BOA Shenandoah Preview
This weekend, we have the first of two regionals in the Houston area. This show takes place in Conroe ISD’s Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, TX. BOA initially planned the Houston regional split for the 2020 season before COVID-19 had its way with the activity, so 2021 was the first year we saw the two separate regionals.
While many of the best Houston bands are here, some will attend the West Houston Regional next week or, in some instances, both regionals. On top of the Houston-area bands, we have a few bands coming from other areas of Texas, such as Bryan or DFW. Here is the schedule for the contest this weekend:
(All Times CT)
8:30 AM - James Earl Rudder (TX)
8:45 AM - Grand Oaks (TX)*
9:00 AM - Jordan (TX)
9:15 AM - Dawson (TX)*
9:30 AM - Cypress Falls (TX)
BREAK
10:15 AM - Conroe (TX)
10:30 AM - Clear Brook (TX)
10:45 AM - Cy-Fair (TX)*
11:00 AM - James Martin (TX)
11:15 AM - College Park (TX)*
BREAK
12:15 PM - Oak Ridge (TX)*
12:30 PM - Bridgeland (TX)*
12:45 PM - Klein Oak (TX)*
1:00 PM - Stephen F. Austin (TX)*
1:15 PM - Wylie East (TX)*
1:30 PM - Obra D. Tompkins (TX)
BREAK
2:15 PM - #11 The Woodlands (TX)*
2:30 PM - James E. Taylor (TX)*
2:45 PM - Clear Falls (TX)
3:00 PM - Friendswood (TX)
3:15 PM - Clements (TX)
3:30 PM - Magnolia (TX)*
3:45 PM - Pearland (TX)*
* Denotes returning group
The first band of the day is a new face to BOA making the trip down from Bryan, James Earl Rudder, who is coming off fresh from a director change. Later in the block, the newest Katy ISD school, Jordan, will also be making their BOA premiere, and going off of football footage could easily surprise some people with a finals appearance. A more familiar name takes the field next in Dawson, who is a returning finalist and consistently one of the best playing bands in the area. Finally, Cypress Falls finishes the block off as one of the bands who will be in the finals bubble.
Clear Brook performs in the second block not as a returning finalist for this regional but as a finalist from last year’s West Houston Regional instead. Cy-Fair was a finalist at both Houston regionals last year and is one of the most consistent finalists in the area. James Martin is the first of two DFW bands making the trip down to this regional and was most notably two spots shy of being a Super Regional Finalist at St. Louis last year. The last band in the block is College Park, who could potentially find their way back into the finals mix with a strong performance.
Starting off the third block is Oak Ridge, who had a disappointing finish here last year but improved as the season progressed, so they will be looking to improve on last year’s performance to prepare for their trip to the St. Louis Super Regional. Bridgeland placed in the top 12 here last year. They did not perform in finals due to a scheduling conflict; however, this year, they plan to go to finals if they qualify. Klein Oak is looking to have another solid start to their season as they did at this regional last year when they took home the bronze medal. Stephen F. Austin should see a considerable boost in placements with their old director from their 2007 and 2010 Grand Nationals Finals years returning to the program this year. Wylie East is making the trek to this regional from DFW this year after they had a strong top-five finish here last year. The last band in the block is Obra D. Tompkins, who has yet to make finals at any BOA Houston event but has been close many times.
Kicking off the last block is defending champion, #11 The Woodlands, who are opting for this slot instead of the final one (as defending champions usually take), likely to give the band more downtime between prelims and finals. Despite their staff changes, The Woodlands are the favorites to take the contest again this year. James E. Taylor is next up as a returning finalist from 2021 and is another of the consistent BOA finalists in the area. Later in the block is Friendswood, a 5A State Finalist, so they should also be competitive for a top 12 spot here. Clements is making their first BOA appearance since the 2015 Atlanta Super Regional, where they made finals, now with an entirely new staff. The last band of the day is Pearland, the only Houston band outside of The Woodlands to have made BOA San Antonio finals since 2017, so they will probably comfortably be in finals here.
With the Houston area now split into two BOA contests, we get to see more of these programs in the finals spotlight. The bands in this area are more turbulent than those of Austin or DFW, so it is always exciting to see who makes finals and how those bands continue their season from that point forward.
Aaron Blackley is one of the original contributors for General Effect Media. Despite being young and fresh out of college, he has a vast knowledge and passion for the marching arts and has worked alongside the likes of HornRank as a ranker and moderator as well as the TxBands.com liveblog team since summer 2021. He can be found on Twitter as @GEMAaronB.