Drum Corps Map and Daily Rundown

[jmahone]

Looks like the latest rundown missed Cadets' Annapolis score of 87.825, which slots them into 7th behind Cavies.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

20 hours ago, jmahone said:

Looks like the latest rundown missed Cadets' Annapolis score of 87.825, which slots them into 7th behind Cavies.

Thank you! Fixed!

Edited August 2, 2018 by DrumCorpsRadio

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 1, 2018 vs. August 2, 2017

2018

Sometimes really interesting things come up by looking at two years of data at once. On the same night last season, there were several huge score swings. This year, Shadow led the way with the largest increase documented in the three years I have been doing this (12.825). The corps had not competed since July 15. That said, on that previous date, Shadow trailed Colt Cadets by about half a point. This time, Shadow led Colt Cadets by 4.300 points. This is a massive swing. It cannot even be explained away by scoring at that show as every other corps had an increase between 0.350 and 1.600. It seems like Shadow made significant and legitimate progress over the past few weeks.

Scores went up a lot in the other Open Class show with five of six corps seeing increases over two points. When this happens, there is usually an adjustment within a day or two so do not expect all of the placement changes to hold.

Based on the East meets West match-ups in Open Class, it seems that it will be another California year at the top with Vanguard Cadets holding a solid lead. While Blue Devils and Blue Devils B have swept World/Open Class in the past, this would be the first time Santa Clara Vanguard/Vanguard Cadets did the same if both corps held on and won their respective classes.

Last Night's Storylines:

• Bluecoats have defeated Carolina Crown 16 out of 16 times this season, but the margin of victory was narrowest in their last meeting. The margin of victory was a little larger for Bluecoats however Carolina Crown is still within one point.
• After winning the first seven match-ups of the season, The Cavaliers have fallen to the Boston Crusaders in the last two contests. The Cavaliers won by the razor thin margin of 0.050.
• Vanguard Cadets and Spartans match up for the first time this season, #1 and #3 in current Open Class rankings. Vanguard Cadets won this match-up by a margin of 3.350.
• Blue Devils B and Legends match up for the first time this season, #2 and #4 in current Open Class rankings. Blue Devils B won this match-up by a margin of 2.750.

Tonight's Storylines:

• Phantom Regiment has defeated Crossmen 13 out of 13 times this season by an average margin of 1.660 points. Oddly, the last meeting was the tightest (0.887) while the meeting before that was the widest (2.875). A Crossmen victory would bring Phantom Regiment into the discussions of Top 12 vulnerability.
• Spirit of Atlanta had a phenomenal last week of July. The Academy looks to make a move to return to the #13 spot and the Top 12 discussion.

2017

One show was rained out so several storylines remain mysteries for the time being. There were some wild score swings; I'll just highlight those that were 3+ points: Louisiana Stars (9.300), Blue Devils B (4.250), Music City (3.850), Legends (3.000), Colt Cadets (-3.400). On the rankings side of things, Louisiana Stars moved up 8 spots to #27. Blue Devils B and Shadow moved up 4 spots each to #18 and #39 respectively. Colt Cadets lost 6 spots to drop to #40 and Impulse dropped 5 spots to #42.

Last Night's Storylines:

• Boston Crusaders and The Cadets meet up again after a 0.075 margin of victory for Boston Crusaders on July 30. Can The Cadets even up the season record to 5-5?
  • Boston Crusaders won by 1.175.
• Blue Devils B comes out of a few rehearsal days aiming to regain the lead in Open Class. 
  • Although Blue Devils B saw a large score increase (4.250), it was not enough to catch Vanguard Cadets, which won the show by a 0.500 margin.
• Three Open Class corps sitting within 1 point of each other meet up tonight. Who comes out on top? 7th Regiment, Guardians, or Music City?
  • Music City was the clear winner in the group with a 4+ point margin over the other two groups.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 2, 2018 vs. August 3, 2017

2018

Another day, another rainout. There was only one show, but it did have some score movement: The Academy (2.150), Troopers (2.050), Jersey Surf (-1.600) and The Academy moved ahead of Spirit of Atlanta after two shows of reverse finishes. 

