Top 30 Rankings — Oct. 16, 2018 (Week 5)

For the first half of this season, and the latter portion of last season, a single band has held the no. 1 position in the rankings captive. This week, Tarpon Springs jumped Carmel to claim the top position for the first time in just over two years.

Tarpon Springs performs in prelims at the Orlando Regional on Oct. 13, 2018, at Camping World Stadium. The band was named regional champion. // Photo courtesy of Tarpon Springs Conservatory, used by permission.

Tarpon was named regional champion at the Orlando Regional Saturday night, and has been steadily climbing in the rankings as more and more information about and videos of their 2018 program have leaked out. RP1, clearly based on the recent film Ready Player One, is one of the most innovative show concepts we've seen in years. Their use of large screens, while not completely unprecedented in the marching arts both indoor and outdoor, has never been incorporated into a show quite like this. Not to mention the ability to vote on which character will win, giving the audience the ability to directly impact the show. Also as a result of the Orlando Regional, Park Vista returned to the rankings in a strong 20th position and Stoneman Douglas earned a nod in the Next 10.

Carmel and Avon have scooched a wee bit closer to each other following their performances at ISSMA Regionals. While these results should certainly be taken with a grain of salt — much like UIL, ISSMA tends to favor different aspects of a marching band performance than BOA does — it does indicate that perhaps Carmel isn't the guaranteed victor of the season that some thought they would be.

Wando and Dobyns-Bennett's placements remained mostly consistent, with each band sliding up just one spot after their first and second-place finishes in Gaffney, South Carolina. The two bands were separated by less than a point, just tenths of a point if you don't include DB's penalty. These are two bands to watch as the season continues. They'll go head-to-head again at Grand Nats, where DB will certainly be looking to overtake their Southeastern competitor. It wouldn't be the first time for DB to mount a bit of a comeback. Last year, in Winston-Salem, the band lost to Fort Mill in regional competition before setting a school record high sixth-place at Grand Nats.

The previous week's rankings are in parenthesis. Read about how we determine rankings.

Next 10, in alphabetical order: American Fork (UT), Ayala (CA), Castle (IN), Center Grove (IN), Centerville (OH), Cy-Fair (TX), Oak Ridge (TX), Seven Lakes (TX), Stoneman Douglas (FL), and Vista Murrieta (CA).

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