands they are deadly especially on a nationals year. I am willing to move owasso down to the unsafe zone. As for Bowie i saw their show last Night and wow they are really impressive i can see why they took 2nd. Leander has to be on it's toes just because it won Austin doesn't mean these groups will stop improveing, it only gets harder from here. As for the bottom i believe Vandegrift will be in finals and the question is if Wakeland is better than Cedar ridge which judging from exhibition performance at tmc has really improved i could see them side stepping vandi if they keep it up. Then there is Hendrickson who will probably leap in to finals this year.

Attempted Predictions Unsure who will take it this year. After Flomo Win way to difficult to predict. Locks (Placement Unknown) Marcus The Woodlands Flower Mound Hebron Ronald Reagan CTJ Leander Cedar Park Round Rock James Bowie Owasso Unsafe Zone (Fight For Finals Spot) Vandegrift Hendrickson Cedar Ridge LD Bell Wakeland Keller Vista Ridge

This year is really tough in TX and keller may just miss finals at SA. However they may have a shot at GN if they push hard.Hebron may have a huge shot at the eagle even with a 2nd place finish tonight, Bell took it home in 07 after 2nd to Marcus at SA. Truly anything can happen at this point in the game.

wow that ending though, really difficult for high school. what I've noticed is that the harder the show the more the kids will be able to grow with it. This method was used by CTJ, Leander, Cedar Ridge making no room for dominance anymore.

There is no doubt in my mind that CTJ will dominate here. Last year super regional champion will not go down easily. Visually they are competitive on a BOA level while other groups have never been to a BOA competition.

Cedar Park WOW... they sound and look fantastic, they really want that state title this year. they will be difficult to beat come November but i'm not surprised they have always been able to be a threat even to groups becoming amazingly good.

I do agree with the uncertainty this year which i love, these band programs can do anything. It gets harder every year, it seems that there always is one band being amazingly good out of the blue. often times however it can be the show that is well designed and executed. Like Anderson's 2011 show "goddess" after that show they seemed to stop in progression as other groups leaped over them. The same as Lake Travis who in 2012 went on to compete at state, and now has been very quiet. However often times it is the luck of the kids who come into the program who are amazing musically. It is good for the directors to be more involved in the feeder schools so when they come in they understand the standard of the program. I feel that Area D just continues to form more and more into a blood bath district.

James Bowie most certainly is amazing early in the season, they look good and sound great. Round Rock as well is good during early season. There visual though is what may hurt them when trying to place 1st. But this year i heard the approach is different, decreaseing the amount of winds on the field may help them look cleaner. Leander is doing amazing right now, which isn't a surprise after last year.they definitely have a shot at 1st. Cedar Ridge is the band that's been taking a beating on prediction's this year. Which is understandable after loseing Mark Calima. However they get better every year, there musicality may surprise alot of people. Plus there show is designed for national's, which may help them slip in the top 5.