Last Night's Storylines:

• Spirit of Atlanta had a phenomenal last week of July. The Academy looks to make a move to return to the #13 spot and the Top 12 discussion. The Academy won the head-to-head match-up by 0.700 points and moves into the #13 spot.

Tonight's Storylines:

• The Top 3 are all in the same night of DCI East. Can Santa Clara Vanguard sweep the regionals?
• Phantom Regiment has won all four head-to-head match-ups with Mandarins with only a 0.100 spread in the last meeting. By score, Mandarins are now ahead. Where will things land tonight?
• Heat Wave returns to action for the first time since July 14 and Golden Empire for the first time since July 21. Can they make Shadow-like improvements in their score and ranking?

2017

There were no large score swings in either of the two shows. The Cavaliers tightened things up in the top 5 and are now only 0.700 points from a medalist spot.

 

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 3, 2018 vs. August 4, 2017

2018

DCI East had a partial rain-out. I included the scores of the corps that performed since they were announced and posted on the DCI website. The interesting action was in Open Class this night. Three corps improved by 2+ points: Heat Wave (6.700), Golden Empire (4.750), and River City Rhythm (3.950). Four corps saw score decreases of 1+ point: Shadow (-3.400), Louisiana Stars (-1.600), 7th Regiment (-1.350), Cascades (-1.275). These adjustments are important as they represent several first time match-ups as the Open Class tours merge on their way to Michigan City. Although the gold medal seems like a two-corps fight between Vanguard Cadets and Blue Devils B, there now appears to be a three-way battle for the bronze among Spartans, Legends, and Gold.

Last Night's Storylines:

• Rained out
• Rained out
• Heat Wave returns to action for the first time since July 14 and Golden Empire for the first time since July 21. Can they make Shadow-like improvements in their score and ranking? Heat Wave improved by 6.700 points and six places in the rankings while Golden Empire improved by 4.750 points and seven places in the rankings.

Tonight's Storylines:

• The ongoing battle between Boston Crusaders and The Cavaliers for the #5 spot is the top story in DCI East night two. The two corps face off for three nights in a row heading into Indianapolis.
• If The Academy or Spirit of Atlanta are going to make a move for finals, tonight is the night with both corps and Crossmen all in competition.
• Can Gold continue to gain on Spartans or even overtake the corps for the #3 ranking?
• River City Rhythm made a big statement last night beating not only Golden Empire but also Louisiana Stars after previously falling to Louisiana Stars three times by by an average score of 3.950. Will it hold tonight or can Golden Empire and/or Louisiana Stars make a move?
• 7th Regiment and Guardians have now traded wins. Who wins the rubber match?

2017

From my vantage point on the 50 yard line in row 17 at J. Birney Crum Stadium, night 1 of DCI East was awesome and it seems to me that placements are where they ought to be. I thought Blue Stars might have been on top of Phantom Regiment and I was not at all surprised to see Colts make a jump relative to Troopers. The two big score increases were in the other show of the night: Colt Cadets (3.250) and Spartans (2.525). Colt Cadets gained 4 spots in the rankings to move to #36.

Last Night's Storylines:

• Phantom Regiment has led Blue Stars in all 5 meetings this season by an average score of 2.295 yet the two corps are just 0.200 points apart in the rankings heading into tonight.
  • Blue Stars are making a push to claim the #9 spot.
• Colts and Troopers continue to battle for the #15 spot.
  • Colts made a strong statement that #15 is going to the corps from Iowa.
• Can Mandarins set up the weekend with a high enough score to be in the mix for a top 12 performance order spot at Prelims?
  • It does not look that way. Madison Scouts would need a pretty decent decrease in score to slot Mandarins into the #12 spot.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 4, 2018 vs. August 5, 2017

2018

Generally speaking, ignore movement changes in World Class. Even when Allentown goes perfectly according to plan, it is challenging to compare scores from night to night (even though this is an official practice of DCI for this show). With the partial rainout and several other rainouts during the week, corps are all over the place. Open Class is also extremely volatile with corps trading spots or even multiple spots on any given night. Outside of Blue Devils B and Vanguard Cadets, there is a great deal of movement happening which should make Monday and Tuesday exciting in Michigan City.

