~ME~

I think CTJ certainly has a shot at the top 3, but I think Marcus definitely has an edge over them in the performance captions. However, GE could very well be their saving grace, and I also think they are stronger than The Woodlands musically. I'm very interested to hear these prelims results, that's for sure.

First off, I've gotta say that Lake Ridge blew me away. Last year they already showed that they aren't afraid to FLY around the field, but this year they have really started to develop a good sound as well. They definitely have a very, very bright future ahead of them if they keep improving at the rate they have been so far these past two years. Hebron, The Woodlands, and Marcus seemed to be the clear top 3 in prelims. Unless they have a bad run, I really think Hebron's going to be the winner tonight. That new ending is all sorts of awesome. I would probably have Marcus second in prelims, and The Woodlands third, but I think it's very close between them (I think Woodlands was definitely the best visually in prelims, but I think Marcus was much better musically than Woodlands, and probably the second best visually). Can't wait to see what happens...

Leander... Wow. Just wow. Remember those concerns I had about if they were going to be able to hold their own with the other top bands individually? They just proved those concerns of mine to be silly (at least as far as individual visual performance is concerned, obviously there's no way to hear individual music performances unless you're on the field judging it). I was pleasantly surprised and just shell shocked by their incredibly strong presence on the field. Each performer looks downright confident, performing at such a high level. Heck, those pictures of them on the live blog say everything about how strong and confident of a presence they have. This Leander group is for real, and they have at least proven to me that they truly are a medalist caliber band, regardless of where they ultimately finish. What a band.

I hear ya. I recognize how crazy that sounds, and you're probably going to be right. However, I do still think it's a possibility given how small of a margin there has been between the bands at the top these past few years (seeing Vandergrift win Music and still finish 7th overall last year changed what I thought was possible, although I realize the GE caption has much more weight than the Music caption). The thing is, I don't think anyone is going to downright dominate the GE caption. I think just about all of the top 6 bands or so are going to be neck and neck with each other, and I still have a hard time seeing Leander surpass any of those other 5 groups in some of the other areas outside of GE (with an exception to ensemble visual). I already talked about my concerns on the individual side of things (and again, Leander may very well make me look like an idiot by proving that they can indeed hold their own with the other top groups on EVERY level at SA). The bottom line is, this competition is by far the most competitive and close it's ever been in the past, and it's only getting more competitive each year. I think we're going to see more and more outcomes we aren't used to seeing as a result. I understand how wrong I'm probably going to be with this particular prediction seeing as the fact still remains that GE is such a huge factor. And honestly, I hope I'm wrong about that 5th place thing. It would be the coolest thing EVER if Leander actually won the whole thing with such a wonderful show!

Someone can probably explain it better than I can, but I would say it's a measurement of 2 things: how well a show is designed and how well the performers carry it out and communicate it to the judges and audience.

I'll update my thoughts and predictions on who I think the top 6 will be one last time... (My predictions for the other 8 finalists have just about stayed the same). I'm going to say Hebron wins it. Hebron always steps it up a bit at San Antonio, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a visually improved Hebron with a complete show win the whole thing. I think they've got Music in the bag, and I also think they'll be first in visual GE (they very well might win overall GE, but it will be close). However, it's the Visual Performance caption that I think will make or break them, so we'll see. I'm going to say The Woodlands will be a CLOSE second unless Hebron doesn't improve enough visually to hold on, in which case they'll win. They step it up more than any other band does at San Antonio, and they're going to be firing on all cylinders. I say they will win Visual. I think this is CTJ's year for a medal so I'm going to have them at third, though Bowie may medal again as well. I'm personally not predicting either of them to win a caption, but it's a possibility for sure obviously. I know this is going to sound a little strange, but I'll say Leander takes 5th, taking first in music GE (I think they have the best written show musically this year) and winning the overall GE caption. I could be totally wrong about this because there's really no way to know this from videos in the stands, but the reason I have them in fifth is because I could see them struggling to keep up with Hebron, Woodlands, CTJ, Bowie, and Marcus from an individual performance standpoint. Like I said, I'm making a rather uneducated (and probably stupid) guess with this one, but I could see it happening. Regardless of how they place though, I think Leander takes the cake for my favorite show of the year. I'll put Marcus at 6th, but I could easily see them place higher with their music and visual performance scores (both individual and ensemble). Can't wait for next weekend, it's so close to being that time once again!

