Madison Scouts are Finals bound after volatile Semifinals competition

INDIANAPOLIS — Throughout the summer, the annual chase for a spot in the DCI World Championship Finals has been closely-contested. 

All along the way, though, the pack has largely been led by one name — Madison Scouts.

After positioning itself in 12th place midway through the season, the Wisconsin corps never relented, and rode the momentum of an energetic production to the corps’ first Finals appearance since 2017.

View all scores from the DCI World Championshp Semifinals

“This is my home,” Madison Scouts Paige Shumney said, after Madison Scouts’ Friday night performance at the DCI World Championship Semifinals. “The thought of making Finals is beautiful.” 

Ultimately, the competitive status of a 12th-place finish is a major accomplishment for the WIsconsin corps, which has only missed out on the Top 12 eight times in DCI’s 52-year history. 

But as Shumeny noted, the best part of her corps’ result is the opportunity for one last shared performance. 

“It’s more time to spend together,” Shumney said. “We love each other very much, and this is our family away from our homes, so this is just another opportunity to be together.”

 

1. Bluecoats » 97.925
2. Boston Crusaders » 97.000
3. Blue Devils » 96.550
4. Phantom Regiment » 95.325
5. Carolina Crown » 94.750
6. Santa Clara Vanguard » 93.463

Bluecoats carried the corps’ undefeated season into its final day with a score of 97.925. The Canton, Ohio corps led the Semifinals field by just under a point, earning top scores in General Effect, Total Visual, Total Music and Brass. 

“What more can I ask for than an amazing Semifinals run,” Bluecoats drum major Tony Gamez said. “I believe the energy we had tonight will carry into Saturday’s run, so we’re ready to go.” 

The gap between Boston Crusaders and Blue Devils grew smaller from Thursday to Friday. While the Massachusetts corps maintained second place thanks especially to its strong General Effect scores and first-place Color Guard scores, Blue Devils outscored Boston in Brass and Total Visual. 

Phantom Regiment regained an advantage over Carolina Crown after falling behind the South Carolina corps by 0.038 points Thursday. While Crown owned leads over Regiment in Total Music and Color Guard, the Rockford, Illinois corps posted advantages in General Effect and Total Visual. 

While its advantage over Mandarins slimmed from Thursday’s Prelims, Santa Clara Vanguard maintained its sixth-place position by a margin of 0.938 points. Vanguard also ranked first in Percussion. 

“Everyone is so excited to be here,” Vanguard drum major Maddy Heintz said. “I think the energy from the crowd is helping us get excited as well.” 

 

7. Mandarins » 92.525
8. Blue Stars » 91.500
9. Colts » 90.175
10. Troopers » 88.800
11. The Cavaliers » 88.525
12. Madison Scouts » 88.075

Mandarins maintained an advantage over Blue Stars Friday, widening the distance between the corps from Thursday. While Blue Stars scored an impressive fifth place Color Guard, the Sacramento, California owned leads in all three major scoring captions.

“I think tonight’s run was better than Thursday’s run, and our run on Thursday was our best one yet,” Mandarins drum major Maya McBrayer said. “We’re doing our job, we’re kicking butt and we’re ready to finish the season.” 

Colts maintained a substantial scoring cushion in ninth place, outscoring Troopers by 1.325 points. The Dubuque, Iowa corps also scored ahead of Blue Stars in Percussion.

A ninth-place finish would match Colts’ 2023 placement, the corps’ all-time best.

“Tonight’s run was exhilarating,” Colts drum major Carissa Blumka said. “You can tell that everyone on the field is feeling at home with this show and this performance.”

Less than a point separated 10th, 11th, and 12th place — a group that shuffled order heading into Saturday’s Finals. 

Troopers jumped into the Top 10 — and placed seventh in Percussion and eighth in Total Music — moving ahead of The Cavaliers from Thursday’s results. The Rosemont, Illinois corps defeated Troopers in Color Guard, and took eighth in Percussion. 

Madison Scouts earned a coveted spot in Saturday’s Top 12, and finished ahead of both Troopers and The Cavaliers in Total Visual. 