Five corps increased their score by 2+ points: Jersey Surf (2.825), Louisiana Stars (2.750), Shadow (2.350), The Cadets (2.125), and 7th Regiment (2.100). Two corps saw score decreases of 1+ point: Golden Empire (-2.300), and Heat Wave (-1.200).

Last Night's Storylines:

• The ongoing battle between Boston Crusaders and The Cavaliers for the #5 spot is the top story in DCI East night two. The two corps face off for three nights in a row heading into Indianapolis. Boston Crusaders take the first battle by 0.625 points.
• If The Academy or Spirit of Atlanta are going to make a move for finals, tonight is the night with both corps and Crossmen all in competition. Crossmen put some space between it and the #13-14 corps. There's no reason to think the #10 ranking will hold when Mandarins and Phantom Regiment are in action, but the spread of 1.375 over 13th place is pretty strong.
• Can Gold continue to gain on Spartans or even overtake the corps for the #3 ranking? Gold defeated Spartans for the first time in the corps' history by a margin of 1.450 points.
• River City Rhythm made a big statement last night beating not only Golden Empire but also Louisiana Stars after previously falling to Louisiana Stars three times by by an average score of 3.950. Will it hold tonight or can Golden Empire and/or Louisiana Stars make a move? Louisiana Stars reclaimed its spot ahead of both corps while River City Rhythm held its lead over Golden Empire.
• 7th Regiment and Guardians have now traded wins. Who wins the rubber match? 7th Regiment took the third match-up.

Tonight's Storylines:

• Blue Devils margin of victory over Bluecoats was highest at their last meeting on July 29. Both corps have been out of competition for several days now. Can Bluecoats tighten the spread?
• The Cavaliers hold the season advantage over Boston Crusaders 8-3, but Boston has won three of the last four. Tonight is night two of three days in a row head-to-head.
• Blue Knights and Blue Stars have each won one head-to-head match-up this year. Who takes the #8 position into Indianapolis?
• Madison Scouts closed the gap with Colts a bit on Friday night. Can they continue inching towards the Top 15?

2017

The 3 2+ point score increases all came in one show: 7th Regiment (5.250), Music City (4.513), and Southwind (3.550). Les Stentors decreased 5.650 points. The only world class corps to move more than 1 spot in the rankings was Pacific Crest, which dropped from #20 to #23 while not in competition.

Last Night's Storylines:

• The currently ranked #4-#8 are all on tonight. Can The Cavaliers further close the gap with Carolina Crown? Can The Cadets overtake Boston Crusaders and reclaim a spot in the top 6? Will Madison Scouts make a run at Crossmen for #11?
  • The Cavaliers did not close the gap as its score stayed exactly the same from its previous competition.
  • Boston Crusaders increased 0.388 versus The Cadets' improvement of 0.338. 
  • Crossmen expanded its lead over Madison Scouts.
• Then there are the across night questions. Where does Santa Clara Vanguard end up relative to Blue Devils heading to Indianapolis? Are Bluecoats really in medal contention now or will Carolina Crown move up to #3? Crossmen have been beating Blue Stars. If that continues, is there a tight 3-way race for #9? 
  • Santa Clara Vanguard finished 0.513 points behind Blue Devils, slightly closer than the average difference between the two corps but not nearly as close as Santa Clara Vanguard was a week ago.
  • Carolina Crown seems to have the edge.
  • Blue Stars scored higher in Allentown and both Blue Stars and Crossmen seem to be within striking distance of Phantom Regiment. There could be some interesting competition in this grouping.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 5, 2018 vs. August 6, 2017

