We are campaigning and rehearsing at the same time. But hey, we’re still keeping pretty good results while building that sweet sweet influence. Been campaigning for three weeks now and Mystique is still 3rd in DL. Maple City, bring it on, BB. 😘

Might be doing a write up for the Lone Star Organization’s home shows later on tonight :)

LONE STAR INVITATIONAL

The Lone Star home shows kicked off with the always exciting Lone Star Invitational! A great showing from everyone tonight, especially our Div I and overall champion, Rebels! They’ve held on to their lead over second-place The Panthers, who are also continuing to improve on their scores night after night. Can our current silver medalists prevent the runaway victory? We’ll have to see in the coming days as we approach the championship!

In a very competitive battle for the Div I bronze (8 of the current overall top 10 were present tonight!) were three very familiar faces: High Desert Vanguard, Petaling Jaya Sound, and Legacy. In the end, High Desert Vanguard maintained their lead after leapfrogging both Legacy and Petaling Jaya in the past few days, holding off fourth-place Petaling Jaya by a little less than half a point. Legacy finished very close behind in fifth.

Continuing down the board, Couchaliers once again handily defeated Synecdoche, widening their lead to over two points as Maple City looms in the distance, threatening to overtake Synecdoche for that 8th overall spot.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the night occurred when the call was made for 10th place. After trailing for most of the season, Rose City DBC overtook Gold Coast by a mere 0.005 points! Rose City now sits in 13th in the overall standings, and though it’ll definitely be tough, I’m definitely interested to see if they can make the push to unseat Spirit of the Raiders for that 12th spot in finals.

Rounding out Div I were more stellar performances from Regiment of the West, The Quarantiners, and Blue Angels

DIV I CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Brass - The Panthers
Best Percussion - Petaling Jaya Sound
Best Visual - Petaling Jaya Sound
Best Color Guard - Rebels
Best General Effect - Rebels



Div II saw CLASS sweep the medal podium, with our hosts the Lone Star Crusaders finishing comfortably in 1st. They’re marching a much more demanding show than previous seasons, and it’s starting to take a toll on their ensemble scores, but a strong showing in the performance captions contributed to their victory over second-place Thunder Blue. Another fairly new face to Div II, Thunder Blue sits in 7th in the overall rankings. Given how tight 4th-8th is currently, I see them climbing in the next few days. 6th overall Golden Shock finished third here, just 0.01 points behind Thunder Blue.

DIV II CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Brass - Lone Star Crusaders
Best Percussion - Lone Star Crusaders
Best Visual - Lone Star Crusaders
Best Color Guard - Lone Star Crusaders
Best General Effect - Golden Shock



Div III saw a victory for Gold Knights, who sit in 13th in the overall Div III ranking as of this writing. Seeing as they’ve been fairly stagnant in terms of overall score over the past few days, I’m not sure a finals performance is in the cards for them, but it’s close enough that they could definitely surprise!

DIV III CAPTION AWARDS
Best Brass - Gold Knights
Best Percussion - Gold Knights
Best Visual - Gold Knights
Best Color Guard - Gold Knights
Best General Effect - Gold Knights

SPARTAN CLASSIC

In Div I, we had another VERY competitive show (10 of the current top 12 competed here tonight!), but ultimately it was the Flagstaff Cavaliers who once again triumphed over Infinity and the California Cavaliers, who finished second and third, respectively. Flagstaff has maintained a lead on the other top bands for the last week and a half or so, but as we saw when they jumped California Cavaliers to take the top spot earlier this season, nothing is set in stone until the end. Infinity is less than a point behind, and a lot can change in a week, so be on the lookout for this one!

The reigning Div II champions, the Morehead State Outdoor Diddle Band, finished fourth in Div I tonight, but I’m not entirely convinced that’s where they’ll stay. They’ve been inching up the ladder for most of this season, and after their incredible showing last season, I could see them potentially challenging for a medal. Close behind them, Synecdoche2 and the Lake Orion High School Dragon Band maintained their 5th and 6th place spots in the overall standings with solid performances tonight. Lake Orion’s individual technique was arguably stronger overall, but Synecdoche2’s ensemble performance and effect scores gave them the edge they needed to hold their lead tonight.