 

13. Pacific Crest » 86.350
14. Blue Knights » 85.600
15. Crossmen » 84.875
16. Spirit of Atlanta » 83.875

After leading the Blue Knights by just 0.175 points in Thursday’s Prelims, Pacific Crest increased its lead over the Denver corps to 0.65 Friday night. The Southern California also posted an impressive 10th place in Color Guard. 

For Pacific Crest, 2024’s 13th-place finish and final score of 86.350 both stand as all-time bests.

“Today’s run was pretty euphoric,” Pacific Crest drum major Bridgit Barragy said. “It’s been a long road of just putting in hours and hours of work, so it’s nice to get the show where it is at now.” 

Blue Knights checked in at 14th, while outscoring Pacific Crest in Percussion and Visual Proficiency.

“Today’s run was everything we could’ve asked for,” Blue Knights drum major Laynie Metsker said. “If there’s anything the Blue Knights are good at, it’s at being relentless. We’ve been relentless in rehearsal, and we were relentless here. In my eyes, we did our job.” 

In the corps’ 50th-anniversary season, Crossmen rounded out the Top 15 with a score of 84.875, and ranked ahead of Pacific Crest and Blue Knights in Brass.

Spirit of Atlanta completed a successful 2024 season within striking distance of the Top 15, while fending off Music City by a point. The Georgia corps also impressively finished in 12th place in Percussion. 

 

17. Music City » 82.625
18. The Academy » 82.175
19. Spartans » 81.525
20. Blue Devils B » 81.075

After scoring 0.225 points behind The Academy Thursday night, Music City jumped ahead into 17th place at Friday’s Semifinals by 0.45 points. While the Arizona corps ranked ahead of Music City in Color Guard and Music Analysis, the Nashville corps owned a strong lead in General Effect, and scored ahead of Spirit of Atlanta in Brass.  

“As like the title of our show, I think we took everything heavy and all our struggles and laid them out on the field today,” Music City drum major Madelyn Williams said. “I could not be more proud of the corps and what we’ve been doing. I’m just so absolutely blessed and grateful to be working with this group this year.” 

Spartans maintained a slim advantage over Blue Devils B, largely thanks to strong scores in Visual captions. The New Hampshire corps’ 19th-place ranking matches its best ever under the current competitive format. Spartans also earned an impressive 13th place in Visual Proficiency. 

“It was an awesome run,” Spartans drum major Ana Carolina Silva said. “We feel so privileged, excited and happy to be able to perform again, and the energy was there today.” 

Blue Devils B rounded out the top 20 in its first trip to Indianapolis since 2022; the corps improved upon its placement from that season by two spots on the leaderboard. 

 

21. Gold » 77.800
22. Genesis » 77.550
23. Seattle Cascades » 76.075
24. Jersey Surf » 74.425
24. The Battalion » 74.425

Gold surged ahead of Genesis, flipping the two corps’ rankings from Thursday’s Prelims. While Genesis ranked ahead of Gold in General Effect, Gold’s advantages in Total Music and Total Visual made the difference. 

For Genesis, 2024 marked 10-consecutive appearances at the DCI World Championship Semifinals. 

“It’s great to be back here,” Genesis drum major Mason Gould said. “Getting another opportunity to perform is the reason why we do what we do.” 

Jersey Surf and The Battalion landed in a tie for 24th place. For the New Jersey corps, Visual scores were a noticeable strength.

“Today’s run was very strong,” Jersey Surf drum major Hannah Miller said. “I’m glad we’re ending the season on that run.” 

As for The Battalion, which capped off a storybook 10th anniversary season with the corps’ first-ever finals appearance Friday afternoon, the major scoring strength came in the Visual captions. 

“I’m speechless,” Battalion drum major Reece Davis said. “Even getting to be there was such a privilege and an honor, and everyone worked so hard to get to this point. To be able to have 10 more minutes on that field is just mind-blowing and I’m at a loss for words.” 

The Top 12 corps’ from Friday’s Semifinals event will advance to the DCI World Championship Finals kicking off at 5:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.

View the 2024 DCI World Championship Finals lineup and performance times

Stream the 2024 DCI World Championshp Finals

gallery-2024-dci-world-championship-semifinals-indianapolis-in