Located in the heart of Ohio is the Fortress Obetz where this week one Bands of America Regional will take place with several interesting matchups. We've got some familiar faces along with some new ones. Fans will also get an early season preview for some groups that will also be continuing all the way to Grand Nationals so let's dig right in.
This regional is going to be host to 23 bands with 3 states being represented. That's up from the 18 that came last year and of them, 9 are returning groups including last year's Champion, Lakota West. The competitive schedule as of September 11th is as follows:
(All times ET)
9:15 AM — West Carrollton (OH)
9:30 AM — New Philadelphia (OH)*
9:45 AM — Hilliard Bradley (OH)*
10:00 AM — Owen County (KY)
10:15 AM — Grayson County (KY)
10:30 AM — Norton (OH)
10:45 AM — West Clermont (OH)
11:00 AM — Milford (OH)*
BREAK
12:00 PM — Noblesville (IN)
12:15 PM — Miamisburg (OH)
12:30 PM— Worthington Kilbourne (OH)*
12:45 PM — Loveland (OH)
1:00 PM — Walter E. Stebbins (OH)*
1:15 PM — Warren Local (OH)*
1:30 PM — Licking Valley (OH)*
BREAK
2:15 PM — Central Crossing (OH)
2:30 PM — Hamilton (OH)
2:45 PM — (Archbishop) Carroll (OH)
3:00 PM — Christian Academy of Louisville (KY)
3:15 PM — Fairfield (OH)
3:30 PM — Franklin Central (IN)
3:45 PM — Campbell County (KY)*
4:00 PM — Lakota West (OH)*
4:15 PM — Marshall University (Exhibition)
4:30 PM — Preliminary Awards
* Denotes returning group
Highlighting this group of bands is Lakota West (OH). Last year's Obetz Regional Champion and placing 2nd behind American Fork (UT) all the way out at the Utah Regional, this group continues to make strides every season and it seems to get better each year in both performance and show design. This group is now no stranger to victory and will be looking to retain their title. Lakota West will be taking this show all the way to Grand Nationals and hoping this early read can help forward their hopes for success at the end of the season.
While last year's runner-up will not be here, challenging the defending champion will be Worthington Kilbourne (OH) who in 2021 placed 2nd in Prelims before dropping to 3rd in Finals. However, they had still taken the Best General Effect overall in Prelims, and then the Best Music caption award in Finals so it would appear to be a close race with them able to stay tight in captions. It will be interesting to see if they can bring home some early success and possibly the band's first Regional Championship. Worthington Kilbourne is also currently planning on attending Grand Nationals.
We have another interesting challenger with Noblesville (IN), who will be attending this show for the first time. This group has been rocketing up in a positive direction for the past few years. Last year, they made the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) State Finals in Indiana’s largest class (A), which includes notable powerhouse bands like #2 Avon (IN) and #4 Carmel (IN), and were also on the cusp of making the BOA Indianapolis Super Regional Finals where they placed 16th in Prelims. How that'll translate into early success will be put to the test here. As with many early shows, how much of their show is complete can make a difference in higher scores.
Other notable returners include Milford (OH) who made the top half at this Finals in 2021 and is often a competitor for Semi-Finals at Grand Nationals. Additionally, Hilliard Bradley (OH) is returning from 2021 where they had similar results to Milford. There are also some fresh faces here that have experienced success in BOA and can be expected to provide some interesting matchups as well, one of which is Miamisburg (OH), who is a perennial Regional Finalist and reoccuring Semi-Finalist. Another group to keep an eye on is Franklin Central (IN), who is also a frequent BOA Regional Finalist in addition to regularly being competitive for a spot in ISSMA Class A Finals.
This Columbus-area regional has a wide variety of show styles from the various programs in attendance and there will be plenty of intrigue for the fans at all levels. This will be a great contest to watch as we'll get an excellent sneak peek of some of the activities finest with high aspirations for the rest of the season.