Bluecoats lead the pack at World Championship Prelims

INDIANAPOLIS — Bluecoats have created a fair amount of change this season, but one thing has remained the same — the corps’ position at the top of the leaderboard. 

Thursday night at the DCI World Championship Prelims presented Band Today, the Canton, Ohio corps added yet another win to its 2024 unbeaten streak, and earned its first Prelims victory in five years. 

“Tonight’s run was amazing,” Bluecoats drum major Tony Gamez said. “I think the Bluecoats have just gotten used to making greatness, and it just gets more consistent, which is all we can ask for.” 

 

1. Bluecoats » 97.525
2. Boston Crusaders » 96.600
3. Blue Devils » 95.875
4. Carolina Crown » 94.313
5. Phantom Regiment » 94.275

Bluecoats’ substantial lead of 0.925 points over the field was comparable to its advantage at recent events. The Canton, Ohio corps held a substantial advantage in General Effect (+0.65), while also topping the charts in Total Music and Total Visual. 

In second place, Boston Crusaders scored ahead of third-place Blue Devils in all captions, while ranking first in Visual Proficiency, Color Guard and Percussion. 

After finishing behind Regiment by slim margins in the two corps’ last three head-to-head meetings, Carolina Crown pushed ahead of the Rockford, Illinois corps by a slim margin of 0.038 points. 

While Phantom Regiment ranked as high as fourth in General Effect, Music Analysis and Visual Proficiency, Crown led Regiment in Total Music and Total Visual. 

“Tonight’s run was fantastic,” Carolina Crown drum major Hudson Scott said. “It had a lot of energy.”

 

6. Santa Clara Vanguard » 93.000
7. Mandarins » 91.225
8. Blue Stars » 90.550
9. Colts » 89.350
10. The Cavaliers » 88.212
11. Troopers » 87.963

In their first performance at Lucas Oil Stadium since 2022, Santa Clara Vanguard posted a sixth-place finish, holding off Mandarins by nearly two points. The Bay Area corps impressively took third in Percussion.

“It feels amazing to be back at Lucas Oil,” Vanguard drum major Maddy Heintz said. “Our corps director, Gio Basante, would tell us during the offseason how in 2023, she would picture every single location and think about what it would be like to have Vanguard on the field again, and the fact that we are finally here is just amazing.” 

Blue Stars eclipsed 90 points for the first time this season, ranking eighth in Thursday’s Prelims lineup while outscoring Mandarins in Brass. In comparison, the La Crosse, Wisconsin corps — celebrating its 60th anniversary — took 11th a year ago. 

“Tonight’s run was absolutely electric,” Blue Stars drum major Mattie Kleepsies said. “We put so much work into this show, and I really feel like the work we put in showed up on the field tonight.” 

Colts, however, owned a significant lead of more than a point over The Cavaliers, with sights set on a second-consecutive ninth-place finish. 

The Cavaliers narrowly held off Troopers Thursday by a slim margin of just over two tenths of a point. Nearly all of the Rosemont, Illinois corps’ lead came in the Visual caption. Troopers, though, outscored The Cavaliers in General Effect, and outscored Colts and The Cavaliers in Total Music, while scoring an impressive seventh place in percussion.

“Tonight’s run was absolutely outstanding,” Troopers drum major Tarek Murray said. “We’ve been waiting for this day for so long, just to finally be with the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd. There are no words to describe.” 

 

12. Madison Scouts » 86.575
13. Pacific Crest » 84.988
14. Blue Knights » 84.813
15. Crossmen » 84.525
16. Spirit of Atlanta » 82.675

Sitting in the coveted 12th-place finalist position, Madison Scouts enjoyed a substantial cushion ahead of the rest of the pack, leading the 13th-place Pacific Crest by more than a point and a half. The Wisconsin corps is seeking its first Top 12 finish since 2017.

Two of the night’s most closely-contested corps, Blue Knights and Pacific Crest, battled it out for 13th place and were separated by just 0.175 points. The southern California corps ranked ahead of its Colorado-based counterpart in Total Visual, and posted an 11th-place finish in Color Guard, but Blue Knights’ General Effect and Music scores kept things close. 