Speaking of the weather, remember Area 2012 when it felt like freaking Antarctica? A few weeks ago I was expecting temperatures to be freezing cold this year, but NOPE, it was scorching hot this time around. A classic example of Texas being Texas... I bet the kids had "fun" performing in the heat. They all did a good job of toughing it out and performing through it though.

I agree with Rubisco that it's definitely possible that Marcus and Hebron could switch places at state IF Hebron can manage to sweep 1s in music (which I definitely think is a possibility). But like I said early on, the visual strength Marcus has could be a real obstacle for Hebron if that doesn't happen (like it was at Area tonight). If Hebron could find a way to vastly improve visually between now to state, I think they would be the clear winner (and it would give them a huge boost at BOA as well). However, I don't know how much of a chance there is that that will happen. Marcus is just so dang good visually. Either way, I personally don't see any other band taking the gold and silver medals away from these two groups. They are just about unmatched in the areas UIL looks at. And congrats to Flower Mound on making state for the first time! That's awesome for them, and I won't be surprised in the slightest to see them make their first State Finals appearance as well! What a year this band is having! And what a lights out performance from Haltom tonight! If they perform like that and judging goes their way, they may actually have a shot at making state finals as well! VERY interested to see how they do. And as for LD Bell, I don't know what to say. That's just tough, I really feel bad for those kids. I personally would've thought Bell to be a state finals lock, and I certainly agree with the placement they received in prelims more so than in finals. I really appreciated that LD Bell parent's positive and classy reaction on the live blog, I wouldn't expect anything less from such a classy organization that has always had amazing parents and kids. Good luck to Bell at BOA!

I've been a pretty big defender of the UIL judging system for a long time as I have always liked how UIL looks for different things than BOA does, but this is the point where I throw my arms up and say that I've got to agree with this opinion. These results are just downright facepalm-worthy. I still love how UIL generally tries to look at who can flat out march and play the best with no GE involved, but the grading system needs an adjustment. Hopefully the finals results won't be quite as insane...

That is all awesome to hear! Congrats to both Haltom and Martin! Way to represent Texas well at St. Louis!

Personally, I don't expect Reagan to finish in the top 7, but I still expect them to finish in the top 10. I think I can give you a few reasons as to why people are putting them in the bottom 7 places in finals as opposed to the top. 1). CTJ, Hebron, Bowie, Marcus, and The Woodlands are going to be incredibly hard to beat. Now, we may ultimately be wrong like we were last year, but that doesn't change the fact that as of right now, the general consensus seems to be that these are the best bands in Texas at the moment. Throw in the fact that FloMo and Leander have extremely well designed programs this year along with other top notch groups like Round Rock and Bell, and you've got a ton of bands that will be tough competition. But like I said, I expect Reagan to finish among the top 10, and to be one of those tough bands. 2). Last year's SA results were a little... strange (i.e. The 7th place band winning the Music Caption, Marcus going from 3rd in prelims to 8th in finals, The Woodlands finishing 5th in prelims ). Not saying that they were wrong placements and that bands didn't deserve the placements they got (seriously, I want to make it VERY clear that I have no intention of discrediting anyone), but the results were at least odd enough to raise some eyebrows, rather they were wrong or right. Not that it matters anyways, because: 3). Every year is different. I think Leander's breakout year this season is a perfect example of this. 4). People basing predictions off of early season placements. I don't think that this is the brightest thing to do (especially when it comes to Reagan). I can guarantee you that not everyone does this, but I wouldn't be surprised if it shaped some of the predictions you've seen. Also, for the people that DON'T do this, that leads to Reagan being virtually unpredictable at San Antonio. You do make a good point though. Since 2010 Reagan has shown that they are VERY capable of finishing around the 5-6 area, so it certainly is a possibility that I wouldn't count out this year.

