Bluecoats surge to top Saturday in Allentown

Madison Scouts

“No matter where we go in the country, we’re always a crowd favorite,” said snare drummer Nick Edwards. “People cheer for us as we’re walking on the field, stand up when we’re performing, and cheer as we walk out. I love that.” The corps has established itself as a World Championship Finals night contender, currently sitting in 11th place in the World Class rankings. “As a Madison Scout, I’m not too worried about scores; it’s about pleasing the crowd and making them stand up. That’s what we love to do. But we’re sitting in a good spot and we’re just going to keep pushing.” Breaking the difficult 80-point hurdle, the Crossmen (8th, 80.300) have persevered through a mid-season score plateau to stay in strong Semifinals contention (top 17). Saturday’s number puts the Crossmen inches ahead of Spirit. Pacific Crest (9th, 79.400) has made a late-season surge that brings the corps less than one point behind the Crossmen. Third-year color guard member Annie Ochoa called this season one of the best she remembers in Pacific Crest history. “It’s a really good step for our future and a big difference from last year,” Ochoa said. “The success of the corps overall is because [we’re rising] to what a lot of people feel we should be. We’re finally reaching the crowds, able to show how much hard work we do.” Another late-season riser is the Mandarins (10th, 77.500), improving by more than one point since Friday’s show in Lawrence, Mass. On Saturday, the corps topped Teal Sound (11th, 76.750) for the first time this season in a head-to-head matchup. Jersey Surf rounded out Saturday’s lineup in 12th place with a score of 75.850. View a complete recap of scores from this event. Contributing to this report: Sid & Linda Unser