We’re a couple days removed from a rather wet and dreary Saturday of competitions, so let’s take a look back to see how things shook out and the effects that these results had on this week’s Writer’s Poll. Also included in this article is a preview of what you can expect during the upcoming ISSMA District contests taking place around the state this weekend.
 

  
Weekend Wrap Up, Plus Week #3 Writer's Poll Recap
 
Class A
 
There weren’t too many surprising results this week in Class A. We had the top 2 bands on our poll going head-to-head at the Avon Meijer Invitational. While Avon put on quite a show in exhibition, Carmel also gave an outstanding performance in the rain. You can bet the two scores were very close, as it is obvious these two will be neck and neck for the remainder of the year.
 
Up North, at the Penn Kingsmen Carnival of Bands, we had our 4th and 5th place bands in a close showdown that was won by Homestead. Due to the close scores, Lake Central was able to break their tie with Ben Davis from the Week 2 poll and claim the 5th place spot this week.
 
At the Meijer Greenwood Invitational, we saw our 3rd and 6th place bands meet up in an indoor standstill. Lawrence Central came away with the 1.5 point victory, but Ben Davis is proving they’re going to be a force this year.
 
In other action, Center Grove and Castle maintained their positions at 7th and 8th place this week. Penn was able to move ahead of Warren Central this week with a strong exhibition performance, while Warren Central won Grand Champion at the Mid-States (MSBA) show at Hamilton Southeastern. Lafayette Jefferson retained their 11th place spot by winning at Twin Lakes, while Carroll moved up two spots into a tie with Columbus North, who was off this week. Northrop moved up two spots from 16th to 14th after being named one of the Reserve Grand Champions at Hamilton Southeastern.
 
And finally, Class A saw its only real upset this week with Brownsburg placing over Fishers at the MSBA show at Hamilton Southeastern. Because of this, Fishers dropped off the poll, while Brownsburg picked up a few votes in their return.
 
Class B
 
Class B is shaping up to be more competitive than it’s ever been. For the second week in a row, we had 21 bands receive votes, a record for this class.
 
Maintaining their grasp on the top spot with their second straight perfect 10 in first-place votes is Greenwood, who performed in exhibition at their own show. Goshen gained a few more votes this week to solidify their 2nd place spot. And while Districts is coming up this weekend, they have a big showdown with Greenwood looming in Week 5.
 
Up to 3rd this week is Northview, who won handily at the Avon Meijer Invitational. Concord also moved up a spot to 4th, as they continue to chase Goshen in the North. Dropping two spots to 5th place is Jasper, who was surprisingly upset by Plainfield this weekend. Because of this upset, Plainfield was one of our big movers of the week, up five spots to 6th place. Floyd Central came in 7th after winning Grand Champion at Corydon Central.
 
Rounding out the top ten this week in B was DeKalb in 8th (3rd place at Penn), New Castle in 9th (1st place at Greenwood), and Munster in 10th (1st place at Twin Lakes). North Side and Zionsville both moved up two spots to 11th and 12th, respectively.
 
Our other big mover of the week was Whiteland, who moved up seven spots to 13th after their 2nd place finish at Greenwood. Northridge dropped out of the top 10 this week and fell to 14th after finishing 5th at the Penn Kingsmen Carnival of Bands.
 
Also receiving votes this week in Class B were Bloomington North, FJ Reitz, New Palestine, Angola, Plymouth, Greenfield-Central, and Pendleton Heights.
 
Class C
 
Once again, Western continues to dominate the polls in Class C, as they’ve yet to lose a 1st place vote this year. This week they took 1st place at Twin Lakes, and outscored 2010 Class A Finalist Lafayette Jefferson in the process.
 
After being tied last week, Edgewood “edged” ahead of Norwell to claim sole possession of 2nd place, with a 1st place finish at Avon. Norwell meanwhile took 1st place at Penn. Also tied after week 2, Concordia Lutheran moved into sole possession of 4th place with their impressive showing at East Noble, taking home the Sweepstakes Award.
 
The 5th spot this week went to Beech Grove, who continues to stay within striking distance of Edgewood.
 
