UIL 2A/4A Area Preview
Tomorrow is the day band students and fans alike have been waiting for all season, the day we find out who is going to the UIL State Marching Contest. The competition this weekend is scaled to be appropriately sized for Texas, and you know what they say: Everything is bigger in Texas. Across all three classifications going to State this year (2A, 4A, and 6A), there are 19 contests, each with five judges and a hoard of hungry band programs hoping to end their season between November 7th and 9th in the Alamodome. Only a fraction of how many started on this path this season at UIL Region will make it, and then only a handful will make State Finals. We kick off this absolute gauntlet of competition with 2A and 4A, each having five Areas made up of the same Regions.
Going in alphabetical order, we naturally start at Area A in West Texas. Shotwell Stadium in Abilene hosts the 4A contest, where the most prominent players and most likely state qualifiers will be the three schools in Canyon ISD: Canyon (TX), Randall (TX), and the newest one, West Plains (TX). However, these groups may face resistance from historic competitors Hereford (TX), Andrews (TX), and Big Spring (TX), as well as up-and-coming Pampa (TX) and Riverside (TX). With programs stretching from El Paso to Amarillo, this contest covers more geographical areas than any other UIL competition other than State. Further north at Lowrey Field in Lubbock, 2A is taking place and features regular State Finalists Sundown (TX) and Plains (TX) with solid competition from Forsan (TX), New Deal (TX), and Post (TX).
Next, we head towards the Metroplex with Area B, starting with the 2A contest in Mineral Wells, with only nine bands competing. Honey Grove (TX) is the clear favorite here, but bands such as Santo (TX), Seymour (TX), and Anson (TX) will be in the running with each other to qualify for the final two State spots. 4A Area B, held at C.H. Collins Stadium in Denton, is one of those contests where a band that could make State might miss Area Finals altogether, even with powerhouses Argyle (TX) and Melissa (TX) moved up to 5A. The remaining State Finalists from the Area are Canton (TX) and Anna (TX), who are the clear favorites. Meanwhile, Krum (TX), Celina (TX), and Sunnyvale (TX) are proving that they want to be considered for State this year, too, along with more established groups like Wills Point (TX). Finally, throw in the wild card of Panther Creek (TX), the newest Frisco school with a solid first-year start, and you’ve got a bloodbath.
Moving into East Texas, both 2A and 4A Area C contests are held in Lindale at the school district’s indoor stadium. At the 4A contest, you have established bands such as North Lamar (TX) and Lumberton (TX) competing with many groups trying to prove that they deserve those last three State spots. Some of these groups include other Beaumont area bands like Bridge City (TX) and Little Cypress-Mauriceville (TX), as well as Texarkana’s Pleasant Grove (TX) and Liberty-Eylau (TX). In addition, bands from even further stretched across the Area, including Splendora (TX), Paris (TX), and the newest addition to the Area, Sulphur Springs (TX), are all in for the chance to make State here. Even though there are only nine bands in 2A at this Area, there is still much to look out for, with defending 2A State Champion Tenaha (TX) going up against a rebuilding former 2A State Champion in Clarksville (TX).
Moving back west into Central Texas, we start with 2A at the Bastrop Memorial Stadium in Cedar Creek. Last year, this contest was absurdly close, with the top five being within five ordinals of each other, including a tiebreaker for the fourth and final State spot. Three of the four State Qualifiers from this Area went on to make State Finals: Harper (TX), Weimar (TX), and Silver Medalist Shiner (TX). Also in the mix for State Qualifications are San Saba (TX), Thorndale (TX), Holland (TX), and finally, 2019 2A State Champion Valley Mills (TX). 4A, held at Liberty Hill High School, is similarly competitive, down from six State spots last year to just five. Your ever-present competitors here, Burnet (TX), China Spring (TX), Fredericksburg (TX), Kennedale (TX), and Springtown (TX), have all been State Finalists in recent history. However, it is quite possible some of these groups do not even make it to State thanks to bands like Alvarado (TX), Jarrell (TX), and Gatesville (TX) on the rise. Also capable of making waves here are bands like Castleberry (TX), Godley (TX), and Taylor (TX).
Finally, we end in Area E, which ironically consists of the largest and shortest contests in this article. 4A Area E at the Phil Danaher Stadium in Corpus Christi is the largest, with 32 bands in attendance. Calallen (TX), Hidalgo Early College (TX), and Grulla (TX) are the most prominent names here, but with four more State spots to fill, things get a little crazy after that. Alice (TX), Navarro (TX), La Feria (TX), and Needville (TX) are the most likely bands to fill in those spots if you go off of last year’s results, but that is nowhere near settled. Port Isabel (TX) will be looking to reclaim one of the State spots after missing the cut for the first time in over twenty years in 2021. Floresville (TX) dropping down from 5A will add even more depth to this contest alongside one of the new Comal ISD schools Davenport (TX), which, despite its size, is quickly becoming one of the strong bands in their district.
At the end of the day, we’ll have 23 4A bands and 17 2A bands chosen to advance to the State Marching Contest. Ten of the 4A groups and seven of the 2A groups will end up being named State Finalists, and only one from each class will be champion. So that wraps up the 2A and 4A Area contests. Stay tuned later today for the 6A preview!
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.