DEKALB, Illinois — A loaded lineup of World Class, Open Class, All-Age Class and SoundSport ensembles took to Huskie Stadium at Northern Illinois University for a key late-July DCI Tour event, the Midwest Classic.
Following a night of 15 total performances, Boston Crusaders ranked atop the event’s leaderboard, as the corps’ continued pursuit of the top prize rolls toward August.
View results from the Midwest Classic
“Tonight’s show was a very important one; we put our best into it, and we had a lot of fun with it,” said Boston Crusaders drum major Wes Booker. “The crowd loved it. I think we put a lot of energy into this one. We rehearsed hard the past couple of days, and it showed up today.”
WORLD CLASS
1. Boston Crusaders » 93.725
2. Santa Clara Vanguard » 92.425
3. Phantom Regiment » 91.625
Boston Crusaders’ victory in DeKalb was predicated largely on strong General Effect scores; the corps took first overall in all captions except Visual Proficiency and Visual Analysis, which were won by Santa Clara Vanguard.
In second place, Vanguard continued its impressive competitive run; the corps recently made headlines by earning an eye-catching third place at the DCI Southwestern Championship, the first and only meeting this summer of all 20 World Class corps prior to the DCI World Championships. Vanguard’s Saturday tally of 92.425 was also more than three points ahead of where the corps was scoring near the end of July 2024.
Phantom Regiment shined in front of a home-state audience, taking third place and outscoring Vanguard in Color Guard.
“The show felt really great,” said Phantom Regiment drum major Johnathan Dominguez. “That performance is the new standard. Going forward now, every time we rehearse, that’s where we have to be at for the next performance.”
4. The Cavaliers » 87.025
5. Colts » 85.450
6. Madison Scouts » 82.075
7. Pacific Crest » 81.375
Two corps that have been jockeying for positions within the World Class Top 12, The Cavaliers and Colts went head-to-head Saturday night for the ninth time this season.
The Cavaliers’ advantage of 1.575 points served as a slight decrease from the most recent meeting of the two. The Cavaliers ranked fourth in all captions.
“The performance was exactly what it needed to be,” said Cavaliers drum major Will Colavitti. “That was exactly what the guys needed; that’s exactly what the corps needed. Tomorrow is just about consistency. It’s just about consistency of reps, consistency of energy, and consistency of performance. We’ve got to go out and get it, and the only way to go out and get it is to rehearse.”
Colts held a strong advantage in fifth thanks especially to a commanding lead in General Effect.
Madison Scouts and Pacific Crest rounded out the World Class standings, with 0.7 points separating them for sixth and seventh placements. Results between the two had varied at three consecutive head-to-head meetings leading into Saturday, with the Wisconsin corps’ advantages ranging widely between 0.625 points and 2.55 points.
Saturday, scores in General Effect fueled Madison Scouts’ advantage, although Pacific Crest ranked ahead of the Scouts in Color Guard and Percussion.
OPEN CLASS
1. Columbians » 70.525
2. River City Rhythm » 69.450
3. Colt Cadets » 66.200
The first meeting of the season between the Columbians and River City Rhythm saw the Washington corps earn an advantage of points 1.075.
For year-over-year context, the two corps were separated by 1.125 points at their final meeting of 2024, the DCI World Championship Prelims, which saw Columbians take 26th place to River City Rhythm’s 27th.
Saturday, while River City Rhythm impressed in the Visual captions, strong scores in General Effect made the major difference in Columbians’ victory.
“That was overall a good performance; we had some technical difficulties at the start, but the corps was professional through it and maintained their time,” said Columbians drum major Colby Muchlinski. “We really have come together, and there’s so much intersection and interaction. Every day I get to walk around and see smiles on faces and people having a good experience, and that is something that makes me so happy to see.”
Colt Cadets rounded out the Open Class lineup, scoring 66.200 and ranking second in Visual Proficiency and Brass. River City Rhythm, though, maintained its advantage especially thanks to its top scores in Percussion, Brass and Visual Proficiency.
“I thought the performance felt amazing,” said River City Rhythm drum major Carter Grupe. “I could feel everyone’s energy from the field, and I’m sure the audience in the large stadium truly felt all that energy. It was definitely a really good run.”
ALL-AGE CLASS
1. Govenaires » 76.525
Govenaires served as the sole representative of DCI’s All-Age Class at Saturday’s event, posting a score of 76.525.
For the Minnesota-based corps, this tally marked an improvement of nearly two points from the corps’ score of 74.850 scored July 19 in Champlin, Minnesota. The defending champions of All-Age ‘A’ Class will next appear at championship events in Indianapolis, looking to repeat their 2024 title.
Saturday’s lineup also featured Conquest and the Green Beret Marching Band, a pair of SoundSport ensembles who both took home silver ratings.
With just two weeks left in the 2025 DCI Summer Tour, many of Saturday’s performing corps will make their way to events along the East Coast, before the tour swings toward Indianapolis for the DCI World Championships, August 7-9.