Finishing comfortably in 7th was the Eternity Marching Band. I don’t see them climbing much higher than this, but I also don’t think anyone below them has enough momentum to pass them, so I think they’ll hold this spot for the time being.

We find Compass Rose and the aptly named Marching Band in a tight race for 8th, separated by 0.055 points. Ultimately, Compass Rose came out on top, taking 8th place at the competition and 9th overall. Compass Rose and Marching Band are part of an extremely close three-way race for 8th in the overall standings with Gold Coast, and it’s pretty much anyone’s game at this point for who will come out on top.

Just like at the Lone Star Invitational, 10th place in Div I was a pretty big shock, with the hosting Spartan Marching Band being called above the 11th place Red Regiment Marching Pride. This puts the Spartan Marching Band just barely in 12th place overall for the first time this season. They’ve been slowly climbing through the ranking all season, and if last season is any indication, they peak late. If they can maintain their position, their first season in Div I may also be the Lone Star Organization’s first Division I finals appearance.

Also of note in Divison I was the 13th place Golden Shock Band. Although they currently sit at 17th in the overall rankings, many groups around them have begun to slow down in terms of score gain, so I’m expecting some upward movement from them soon.

DIV I CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Music - Flagstaff Cavaliers
Best Visual - Flagstaff Cavaliers
Best Color Guard - Infinity
Best General Effect - Flagstaff Cavaliers


Without the Vision Marching Band to keep them in check, Div II saw a runaway victory for the Marching Patriots, followed distantly by two members of the newly formed GSPA, The Thunder Band and The Marching Shields to round out the podium. All three bands are currently projected to place pretty solidly inside the finals bubble, with The Thunder Band in 6th overall, The Marching Shields 9th, and the Marching Patriots at the forefront of the battle for the title. I see potential for Thunder to challenge for the bronze medal (only 2.5 points separate them from 3rd), but Vision and the Marching Patriots are absolutely on another level this year and will almost certainly be our top 2.

Rounding out Div II we have Yeet Marching in 4th (11th overall), who actually placed above The Marching Shields in the 4 performance captions, but were outscored in music ensemble and both effect captions and ended up 2 points behind.

DIV II CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Music - Marching Patriots
Best Visual - Marching Patriots
Best Color Guard - Marching Patriots
Best General Effect - Marching Patriots

PINEY WOODS RUMBLE

In Div I, California Cavaliers Winter Guard comes out on top once again, but their lead over second place Snow Eagles has shrunk drastically, from nearly a point on the 17th to less than 0.4 points tonight. If Snow Eagles keep this pace up, we could be seeing an upset come finals week.

Dong Suk, Metamorphosis, and Spin City took third, fourth, and fifth place respectively, each separated by about a point. Among this group, Dong Suk excelled in Ensemble, while Metamorphosis took both execution captions by over a point and Spin City came out on top in Effect. It’s still anyone’s game for the bronze medal, it all depends on how each group decides to clean in the coming days.

Eternal Glory placed 6th, breaking the 90 point ceiling for the first time this season. Behind them in 7th is Synecdoche Motif, followed by Rose City Independent in 8th. I don’t see much movement upwards or downward from this group. They’re all improving at a pretty consistent pace, and there’s a large enough score gap between them all that small fluctuations won’t have much of an effect.

Rounding out Div I in 9th, 10th, and 11th, we have the Midwest LittleGuard, Cyborgs, and the Bellarinas respectively. The Bellarinas currently sit in 13th overall, and judging by their recent stagnation, I predict that that’s where they’ll unfortunately stay.

DIV I CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Equipment - Snow Eagles
Best Movement - Snow Eagles
Best Overall Effect - California Cavaliers Winter Guard


Div II saw the Golden Shock Guard top the field, with the host guard Pride of Piney Woods finishing in second. However, Golden Shock’s lead was much smaller than it was only a few days ago, going from almost 4 points to less than 2. The Pride is hungry for another Div II medal, and they’ve got Golden Shock in their sights.