Boy, I can't wait to come back to this post and see how absolutely wrong I was with these predictions. I'm not even going to TRY to put them in a specific placement order, that would just be a little too crazy right now. Instead I'll put them in blocks, with the bands within each block in no particular placement order. Here we go: TOP 5: (Obviously, I consider these bands finals locks) -Bowie -CTJ -Hebron -Marcus -The Woodlands 6-10: (I think these guys are finals locks as well) -Flower Mound -Leander -LD Bell -Reagan -Round Rock TOP CONTENDERS FOR 11-14: (These are the bands I think are on the bubble and have a legitimate shot at making it into finals) -Aledo -Berkner -Cedar Park -Churchill -Plano East -Spring -Vandergrift -Vista Ridge -Westlake And I'll go on and take a crack at the captions: -Hebron takes Music -Either Bowie, Woodlands, Marcus, or Bell take Visual. -Either Hebron, CTJ, or Bowie takes GE. Maybe a small chance Leander snatches it away from them. And there ya go. Excited for another intense competition at the Alamodome. Gonna be a good one.

"Indie Darling Contest #22"... That needs to be an actual contest. I had the stupidest grin on my face as I read that. Absurdly bloated non-BOA/ UIL scores aside, I was able to watch Hebron's finals performance at HEB, and what I saw changed my previous opinion. I originally thought there wasn't a very big chance anyone was going to knock off Marcus at UIL, but Hebron really blew me away with this most recent performance. I've become convinced that they have a better chance at walking away with the gold medal than Marcus does. Musically, they seemed to be even more confident than they were last weekend.The brass are flat out nailing the ridiculous articulation in their multiple features throughout the closing movement (especially for this early in the season, it's just ridiculous). They HAVE to pull off those articulation sections with flying colors if they want to win at state, and so far they are doing it. I will say, the beginning section of the closer after the dance section still sounds a little rocky. It's kind of strange how all the insane technical runs aren't really giving them much trouble, but the much slower section is what they seem to be struggling with right now. However, the first and second movements of the show were wonderful and flat out gorgeous. Nothing more to say about them other than that. Come November, this show is probably going to be about as flawless as it gets from a musical standpoint. I also feel like they have improved quite a bit visually since last weekend. They especially seemed to be paying much more attention to keeping their lines straight. They still have some kinks to work out (I feel like the curvilinear formations in particular, while great already, need to be fine tuned just a little bit more in some areas), but they are small kinks. I still don't and probably never will have even the slightest clue who will win BOA SA, but after seeing that HEB finals performance, I think UIL could very well be Hebron's for the taking. If it's not freezing cold this year like it sometimes is, I'm hoping to go watch Area B finals to see how Marcus and Hebron match up against each other in the late season. but until then, a Hebron win is my prediction as of now.

Annnnnnnd yep, once again BOA San Antonio looks like it is going to be as unpredictable as usual. I've got nothing. I'm sorry to go off topic here temporarily, but for several years Marcus and Bell dominated it, and last year The Woodlands was the heavy favorite to win. This is the first year I TRULY feel like I have absolutely no idea who the heck is going to win at SA, and I love it. Now on to Conroe: Johnson sweeping the captions and going on to win their first BOA regional over the defending national champions (and by a significantly large margin) was quite the shocker. Hats off to them, I can only imagine how excited they are. This will definitely be a momentum builder for them for the rest of the season. They might have the best chance at getting a medal at BOA SA they've had so far. But on the other hand, The Woodlands won prelims as most would have expected. I would say they are a bit weaker than they were last year show design-wise, but that's not exactly saying much is it? Yeah no, they're still incredible. They have some work to do, but boy will they be good by November. And whoa! How about College Park? I wouldn't be surprised to see them performing in front of a finals crowd at the Alamodome sometime soon. What a strong showing from them!

I don't know, as fantastic as Reagan usually is, I definitely don't expect them to finish ahead of CTJ in a BOA competition. I'm aware every year is different. However, CTJ has really cemented themselves as a consistent BOA powerhouse these past 2-3 years. They have clearly found their identity and know what they're doing. A band like that is REALLY tough to beat. For CTJ to finish any lower than 2nd, it would take a huge upset. That being said, if Reagan IS good enough to beat CTJ this weekend (and if it's not just a fluke), then Reagan might just be a serious medal contender at BOA San Antonio this year. Like I said, I still expect CTJ to take 2nd and Reagan to take 3rd, but it would be really cool and interesting if I'm wrong come Saturday. Also, I'm excited to see how SFA is coming along. There's something awesome about a great band that got hit by bad luck working hard to overcome the obstacles in their way. I still can't believe that there will be THREE recent Grand Nationals finalists at this regional (And one of them currently owns the Eagle). Marching band in Texas truly is the best it's ever been. I'm starting to wish I was still marching so I could be a part of it haha!

