WALNUT, California — With much of the West Coast’s Open Class field preparing to wrap up regional touring next week, Friday night’s Western Corps Connection at Mt. San Antonio College offered a telling look at which ensembles are peaking at the perfect time in Southern California.
Among the corps making the strongest impressions is Blue Devils B, which kept its undefeated 2026 record intact on Friday. The Concord-based ensemble has been turning heads so far this summer with its culinary-inspired production, “Mise En Place,” as the corps puts eyes ahead to its return to this August’s DCI Open Class World Championships for the first time since 2024.
“I think in general our energy level was definitely up, and that’s something we’ve really been wanting to get the corps to strive for and up even more,” Blue Devils B drum major Sierra Lopez said. “The energy is definitely there, and overall it was just a really great night, really exciting.”
1. Blue Devils B » 69.300
2. Gold » 67.800
Blue Devils B has managed to keep its distance at the top of the leaderboard this summer, on average holding a more than two-point differential over Gold across their early tour matchups. The corps stayed hot on Friday night, improving to a score of 69.300, a solid 0.55-point bump from the previous evening in Santa Clarita. Except for Color Guard, Blue Devils B swept every caption on the scoresheets.
Gold, finishing in second with a 67.800, successfully narrowed the gap on the frontrunners to just 1.5 points — the closest the two rival corps have been in three head-to-head meetings so far. Gold finished just four-tenths of a point behind BDB in both the General Effect and overall Music captions. It is a promising surge for the corps, which still has plenty of tour ahead.
“I was really happy with the corps’ performance as a whole. I feel like we were just really connected on many different levels, and to be honest, this was the first night that I felt emotion from the corps and from myself,” Gold drum major Bella Cottrell said. “Tonight I feel like I connected with the music and connected with the emotion from the performers on the field, and I think this was a really special run for us.”
After this particular run of Gold’s 2026 production, “Luminous,” Cottrell expressed excitement for the corps’ upcoming opportunities to shine outside of its home state. Gold’s highly anticipated national tour is fast approaching, featuring a first stop outside of California at the DCI Central Texas event in Killeen on July 16.
“Honestly I’m really excited for the growth,” Cottrell said. “We’ve got two more shows left in SoCal, and then we fly to Texas soon. I’m really excited to get on the road and start doing the work even more on tour,. This show has so much potential that we haven’t unlocked yet.”
3. Impulse » 65.550
4. Golden Empire » 63.500
5. Blue Devils C » 62.250
Taking third on Friday night in the Open Class division was Impulse, who climbed to a score of 65.550 at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. Aided by impressive marks in the Visual caption, the Buena Park corps used second-place finishes in Visual Analysis and Color Guard to secure their high mark.
A little further down the leaderboard, Golden Empire and Blue Devils C continued their neck-and-neck tour rivalry, which saw just over a point separate them on July 9 in Santa Clarita.
At the Walnut event, Golden Empire’s color guard section emerged as one of the night’s biggest standouts, taking top marks over the other four Open Class corps by two-tenths of a point. This accomplishment marks the fourth-straight event that the Golden Empire guard has finished atop its caption.
Blue Devils C rounded out the Open Class competition with its production “Metallic,” which features a heavy emphasis on electric bass and guitar in the front ensemble percussion section. Following an off-season reorganization that shifted the ensemble’s age range to cater to high school students, Blue Devils C’s output in 2026 is already four points higher than the ensemble’s final score from 2025.
1. Bluecoats » 86.750
2. Blue Devils » 85.250
3. Santa Clara Vanguard » 83.700
In World Class competition, the challengers from Canton, Ohio have made an impressive start to their first tour of California since 2009, holding the lead in Stanford, Santa Clarita and now also Walnut.
“We are just on a ride right now. We are totally on a ride,” said Bluecoats drum major Tony Gamez. “We’re totally living the California dream, and we could want nothing more. We love everything and everybody that’s been supporting us through (this trip).”
On Friday, Bluecoats’ “Gravity and Grace” achieved an overall score of 86.750, sweeping the captions on the scoresheets. However, what Gamez loved most about the performance is not always obvious in the scoresheet.
“Honestly, for me personally as a drum major, the timing was definitely the best it’s ever been. So I can never complain when that is the biggest thing,” Gamez said. “I absolutely love performing here, and it’s been a great venue and a great crowd for sure.”
The Blue Devils, however, are remaining within striking distance. While Friday’s scoring gap widened slightly to one-and-a-half points, the corps was just one point behind Bluecoats on Thursday in Santa Clarita. The Devils set a strong foundation in General Effect in Walnut, just a half a point behind the ‘Coats and stayed within two tenths in the Visual Proficiency and Color Guard captions.
Santa Clara Vanguard kept its pace as a podium finisher on this leg of the tour, scoring 83.700, as the corps continues to push forward with its production, “With Reckless Abandon.” Percussion continues to be one of Vanguard’s strongsuits, finishing in second just two tenths behind the Bluecoats in Walnut.
4. Pacific Crest » 74.100
5. The Academy » 73.300
6. Seattle Cascades » 68.850
Seeing each other just a couple of times so far this summer, a distinct race is developing between Pacific Crest and The Academy. Separated by a slim margin of just 0.15 points on Thursday in Santa Clarita, Pacific Crest was able to widen the gap slightly in Walnut, though less than a point still separates the two West Coast corps.
“It’s really great to get to (perform to) a crowd so close to home,” Pacific Crest drum major Julia Framan said. “The energy was fantastic tonight.”
Pacific Crest relied on a strong showing in the overall Visual caption to secure its advantage, finishing a half-point ahead of the Tempe, Arizona-based corps. The Academy’s musical output kept the pressure on, finishing just a tenth of a point behind the SoCal corps in overall Music, highlighted by an outright caption victory in Brass (14.300 to Pacific Crest’s 14.200).
Meanwhile, the Cascades continued their forward momentum, taking their Pacific Northwest energy down the coast with their Seattle grunge-inspired 2026 production, “Against the Grain.” A total score of 68.850 puts the corps within striking distance of the 70-point milestone as the tour hits mid-July.
Every World Class and Open Class corps in Walnut — in addition to a SoundSport appearance from the Sacramento Freelancers — will return for another matchup in Pasadena on Saturday, July 11, for the 2026 edition for Drum Corps at the Rose Bowl.