Godley Pride finished 3rd, with the White Hawk Auxiliary very close behind in 4th. Godley had a very strong start to the season, but hasn’t seen much in terms of score gain since the beginning of the season, so I think guards like Echo and the White Hawk Auxiliary will likely move ahead of them in the overall ranking to challenge for a top 5 finish.

Strong performances from The Thunder Guard and Gardendale in 5th and 6th round out Division II. The Thunder Guard is currently sitting in 11th, a position I predict they’ll maintain in the coming days on their way to a potential first appearance in Div II finals!

DIV II CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Equipment - Pride of Piney Woods
Best Movement - Golden Shock Guard
Best Overall Effect - Golden Shock Guard



Division III saw performances from projected finalists Pride of Cincinnati and Riverbank Winterguard, who sit at 7th and 12th respectively in the overall Divison III standings after tonight’s performances.

DIV III CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Equipment - Pride of Cincinnati
Best Movement - Pride of Cincinnati
Best Overall Effect - Pride of Cincinnati

GULF THUNDER

The California Cavaliers Drumline managed to once again narrowly stave off a challenge from the Ghost Legion to keep their position at the top of the scoreboard in Div I, with Synecdoche Mystique finishing in 3rd. While our top 2 seems fairly solidified at this point (though the order is very much not), the Synecdoche organization’s PR campaigns in recent weeks have begun to take a toll on their scores, leaving the door open for a potential upset by the Blue Oyster Group, who finished 4th at tonight’s show.

Lake Orion Percussion and Petaling Jaya Irama finished 5th and 6th tonight, leaving them in 5th and 9th in the overall standings. Barring a surprise push by Full Circle or Double Time into the top 5, I believe that this is close to where these two groups will end up once everything shakes out at the end of the season.

Bridge City Percussion Ensemble and Eternal Glory Percussion came in 7th and 8th tonight, putting them 10th and 11th overall, right behind Petaling Jaya. Eternal Glory has been continuing to steadily improve, while Bridge City has stagnated in recent days, which could mean that we’ll be seeing these two swap places in a couple of days if Bridge City doesn’t pick up the pace soon.

Rounding out the overall top 12 is Beat of the World, who came 9th in tonight’s show. While the gap between them and 13th place Lumberton is over five points, Beat of the World is another group that had a very strong start but immediately stagnated, meaning that Lumberton could absolutely break into finals with a last minute push.

Fury, Pride of Godley Drumline, and Regimentals round out our group of performers tonight, finishing 10th, 11th, and 12th respectively in Division I

DIV I CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Music - Ghost Legion
Best Visual - California Cavaliers Drumline
Best General Effect - California Cavaliers Drumline



Div II was another host victory, with the Lone Star Crusaders Drumline winning out over Golden Shock Indoor Percussion and Thunder Blue Indoor Percussion, who finished in 2nd and 3rd, separated by a little over half a point. Lone Star Crusaders currently sit in 4th in the overall standings, but Schrodinger's Drumline (currently 5th) haven’t performed since the 18th, and could very well overtake Lone Star again when both perform at the California Percussion Championships tomorrow.

Golden Shock has maintained a lead on Thunder Blue for most of this season, but as we near finals week it continues to shrink with every meeting of the two ensembles, so it’ll be interesting to see where each group ends up when all the cards are down.

Another group currently placed solidly in finals, Echo placed 4th, putting them in 8th in the overall rankings. If they can keep up their rehearsal schedules, we’ll likely be seeing 3 performances from them come championships.

DIV II CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Music - Lone Star Crusaders Drumline
Best Visual - Golden Shock Indoor Percussion
Best General Effect - Lone Star Crusaders Drumline



In Div III, current frontrunner Castanet Indoor handily defeated Thunder Battery, Crystal Lake Lightning, and Gassers for the victory. At this point, with the performances they’ve been giving, I can’t see a scenario in which Castanets doesn’t take the Division III title this season.

