Southwest Championships (San Antonio)

Bluecoats - 87.063 Carolina Crown - 86.788 Blue Devils - 86.350 Santa Clara Vanguard - 84.375 The Cadets - 83.463 The Cavaliers - 83.138 Phantom Regiment - 80.538 Blue Knights - 80.000 Blue Stars - 79.438 Crossmen - 77.338 Madison Scouts - 77.075 The Academy - 75.525 Boston Crusaders - 74.838 Troopers - 73.513 Colts - 72.113 Mandarins - 70.875 Oregon Crusaders - 69.600 Spirit of Atlanta - 68.988 Pacific Crest - 66.875 Cascades - 64.075 Jersey Surf - 62.700

Click Here for Recap ----- Genesis - 64.95 Guardians - 57.95 Louisiana Stars - 57.900

Click Here for Recap

Every competition has its moments that make it a fantastic night to remember for both performers and audience members alike. San Antonio makes no difference here, as heads turned towards the Bluecoats, as they left last night nearly a point ahead of Carolina Crown, yet stood atop both Crown and Blue Devils for a first place finish. It's the first time this season that twenty one out of twenty two world class corps had competed fully against each other, giving a more reliable score placement just based on seeing them together once again as we lead out of mid season and nearing to the beginning of August. It was a night that shattered expectations, and lead many fans that had witnessed the show to be in awe and amazement, knowing that they have seen so many corps filled with dedicated and passionate individuals that make drum corps the way it is today.

In the Open Class front, Genesis had been leading a good portion of the Open Class circuit for quite some time now until a few days ago in which Blue Devils B jumped back on top. However, since they were not present at San Antonio, in which three open class corps were present, we can't be entirely sure how much they've improved since the 17th. Yet, Genesis won't take that lightly, as they're now 0.05 away from tying with BDB's previous score. Could Genesis and Blue Devils B have a new contested rivalry that Blue Devils B and Vanguard Cadets had held for so long? Until we see Genesis and BDB compete against each other again, we won't be entirely for sure. It should also be noted how well Guardians have placed considering that they entered into the season fairly late and have left them 9th in the standings, and a 2nd place finish out of three last night. As for Louisiana Stars, they've continually pushed forward more and more, as every season they've competed in has left them around the 10th place margin, yet with how close their scores are to Guardians and Columbians, and how they jumped three points from the 16th to the 23rd, it can interesting to see how much they'll jump again when they come into contact with Gold and Music City soon, as those two corps haven't performed since the 16th/17th as well.

On to world class, Bluecoats, Carolina Crown, and Blue Devils have had their share of a rivalry for the past two years, and this year makes no exception, as throughout the season these three corps have fluctuated positions more times than a Mackey Trombone concerto. And yet last night, did Bluecoats push forward again from their momentary second place standings at Warrensburg and Denton, and jump nearly an entire point ahead in a one day span from their previous performance at Houston, before taking first again in San Antonio. Let's not stop the love for Crown and BD however, as they've made a consistent stand within the top three, with Blue Devils maintaining a first place lead from Fresno to Bentonville in their tour circuit as Bluecoats had did in their own circuit. And I've always had a personal spot for Crown in my love for drum corps, so it's no surprise that they would have a nice first place streak of their own from early to mid July, and then start pushing the scale around once they met their match in the 80's scoring range.

But nothing makes for more excite-filled wonder than the wild card that is The Cavaliers. Last season they were plagued with sickness at the end of the season, having them score not as strongly as they had hoped for. And yet, the Cavies are back as they've jumped back and forth and surged straight into the top seven, giving The Cadets and Santa Clara Vanguard a run. While the top three clash against each other, the top 4th, 5th, and 6th place currently are as well being highly contested, as SCV catches up to Blue Devils with more consistent scores, yet knowing the will power and velocity that The Cadets hold, there's no telling what can happen as we lead into the near end of this season.