2018

The only back-and-forth in head-to-head competition was between Boston Crusaders and The Cavaliers. However, there are some interesting spots developing that could play out over finals week. 1) Carolina Crown scored higher than Bluecoats in non head-to-head competition. Almost exactly this time last year Bluecoats began falling from a medal spot. Could it be happening again? 2) The #8-#10 spots are up for grabs. Beyond just making finals, Mandarins may be pushing for #8. 3) Although Madison Scouts seem to have fallen out of the Top 15 discussion, the #13-#15 spots appear to be open for competition. 

Last Night's Storylines:

• Blue Devils margin of victory over Bluecoats was highest at their last meeting on July 29. Both corps have been out of competition for several days now. Can Bluecoats tighten the spread? The gap was slightly smaller (1.150) than it was on July 29, but that is still the second largest spread of the season.
• The Cavaliers hold the season advantage over Boston Crusaders 8-3, but Boston has won three of the last four. Tonight is night two of three days in a row head-to-head. The Cavaliers won night two by 0.050.
• Blue Knights and Blue Stars have each won one head-to-head match-up this year. Who takes the #8 position into Indianapolis? Blue Knights edged Blue Stars by 0.500.
• Madison Scouts closed the gap with Colts a bit on Friday night. Can they continue inching towards the Top 15? No. Colts extended its lead.

Tonight's Storylines:

• Bluecoats have won all 17 competitions versus Carolina Crown this year. Has Crown surged enough to move into the #3 ranking?
• The Cavaliers now lead 9-3 over Boston Crusaders. Who wins the final match-up headed into finals week?
• Blue Knights have won all nine competitions versus Mandarins with last night's gap only 0.800. Can Mandarins make the case for the #8 spot?
• Vanguard Cadets have won the last six (of nine) competitions versus Blue Devils B and come into Open Class prelims as the favorite. After that, it gets very interesting with Legends, Gold, and Spartans all in the running for the #3 spot.

2017

No changes in rankings. Score increases/decreases were very small, just like last year. The most significant change was Genesis going down by 1.175 points. In the medal hunt, Blue Devils had the best night as it opened up its lead over Santa Clara Vanguard ever so slightly. Bluecoats also cut down on the gap with Carolina Crown. Across shows, The Cavaliers gained some ground on Bluecoats as well. 

Last Night's Storylines:

• From my view on the 50-yard-line, it felt like Boston Crusaders were on the rise and The Cavaliers were not at the top of its game last night in Allentown. As the top of the bill tonight, can Boston Crusaders make a case for the top 5?
  • That did not happen at this show and the gap to get up to the top 5 may be too large to overcome at this point.
• Blue Stars are closer to Phantom Regiment than they have been all season. Phantom Regiment has not placed in double digits since 1986. Even at its current position of #9, it would tie as the corps' lowest placement in 3 decades with 2009.
  • Phantom Regiment gained another 0.125 of breathing room.
• Mandarins get a chance to make a statement head-to-head with Madison Scouts. Will Madison Scouts cement its lead or will there be a battle this week to see who will be the last corps standing? (See what I did there?)
  • Madison Scouts opened up its lead in the battle for #12 by another 0.325 points.

Edited August 6, 2018 by DrumCorpsRadio

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 6, 2018 vs. August 7, 2017

2018

Let's start with the final night of regular season World Class competition. Phantom Regiment returned to competition for the first time in five days and put up a 2.800 point increase in score, returning the corps to the Top 8 in ranking. The only head-to-head movement was between Boston Crusaders and The Cavaliers. 

Shadow makes Open Class finals after placing 13th in both 2017 and 2016. Shadow  Golden Empire makes Open Class finals in its first time attending. These two corps replace Music City and Raiders from last year's list of finalists.

