2017 Canton Regional


Prelims Results
(View full recap here)

Class A
1. North East H.S., PA
2. Licking Valley H.S., OH
Music: North East H.S., PA
Visual: North East H.S., PA
GE: North East H.S., PA

Class AA
1. Moon Area H.S., PA
2. Turpin H.S., OH
3. Nordonia H.S., OH
Music: Moon Area H.S., PA
Visual: Moon Area H.S., PA
GE: Moon Area H.S., PA

Class AAA
1. Dublin Coffman H.S., OH
2. Central Crossing H.S., OH
3. Hilliard Bradley H.S., OH
Music: Dublin Coffman H.S., OH
Visual: Dublin Coffman H.S., OH
GE: Dublin Coffman H.S., OH

Class AAAA
1. Avon H.S., IN
2. Lockport Township H.S., IL
Music: Avon H.S., IN
Visual: Avon H.S., IN
GE: Avon H.S., IN

Finals Results
(View full recap here)

1. (76.10) Avon H.S., IN
2. (74.05) Lockport Township H.S., IL
3. (70.75) Dublin Coffman H.S., OH
4. (68.00) Moon Area H.S., PA
5. (67.15) Central Crossing H.S., OH
6. (66.00) Hilliard Bradley H.S., OH
7. (63.10) Nordonia H.S., OH
8. (62.00) Turpin H.S., OH
9. (58.30) North East H.S., PA
10. (57.40) Gateway H.S., PA
11. (56.55) New Philadelphia H.S., OH
12. (55.95) Licking Valley, OH
13. (53.50) Firestone H.S., OH

Music: Avon H.S., IN
Visual: Avon H.S., IN
GE: Avon H.S., IN

Returning 2016 Finalists (4):
2. Moon Area H.S., PA
9. Gateway H.S., PA
11. Licking Valley H.S., OH
12. North East H.S., PA

Previous Champions:
2016: Norwin H.S., PA
2015: Kiski Area H.S., PA
2014: Kiski Area H.S., PA
2013: Norwin H.S., PA
2012: Norwin H.S., PA
2011: Norwin H.S., PA

States Represented (5):
Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

The 2017 Canton, Ohio, Regional was held Sept. 16 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Perennial national finalist Avon swept the competition in prelims and finals, despite earning a 1 point timing penalty each round.

Pre-competition Analysis
For the first time in eight years, there will be no opening weekend regional in Pennsylvania. Instead, we get the Canton Regional, which more or less replaces the Monroeville competition from last year, as it will feature many of the same bands.

Avon (IN) performs at the Grand National Championships on Nov. 12, 2016, at Lucas Oil Stadium. // Photo by Jeremiah Wooten
Monroeville was one of the closest competitions last season, with the top four bands separated by just 0.60 points. There will likely be less parity this year, with one of the giants of the marching world making the trip, however, the regional still promises some interesting competition after the first spot. All 14 bands will perform in finals, same as last year, but we’re just going to predict the top 10 for tradition’s sake.

First place needs no explanation, it’s Avon. It is the first week of the season, however, so it is possible Lockport Township, fresh off a trip to semifinals last year, and Moon Area, an exciting up-and-coming band, make this closer than it seems like it should be. Regardless of the scores, those two bands should round out the top three with ease.

Fourth and fifth will likely be taken by Central Crossing and Dublin Coffman. Both have scored similarly the past couple years, but Dublin Coffman seems to start slow and finish strong most years, so we’ll give the edge to Central Crossing. At sixth we have Nordonia, a band we were high on (“we” meaning Jakob) going into last season that didn’t quite live up to our lofty expectations. Don’t be surprised if they crack top five. Hilliard Bradley returns to the BOA circuit after a three year hiatus, making them hard to predict, but we have them at seventh.

Eighth through 10th, and realistically all the way to 14th, are tough to predict, with several wildcards in the mix. We like Gateway, Turpin, and Licking Valley to round out the top ten, but anything could happen.

Predictions
1. Avon H.S., IN
2. Lockport Township H.S., IL
3. Moon Area H.S., PA
4. Central Crossing H.S., OH
5. Dublin Coffman H.S., OH
6. Nordonia H.S., OH
7. Hilliard Bradley H.S., OH
8. Gateway H.S., PA
9. Turpin H.S., OH
10. Licking Valley H.S., OH

Adjudication Panel
Music: Levi Chavis, Mark Hoskins, Albert Lo, and Dan Morrison.
Visual: Scott Beck, Michael Gray, and Jim Sturgeon.
Chief: Gary Markham.