While our top 5 has remained relatively the same since Week 1, the rest of Class C is doing the usual shuffling we’ve all come to expect from this unpredictable class. Holding onto their week 2 spots were North Harrison and Maconaquah in 6th and 7th, respectively. Our big mover of the week in Class C was Vincennes-Lincoln, who moved up 6 spots to 8th place after winning their class at Castle.
 
Making their first ever appearance in the top 10 and coming in 9th was Leo, who finished a strong 2nd place at Penn. And rounding out the top 10 this week is Southridge, who won their class at Evansville North.
 
Just outside the top 10 was Twin Lakes, who fell two spots to 11th place despite gaining more votes this week, certainly a testament to the unpredictability of Class C. Heritage maintained their 12th place spot. Scottsburg continued to slide, falling out of the top 10 for the first time in quite a while, but certainly not counted out just yet.
 
Also receiving votes in Class C this week were Northwestern, Fairfield, Gibson Southern, Knox, Boonville, and NorthWood.
 
Class D
 
Holding to the trend (Springs Valley, Forest Park, Springs Valley, Forest Park, etc)… Forest Park, courtesy of their Grand Champion finish at Evansville North, once again took over the top spot in Class D. Springs Valley fell to the 2nd spot, despite winning their class at Greenwood. These two will perform back-to-back this weekend at the Jasper district.
 
Not to be forgotten, Lewis Cass maintained their 3rd spot this week, but gained a little ground on the top 2. Paoli, named Grand Champion at Floyd Central, continues to hold the 4th spot, where they’ve been all season. Monrovia remains in 5th this week, after dominating their class at Hamilton Southeastern.
 
Continuing beyond the top five, flipping positions this week were Woodlan (6th) and Mater Dei (7th). Adams Central moved up two spots after taking a caption from Woodlan at East Noble. Holding strong in 9th was Orleans, who won their class at Floyd Central. And making their debut in the top 10 for 2011 is South Spencer, who landed in the 10th spot this week.
 
Dropping out of the top 10, but still in the hunt was Bluffton, who won their class at Hamilton Southeastern. North Posey continues to sit in 12th, finishing with the same vote total as Week 2. A band starting to regain some ground after falling from their preseason ranking is Eastern (Greentown) who moved into the 13th spot this week.
 
Also receiving votes in Class D this week were Clay City, Henryville, Tell City, Morristown, Taylor, and Perry Central.

Districts Weekend Preview
 
Districts is looking to be a chilly (but dry) weekend right now. Be sure to stay tuned for Moe’s detailed forecast coming later this week!
 
Class D
 
We’ll begin our preview with the site that produced SEVEN State-Finalists last year, the Jasper District. While Southridge has moved up to Class C this year, we’ve still got 9 strong Class D bands from this site that received votes this week, including 6 in the top 10 alone. The big matchup is obviously Forest Park (1st) and Springs Valley (2nd), but don’t count out Paoli (4th) from making some noise as well. Mater Dei (7th), Orleans (9th), and South Spencer (10th) are all currently ranked in the top 10, with perennial finalist North Posey (12th) sitting on the outside looking in, and Tell City (16th) and Perry Central (19th) also received votes. Anyone planning to attend the Jasper District is certainly in for a treat!
 
Next, at Lewis Cass, the site that produced our remaining three State-Finalists in 2010 (including Northwestern who moved up to C), we’ve got our 3rd ranked band Lewis Cass, plus Eastern (Greentown) (13th), and Taylor (18th). This site also includes two other bands who received votes earlier this year, Clinton Prairie and Pioneer.
 
All four bands from the Homestead District have received votes this year, with Woodlan (6th) and Adams Central (8th) currently ranked in the top 10. Bluffton (11th) is certainly capable of winning this district, while Eastside has also received votes in previous polls.
 
The Plainfield District boasts Monrovia (5th) and Clay City (14th), while Columbus East has Henryville (15th) and Crawford County (past votes). And finally, you can see Morristown (17th) in action at the Lawrence Central district.
 
Class C
 
We’ll begin our Class C preview with the Lewis Cass District, where the real battle will probably be for 2nd place, behind Western (1st), our 3-time defending State Champion and poll leader throughout the season thus far. Though if the past is any indication, don’t be too shocked if Maconaquah (7th), Twin Lakes (11th), or Northwestern (14th) sneak a caption away from Western.
 