Tonight's Storylines:

• If Vanguard Cadets hold on and win, it will be the corps' first back-to-back championships. 
• Gold vs. Legends promises to be a battle for the bronze. They only competed head-to-head once and that was at Prelims where Gold won by a 0.050 point margin. Legends were the bronze medalists in 2017 while this would be Gold's first medal. Gold's highest previous placement is seventh.
• Things are very tight in the #6-#10 spots with just about two points separating five corps. Based on results over the last week of the regular season, anything can happen here.

Last Night's Storylines:

• Bluecoats have won all 17 competitions versus Carolina Crown this year. Has Crown surged enough to move into the #3 ranking? No. In fact, Bluecoats won by over one point.
• The Cavaliers now lead 9-3 over Boston Crusaders. Who wins the final match-up headed into finals week? Boston Crusaders take the final regular season match-up.
• Blue Knights have won all nine competitions versus Mandarins with last night's gap only 0.800. Can Mandarins make the case for the #8 spot? Blue Knights won, but it was by the smallest margin of the season.
• Vanguard Cadets have won the last six (of nine) competitions versus Blue Devils B and come into Open Class prelims as the favorite. After that, it gets very interesting with Legends, Gold, and Spartans all in the running for the #3 spot. Gold and Legends are separated by just 0.050 for the bronze medal. This is where the most excitement should be tonight.

2017

Generally speaking, scores stabilized or decreased at Open Class prelims compared to the last regular season scores and went up more in the World Class corps. This is not the same as what happened last year where it was the other way around. In head-to-head competition, Vanguard Cadets edged Blue Devils B by almost 1.300 points, its largest margin of victory of the season. Les Stentors put up the largest score increase in the circuit at 5.600. There were several non head-to-head rankings changes that will be flushed out once everyone is on the same field on Thursday. It may be notable that the top corps in the Erie, PA show had larger score increases than anyone at the Massillon, OH show.

Congratulations to Southwind which made Open Class finals in its first year in championship week competition since 2007. The other finalist corps were all there last year as well. Southwind takes the place of Genesis, which moved to World Class this year.

For the second year in a row, and the second time in two appearances, Shadow just missed the finalist cut by placing 13th. 

Last Night's Storylines:

• It is day 1 of Finals Week! The main story has to be Blue Devils B vs. Vanguard Cadets in the fight for the gold medal. The two corps account for 8 of the last 9 Open Class championships (Oregon Crusaders in 2012 is the exception). There is also a fight for the bronze medal with Legends and Music City neck and neck. 
  • Vanguard Cadets have made a strong case for the gold medal.
  • Legends also has a pretty good lead over Music City for the bronze.
• Tonight is the final pre-Indianapolis opportunity for corps to make statements. The top 7 (minus Blue Devils) are head-to-head. 
  • No changes in placement. The most significant scoring changes were Carolina Crown closing in on Santa Clara Vanguard and The Cadets closing in on Boston Crusaders. 

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 7, 2018 vs. August 8, 2017

2018

Vanguard Cadets won its sixth DCI Open Class Championship and second in a row. Guardians put up the greatest score increase (2.325), good enough to pass two corps from Prelims competition to finish in seventh place, the corps' highest placement ever. 7th Regiment also increased by more than two points for the second year in a row at finals (2.188). Although this did not change placement at all, it separated the corps from the rest of the pack in what had been a very tight #6-#10 race. 

Last Night's Storylines:

• If Vanguard Cadets hold on and win, it will be the corps' first back-to-back championships. Check.
• Gold vs. Legends promises to be a battle for the bronze. They only competed head-to-head once and that was at Prelims where Gold won by a 0.050 point margin. Legends were the bronze medalists in 2017 while this would be Gold's first medal. Gold's highest previous placement is seventh. Gold won by 0.400 points to earn its first Open Class medal. Unless something crazy happens on Thursday, Gold will also make World Class Semifinals for the first time.
• Things are very tight in the #6-#10 spots with just about two points separating five corps. Based on results over the last week of the regular season, anything can happen here. There was some movement in this range from Prelims to Finals and if you read back over the last week or so of the season, you'll find a lot of excitement in this group. It is possible we will see additional placement changes at World Class Prelims on Thursday.

