STANFORD, California — The Blue Devils extended their undefeated streak through six events on Sunday night, putting up the highest score to date on the 2023 DCI Tour while continuing to defend their ‘22 World Championship title.
A dozen performing groups spanning three competitive divisions took the field for DCI West at Stanford Stadium, which is annually one of the biggest West Coast events of the Drum Corps International Tour.
“It’s just such a great place to be,” Blue Devils tuba player Connor Carbonell said about pulling off a win on the corps’ Northern California turf. “We could really feel the crowd giving off energy, and we fed off that. It was a great run.”
1. Blue Devils » 85.150
2. Mandarins » 79.200
Finishing nearly six points ahead of the nearest competition, the Blue Devils placed first in every scoring caption. The corps improved by more than a point from the day before in Pasadena, which also stood as the high bar to beat for all corps.
Mandarins earned a score of 79.200, finishing second place overall with second-place marks in every caption and subcaption on the judges’ sheets.
3. Blue Knights » 73.525
4. Pacific Crest » 72.350
5. The Academy » 72.000
Blue Knights finished in third place with a score of 73.525. Finishing as low as fifth in color guard and percussion, the Denver corps still managed to hold onto third place in the visual and music captions overall.
Moving up the leaderboard into fourth place was Pacific Crest with a score of 72.350. The City of Industry, California corps placed ahead of The Academy for the first time this season just one night after tying with the Arizona corps at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.
“I think the corps put in a lot of effort this week and it definitely showed up tonight,” Pacific Crest drum major Bridget Barragy said.
Pacific Crest showed strong marks in the color guard and percussion captions, both of which finished in third place. In the visual caption overall, Pacific Crest finished just .075 points behind the Blue Knights.
Rounding out the World Class competition was The Academy with a score of 72.000. The Arizona corps finished third in visual proficiency and tied Pacific Crest in general effect.
1. Blue Devils B » 68.900
2. Gold » 66.600
As the corps has done each year since 2016, Blue Devils B once again earned top marks at the Stanford event. This also marks the third time during the 2023 season the corps has landed atop the leaderboard.
With a score of 68.900, Blue Devils B swept every caption and impressively scored 6.35 points higher than it did at the same event in 2022. The Concord, California corps also widened its lead over Gold from previous meetings, finishing Sunday night with an advantage of 2.3 points.
That’s nearly a one point jump from the last time these two corps met — July 7 in Pasadena, California.
“That run was stellar,” Blue Devils B drum major Mason Kahn said after Sunday night’s performance. “I felt the energy. I felt the commitment to everything that we’ve rehearsed.”
Following Blue Devils B was Gold. The San Diego corps placed second overall and in every scoring caption except percussion, where it placed third.
3. Golden Empire » 62.350
4. Impulse » 59.950
4. Vessel » 59.950
6. Blue Devils C » 55.450
Placing third in the Open Class division at Stanford Stadium was Golden Empire. With a score of 62.350, the Bakersfield, California corps finished ahead of Gold in the percussion caption.
“We’re slowly improving as the season goes by and I’m so proud,” Golden Empire drum major Megan Webster said. “Each and every member continues to improve. I’m really excited about our show and what more we can do with it.”
Impulse and Vessel finished Sunday night’s event in a tie for fourth place with a score of 59.950. Vessel finished ahead of Golden Empire in the visual analysis caption while Impulse finished third in the color guard caption. Vessel also finished ahead of Impulse in the music captions.
Rounding out the Open Class competition was Blue Devils C with a score of 55.450.
Sunday night’s event featured a quartet of California SoundSport teams. Alisal Community Arts Network Marching Band and Alisal Union School District All-Star Academy were joined by Freelancers Alumni Corps and Spirit of Sunnyvale.
With all of the performing SoundSport groups having connections to the state of California, the Stanford event provides the group several opportunities to connect with the local Bay Area community.
“It’s really nice to have the drum corps family together,” Freelancers drum major Paul Zimmy said. “During COVID, we didn’t have that for awhile, so it’s nice to have it all back.”
10 of the 11 competing corps will head to Roseville, California for the DCI Capital Classic on July 10. That event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. PT. Vessel will be back in action on July 11 at Resound in Bakersfield, California.