DIV III CAPTION AWARDS:
Best Music - Castanet Indoor
Best Visual - Castanet Indoor
Best General Effect - Castanet Indoor

Sorry it’s so wordy, I like hearing myself talk I guess 😅

This is awesome stuff!

Excellent commentary! Bravo!

I LOVE the commentary! I would really like to see more of this in the future!

This is super epic, keep it up!

It's time to enter try hard mode for the final stretch!

Absolute scenes on the Si Feng buses as they have hit a turning point in their battle for 6th against The Couchaliers, Si Feng has just placed ahead of them for the first time in competition!

My band's score gains are starting to stagnate. I don't think I'm going to catch the Flagstaff Cavaliers.

Hey everyone! Today I am dropping a full prediction and review of all the great corps attending Panther Sound Invitational, as well as Masters of FMA. There was a confusion with scheduling at the beginning of the season which led to this rare circumstance, but tonight is set to be the most exciting of the season thus far.

Looking forward to it!

Where the predictions at?

No predictions didnt have time. However working on the review right now. It was a great night of competition! Congrats to Central Symphony and Vision for their victories at Masters!

Epic!

Tonight was an amazing night of Drum Corps. We had two prestigious events take place, both with groups that have compelling storylines and powerful music to show for it. The Masters of FMA were held by Rose City in Portland, OR. Central Symphony took the Gold with an 85.090. If anyone remembers, this is a corps that I predicted would have a good comeback this season. The score nearly matches the corps' S106 finish when they got 2nd Place in D2. Last season ended in a 4th place disappointment, and now the corps has responded with its greatest season ever. Congratulations Central Symphony! This win is a huge momentum boost right into league championships.

Right behind them was Eternal Glory. This group finished 9th last season but the competition is steeper in S108. Still, this was a respectable finish in a very prestigious event. As an ensemble the group sounds really good. A particular highlight of their performance is their opener, Symphony No. 5. The judges were really impressed.

In third, Spirit of the Raiders finished with their strongest performance of the season. They received Best Winds on the night, a testament to the corps' ability. Their show, "A Band Director's Perspective" may be the most difficult in FMA. Although they arent the highest rated corps, their resilience to push forward and fight to stay in the top 12 has been inspiring. They deserve this moment tonight.

DCL dominated Masters tonight in D1 but D2 was a different story. Vision D&B Corps easily won Gold with their show Wonderland. While individually the corps doesn't have the highest scores, General Effect is propelling the group to an easy 2nd place finish. It will be difficult for them to catch Patriots, who I will get to later on. The overall theme of their show is landing with judges. All they need to do at this point is clean up their captions and they can do some real damage. The race isn't over yet.

The battle for Silver was insane. Narrowly surviving by .5 was Kingdom Crusaders DBC. Right behind them (and I mean RIGHT behind) were Mountainmen. The latter took home not only Best Winds for D2 but for the entire event as well. Another well deserved moment for a corps that has shown it can compete. The fight these two corps are having is what FMA is all about. It will be hard to predict who places higher at finals.

D1 Caption Awards
Best Winds - Spirit of the Raiders
Best Percussion - Empire of the South Drum & Bugle Corps
Best Visuals - Central Symphony
Best Guard - Central Symphony
Best Ensemble - Eternal Glory
Best General Effect - Central Symphony

D2 Caption Awards
Best Winds - Mountainmen Drum and Bugle Corps
Best Percussion - Vision D&B Corps
Best Visuals - Kingdom Crusaders DBC
Best Guard - Kingdom Crusaders DBC
Best Ensemble - Vision D&B Corps
Best General Effect - Vision D&B Corps

Overall Caption Awards
Best Winds - Mountainmen Drum and Bugle Corps
Best Percussion - Empire of the South Drum & Bugle Corps
Best Visuals - Central Symphony
Best Guard - Central Symphony
Best Ensemble - Vision D&B Corps
Best General Effect - Central Symphony

Congratulations to all corps that competed! We are entering the final stretch of the season. Good luck to everyone. Panther Sound review is coming