I just gotta say, I cannot WAIT to see how Flower Mound does at Grand Nationals this year. I think they legitimately have a great shot at being a Grand Nationals finalist! I was genuinely impressed by what I saw from them! I'm also really digging what I saw from Wakeland. Not only are they fun to watch, but they should make some noise at Indy as well! This was one heck of a regional, and it makes me even more excited to see what Conroe will be like.

Hmmm... You do make a good point, and I do agree with quite a bit of what you said. If Hebron nails all the articulation and technical runs in their show (especially in their INSANE closing movement), which they likely will, they will be a very serious contender for the gold. I still think Marcus' visual strength may be an obstacle for Hebron when it comes to UIL, but you never know how things will turn out. Like I said, I definitely think Hebron this year will be the toughest competition Marcus has ever faced since they started dominating the state marching contest. It certainly would be awesome to see a new state champion! And yes! The lineup of bands at state this year may look quite different with some new contenders, which makes me pretty excited. I agree, it should be VERY fun to watch!

I guess I'll give some VERY early predictions, why not? I think Marcus is going to take home their fifth straight UIL championship this year. They may not be as dominant in the BOA circuit as they used to be, but they are just too good in the areas UIL judges generally look at. Visually and musically from an execution/ precision standpoint, they are a just a monster. Hebron is the one band that I think MAY have a shot at taking Marcus down, but like I said, I think Marcus is still just too good. However, I do think Hebron this year will be the toughest competition Marcus has had since they started winning in 2006. Regardless of what order they finish in, I do think Hebron and Marcus will be in their own league at the top 2 positions, similar to what happened at the 2012 State finals. Bronze is always a bloodbath, and I think this year will be no different. I think it will be another tough fight between Bowie, Coppell, and Bell. Bowie is REALLY going to want it after losing that tie breaker in 2012, so I'm sure they'll be on fire. Heck, maybe we'll see a surprise such as Reagan, who placed third in prelims in 2012 if I remember correctly. I can't wait to see who wins this one! I'm also curious to see if Duncanville will return to form this year. I haven't seen them perform yet, but I'll for sure be keeping my eyes o them! As usual, the actual results of this competition will probably be surprising and unpredictable and I'll probably be wrong on quite a few of these predictions, but we'll see what happens! I can't wait! I may make changes to my predictions as the season goes on as well.

Well it took me forever to find the videos you guys were talking about, but I finally watched them and holy cow! That is one difficult show Hebron is playing! I agree with Rubisco, if the show translates well onto the field and if they can manage to get it clean by the end of the season then Hebron is going to be a freaking MONSTER at San Antonio. The high level of difficulty could potentially backfire on them, but if they can pull it off I will be blown away. Gosh, now this makes me super excited to see what the other groups like The Woodlands, Marcus, Bowie, CTJ, and COUNTLESS others have in store! Only heard one show so far and this year is already off to yet another great start!

So happy The Woodlands brought the Eagle back to Texas! And Round Rock placing 4th??? On their first GN trip??? WHOA!!! I'll admit I didn't expect them to pull off the same feat Marcus pulled off in '09, but they did it! Huge congratulations to them! I'm also happy Marcus was able to cap off the 2013 season strongly after what happened in San Antonio. LD Bell was fantastic, and I was happy to see them back in GN finals where they belong. And kudos to Cedar Ridge on making finals on their first trip to GN in their school's short time of existence! This was a great year for Texas bands! And as for next year... yeah, I hope to see some more Texas bands wreck havoc at Indy with their first GN trip (Hebron, Vandy, Westlake... looking at you guys ). What an amazing season. Can't wait to see what 2014 has in store. See everyone next fall for another amazing season!

Yeah, I think there is a similarity between Carmel and Hebron. They are kind of like Texas and Indiana twins. If I had to describe Hebron right now, I would say they seem like a hybrid of both Carmel and the old Reagan. Kind of funny how they both have similar uniforms and styles. If Hebron goes to GN soon, I would love to see them next to each other at retreat. It would be kinda creepy. On another note, I seriously want The Woodlands to take back the Eagle for Texas. It has been out of Texas for far too long.