Pacific Crest is looking to match or exceed its 2023 output of 14th place, which currently stands as its all-time best, alongside the corps’ 2019 season. 

“I thought tonight’s run was awesome,” Pacific Crest drum major Bridgit Barragy said. “They brought a lot of energy, and it looked like the corps was enjoying themselves, which is all I can ask for.” 

Not far behind Blue Knights and Pacific Crest, Crossmen rounded out the Top 15, and finished ahead of those same two corps in General Effect 2.

Spirit of Atlanta fended off The Academy by just under a point; Brass was an especially strong caption for the Georgia corps, who ranked ahead of Crossmen in the caption. 

“This is a very special stadium,” Spirit of Atlanta drum major Morgan Nash said. “The corps is just taking in the moment. I always enjoy turning around at the end and knowing that we entertained the crowd.” 

 

17. The Academy » 81.775
18. Music City » 81.550
19. Spartans » 81.038
20. Blue Devils B » 80.600

In one of the season’s closer races to date, The Academy edged out Music City for 17th place by just 0.225 points. Between the two, the Arizona corps owned leads in Visual and Music overall. Music City finished ahead in General Effect, Brass and Music Analysis.

The recently-crowned 2024 Open Class champions, Spartans finished just behind Music City, while ranking an impressive 17th in overall Visual. A 19th-place finish would match Spartans’ all-time best under the current competitive format, also earned in 2019 and 2023. 

Blue Devils B kept in close striking distance of the Nashua, New Hampshire corps, and ranked ahead in Music overall. 

 

21. Genesis » 78.375
22. Gold » 77.525
23. Seattle Cascades » 77.225
24. Jersey Surf » 75.813
25. The Battalion » 75.350
26. Columbians » 75.200

More than two points behind Blue Devils B, Genesis finished 21st at Thursday’s event. Gold, which landed in 22nd place, outscored Genesis in the Music caption. 

Seattle Cascades and Jersey Surf both locked up trips to the Semifinals, finishing in 23rd and 24th, respectively. While Jersey Surf outscored Cascades in Color Guard, the Washington corps scored ahead of Gold in General Effect. 

“Today’s run was absolutely perfect,” Seattle Cascades drum major Zoe Arampul said. “It could not have been better.” 

The Battalion clinched its trip to Friday’s event largely on the wings of strong Music scores. The Utah corps scored behind Columbians in General Effect and Total Visual, but its percussion score ranked an impressive 23rd overall. 

Third time’s the charm for Semifinals-bound Battalion

While the corps’ sophomore trip to the DCI World Championships fell just 0.15 points shy of a Top 25 appearance, Columbians posted an impressive final score of 75.200 in now-familiar confines. Columbians also scored ahead of The Battalion and Jersey Surf in Visual Analysis. 

“It was like coming home,” Columbians drum major Colby Muchlinski said. “Last year was our first year here. But this year, I walked out onto the field and I went, ‘This is where we belong.’ This is where the Columbians need to be.” 

 

27. River City Rhythm » 74.075
28. Raiders » 71.300
29. Colt Cadets » 70.500
30. 7th Regiment » 68.800
31. Les Stentors » 66.075

River City Rhythm finished in 27th place at Thursday's event, improving upon its 2023 score by 2.9 points while outscoring Columbians and Jersey Surf in Percussion. 

“Today’s run was great,” River City Rhythm drum major Haley Herem said. “It was everything I could’ve asked for and more. The corps just brought it and left it all on the field.” 

Raiders continued their strongest competitive season Thursday in Indianapolis, leaping three spots from the corps’ 2023 finish to 28th place. 

While the 29th-place Colt Cadets scored ahead of Raiders in Total Visual and Percussion, the New Jersey corps maintained a slim lead thanks to strong General Effect scores. The Iowa corps also improved its final score from 2023 by more than three points. 

7th Regiment landed in 30th place, and fended off 31st-place Les Stentors by a margin of 2.725 points to round out Thursday’s leaderboard. The Canadian corps improved its Prelims score by just over half a point from the same event a year ago. 

The Top 25 corps from Thursday’s event will return to Lucas Oil Stadium for the DCI World Championship Semifinals, starting Friday at 1:45pm. 

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