Once again, the Jasper District has a plethora of quality bands in competition in Class C. Leading the way are Vincennes Lincoln (8th) and Southridge (10th), and also Gibson Southern (16th) and Boonville (18th) providing some stiff competition. Heritage Hills and Pike Central have also received votes this year, so keep an eye on these two groups as well.
 
Up North at Homestead, we’ve got Norwell (3rd) and Concordia Lutheran (4th) ready to duke it out once again, while the surging Leo (9th) looks to play spoiler. Heritage (12th) is also a band you can’t overlook.
 
At Plainfield, we’ll see an exact replay from the Avon Invitational, with Edgewood (2nd) and Beech Grove (5th) gunning for the top 2 spots, and Danville and Tri-West (who have both received votes) vying for 3rd.
 
At Columbus East, Scottsburg (13th) is looking to regain some ground on North Harrison (6th), while way up North at Penn, four great bands who have all received votes this year will battle it out. Who will come out on top between Fairfield (15th), Knox (17th), NorthWood (19th), and John Glenn (past votes)? This is certainly anyone's game.
 
Class B
 
Goshen (2nd) vs. Concord (4th) in Round 4 from Penn highlights our Class B lineups. Goshen has come out on top in all previous encounters, but Concord has been narrowing the gap slowly but surely. Northridge (14th) is hoping to rebound from last week, and Plymouth (18th) is also hoping to start making some noise.
 
At the Lawrence Central District, we’ve got our defending champion Greenwood (1st) leading the pack, while New Castle (9th) is looking to make a strong impression. Then we’ve got New Palestine (17th), Greenfield-Central (20th), and Pendleton Heights (21st) ready to mix it up. Sticking in the Indianapolis area, the other competition features got Plainfield (6th) fresh off their upset of Jasper, looking for another upset over Northview (3rd). And Zionsville (12th) is hoping to shock them both. Zionsville has previously taken the GE caption from Northview earlier this season.
 
Down south at the Jasper District, we’ve got the host school Jasper (5th) looking to bounce back strong from their defeat at the hands of both Northview and Plainfield, but facing some stiff competition from Floyd Central (7th) and F.J. Reitz (16th).
 
Back up North at Homestead, we’ve got DeKalb (8th) looking to hold off North Side (11th) and Angola (18th). While at the Columbus East District, we’ve got Whiteland (13th) hoping to stay ahead of Bloomington North (15th), whom they knocked off this past weekend at Greenwood. Munster (10th) round out Class B while in competition at the Lewis Cass District.
 
Class A
 
With Class A, you've got to start in the Indianapolis area, with a loaded Lawrence Central District featuring Carmel (2nd) and Lawrence Central (3rd) going head-to-head. Also in competition is Warren Central (10th), Franklin Central (15th), and Fishers (past votes). None of this is to discount Lawrence North and Pike, who are certainly capable of pulling off an upset.
 
Next we move to the other side of Indianapolis at Plainfield, where Avon (1st) and Ben Davis (6th) meet again. Could Ben Davis sneak a caption away from the 3-time defending National Champions? Also in competition are Brownsburg (16th) and Terre Haute North (past votes), plus Decatur Central and Terre Haute South.
 
Up in the Northern part of the state, first at Homestead, we’ve got Homestead (4th) looking to continue their 10 year dominance of sweeping this district (beaten last by yours truly during my time at Northrop), while Carroll (12th), Northrop (14th), and Snider (past votes) hope to gain ground with a great performance.
 
Over in Mishawaka at the Penn District, we’ve got Lake Central (5th) and Penn (9th) battling it out in the last two performance slots, while great bands like Chesterton, Elkhart Central and LaPorte duke it out for 3rd.
 
With the Southport District moving this year, Center Grove (7th) heads to the Columbus East District, where they’ll meet up with Columbus North (12th) and Jeffersonville. And continuing further south, Castle (8th) will do their best to represent Class A at Jasper, while back up north at Lewis Cass, Lafayette Jefferson (11th) will be looking for their strongest performance yet.

We hope to see many of you out there this weekend at one of the ISSMA District sites. Best of luck to all the bands competing, and go out there and leave it all on the field!