2017

Somewhat surprisingly, scores increased quite a bit for a finals competition with three corps moving up 2+ points: 7th Regiment (2.175), Gold (72.750), and Southwind (2.125) and no corps decreasing in score. This had an effect on relative placements compared to World Class corps. It will be interesting to see how that all shakes out on Thursday. The only in show placement change from prelims was Southwind defeating Guardians.

Last Night's Storylines:

• Will Vanguard Cadets hold off Blue Devils B to win its 5th DCI Open Class championship?
  • Yes!
• Will Legends hold off Music City to tie its best Open Class finish ever (3rd in 2016).
  • Yes!
• Even in 4th place, Music City is poised for its best finish ever at 4th place in Open Class. The previous high water mark was 5th place in 2013.
  • Music City finished in 4th place.
• The Spartans are a rare corps that took a year off to regroup in 2009 and came back as strong or stronger than ever. Since then, the corps has never placed lower than 5th in Open Class and is on track to maintain that standing this year.
  • Status maintained.
• In only its second year competing at Open Class championships, Louisiana Stars is positioned for its highest placement ever at #6. In its only previous appearance, the corps placed 9th.
  • This wound up being the case and the corps won "Most Improved" for the second year in a row.
• Guardians is looking to make its first appearance in the top 10 after placing 11th in its first visit to the big show last year
  • Guardians dropped from #10 to #11 in finals.

[DrumCorpsRadio]

August 9, 2018 vs. August 10, 2017

2018

I was in the stadium from the first note of Heat Wave until the last note of the Calgary Stampede Show Band with great seats in Section 139, Row 14. Here goes!

Two corps had score increases of two or more points: Music City (2.463) and Oregon Crusaders (2.150). A whopping 11 corps, all Open Class, had score decreases of one or more points. Southwind "led" the way with a decrease of -3.262. Thanks to a surge from Genesis, only four Open Class corps made it to World Class Semifinals this year: Vanguard Cadets at #17, Blue Devils B at #19, Gold at #23, and Spartans at #25. The same three World Class corps did not make it to Friday's Competition: Cascades (#27), Jersey Surf (#30), and Pioneer (#36). The Spartans made a significant move on Thursday by passing Legends to earn the #25 spot by a margin of only 0.013 points after beginning the week 1.350 points behind at Open Class prelims.

Season-ending tidbits:

• Cascades ties its lowest finish in the Lucas Oil Stadium-era at #27 (2013).
• Guardians earns its highest finish in corps history at #29. The corps has only appeared three times.
• Jersey Surf earns its lowest finish in the Lucas Oil Stadium-era at #30.
• Louisiana Stars ties its lowest finish in the Lucas Oil Stadium-era at #31 (2016). The corps has only appeared three times.
• Golden Empire made its championship-week debut at #34.
• At #35, Pioneer had its worst finish since joining World Class in 1993.
• Raiders had its worst finish (#38) since the current model began in 2011.
• Heat Wave made its championship-week debut at #39.
• Two new corps appeared this year (Golden Empire, Heat Wave) and two of last year's participants did not appear (Impulse, Les Stentors) for a net even of 39 competing corps.

2017

Genesis put up the only 2+ score increase (2.425). The most anticipated aspect of World Class Prelims is seeing where the Open Class corps stack up. Vanguard Cadets moved up to the #16 spot overall with Blue Devils B at #18, Legends at #22, Music City at #24 and Spartans closing out the Semifinals qualifiers at #25. That means that 3 World Class corps did not make it to Friday's competition: Seattle Cascades (#26), Jersey Surf (#27), and Pioneer (#33).

Seattle Cascades, #26, missed Semifinals by only 0.225 points.