Yeah, that was pretty awesome. I was pretty pleased with who the top 3 were. Even though I do think Bowie was the better performing band (and I LOVED their show), it's a shame CTJ barely missed out on that medal in finals. It would have been so cool if they had made top 3 along with Hebron like they did in prelims. 2 of the 3 medalists would have been first time BOA SA medalists, and The Woodlands would still be the first band other than Marcus or Bell to win since 2005. That would have been an even more unbelievable top 3! I love the top 4 bands' shows so much, it's not even funny. Even though it really doesn't matter, here are the placements in my personal opinion: 1-2. The Woodlands/ Hebron (Can't decide, so I'll leave it as a tie). 3-4. James Bowie/ CTJ (Yep. Another tie). 5. Marcus 6. Coppell 7. Cedar Park 8-9. LD Bell/ Blue Springs (I'd probably give 8th to Bell because of how good they were visually, but it's close). 10. Westlake 11. Reagan 12. Cedar Ridge 13. Round Rock 14. Vandergrift Music: Hebron Visual: The Woodlands GE: CTJ

I know! I just really liked the funny coincidence he brought up of a band whose name starts with a V winning on Nov. 5. You gotta admit "V for Vandergrift" has a nice ring to it! But now that you brought up Westwood's show, can you imagine how insane it would have been if Vandergrift actually had played a similar V for Vendetta show and still won with it??? A band whose name begins with a "V" winning the State Marching Contest with a V for Vendetta show on November 5th??? That would have been the coolest thing ever!

Yeah, I agree. I'm pretty sure I'm part of a small minority when I say this, but I actually prefer the UIL judging system to the BOA judging system. In my opinion, the results are pretty accurate in determining the bands (accurately, in order) that executed their program in the most precise, cleanest, and skillful fashion. In prelims I don't think it generally works as well because of the much larger number of bands, but I think it's a great system for judging only ten bands in finals. Looking back at the 4A and 5A state marching contest finals that I have actually seen, I generally always agree with the results. Every once in a while I'll personally disagree with one placement, such as Bell winning the tiebreaker for 3rd over Bowie in 2012, but even those kinds of things are arguable and can't possibly be determined by anything else other than personal opinion. I think these results were much less wacky than the BOA San Antonio finals results this year. I really do believe UIL is a much better system than BOA at determining the truly better band, but that also just comes down to personal opinion and what each different person considers to make a band "good". Congrats to Cedar Park and Vista Ridge on the medals, and congrats to Friendswood on the third place in prelims! And a huge congrats to the 2013 UIL 4A State Marching Contest Gold Medalist, Vandergrift! Remember, Remember the 5th of November! Finally, congrats to all the amazing finalists, and the all of the participants in general. This was an amazing 4A State Marching Contest, and a great way to end the marching season in Texas.

Glad to hear that! I watched Blue Springs on the live webcast, and they were incredible! A non-Texas band making finals at San Antonio is a HUGE deal (something that hasn't happened in almost a decade), so those kids should be VERY proud. Congratulations, and good luck at Grand Nationals! And Merkal, since you were humble in not saying anything about your band, I'll make the comment on Westlake for you : Westlake was awesome! The trumpet soloists were my favorite soloists of the contest, right up there with the amazing singer from Cedar Ridge, the trombone soloist from Lopez, and the sousaphone soloist from Wagner. Westlake had an incredible brass sound as always (even a little better than last year in my opinion). I'm excited to see Westlake next year! If they perform like they have been these past 2 years, they'll be a sure state marching contest finalist once again in my opinion. Also, Coppell was incredible this year. It was nice seeing them FINALLY getting the kind of results they deserved when they got 6th in prelims and won the music caption. In my opinion, the only other band that was at their level musically was Hebron. I don't think anyone else could touch them musically. I want to see more shows like this where they keep their shows traditional like usual while throwing in some BOA style elements as well (that preshow was SO cool). If they wanted to (and by "they" I mean the staff), Coppell could easily be a serious contender with a balance between both BOA and UIL like Marcus. I would love to see that happen in these next few years!