Colts defeated The Academy for the first time in 7 meetings this season. This is quite a turn as just 3 days earlier The Academy led by 1.375 points in head-to-head competition.

Blue Stars beat Crossmen for the first time since July 15. Blue Stars now lead the season series 8 to 5.

Season-ending tidbits:

• In its second year of DCI world championships competition, Louisiana Stars improved 3 places to #28.
• Southwind returned to DCI championships competition for the first time since 2007, finishing at #31.
• At #33, Pioneer had its lowest finish since joining the World Class ranks in 1993.

Comparison

In 2016 and 2017, there were three corps within one point of gold after Prelims. This year, there are only two: Santa Clara Vanguard and Blue Devils (-0.837).

Just for fun, let's apply last year's Semifinals trends to this year. The corps that moved the most from Thursday to Friday was Blue Stars, with an increase of 1.425 points. If we assume for argument's sake that that is the most anyone will improve tonight, let's play out some possibilities that are within striking distance of movement. For the sake of this exercise, I assume Blue Knights will not get a 0.500 point penalty. 

• Blue Devils could move to #1 (which would move Santa Clara Vanguard to #2).
• Bluecoats could move to #2 (which would move Blue Devils to #3).
• Carolina Crown could move to #3 (which would move Bluecoats to #4).
• Boston Crusaders could move to #4 (which would move Carolina Crown to #5).
• The Cavaliers could move to #5 (which would move Boston Crusaders to #6).
• Blue Knights could move to #8 (which would move Blue Stars to #9).
• Phantom Regiment could move to #9 (which would move Blue Knights to #10).
• Mandarins could move to #9 (which would move Blue Knights to #10 and Phantom Regiment to #11).
• Crossmen could move to #10 (which would move Phantom Regiment to #11 and Mandarins to #12).
• Spirit of Atlanta could move to #12 (which would move Crossmen to #13).
• The Academy could move to #13 (which would move Spirit of Atlanta to #14).
• Colts could move to #13 (which would move Spirit of Atlanta to #14 and The Academy to #15).
• Madison Scouts could move to #15 (which would move Colts to #16).
• Vanguard Cadets could move to #16 (which would move Madison Scouts to #17).
• Troopers could move to #16 (which would move Madison Scouts to #17 and Vanguard Cadets to #18).
• Blue Devils B could move to #17 (which would move Vanguard Cadets to #18 and Troopers to #19).
• Pacific Crest could move to #19 (which would move Blue Devils B to #20).
• Music City could move to #20 (which would move Pacific Crest to #21).
• Oregon Crusaders could move to #21 (which would move Music City to #22).
• Genesis could move to #23 (which would move Gold to #24).
• Spartans could move to #23 (which would move Gold to #24 and Genesis to #25).

So if we combine all of these considerations (and ignore the possibility of scores going down and a million other variables), here is a predicted range of finish:

Santa Clara Vanguard - 1-2
Blue Devils - 1-3
Bluecoats - 2-4
Carolina Crown - 3-5
Boston Crusaders - 4-6
The Cavaliers - 5-6
The Cadets - 7
Blue Stars - 8-9
Blue Knights - 8-10
Phantom Regiment - 9-11
Mandarins - 9-12
Crossmen - 10-13
Spirit of Atlanta - 12-14
The Academy - 13-15
Colts - 13-16
Madison Scouts - 15-17
Vanguard Cadets - 16-18
Troopers - 16-19
Blue Devils B - 17-20
Pacific Crest - 19-21
Music City - 20-22
Oregon Crusaders - 21-22
Gold - 23-24
Genesis - 23-25
Spartans - 23-25

So, the biggest storylines for tonight:

• Can Blue Devils tighten the gap with Santa Clara Vanguard or even win Semifinals?
• Can Carolina Crown tighten the gap with Bluecoats or even move into a medalist spot heading into Finals?
• Which way will Crossmen go? Can they move up or are they vulnerable to a surge from Spirit of Atlanta?