While the General Effect scores are added directly to the total score for each corps, it's important to remember that the three Visual captions (Performance, Ensemble and Color Guard) and the three Music captions (Brass, Ensemble and Percussion) are added together and then divided in half for the final score.
Only one corps, Blue Knights, received a lower score than it did in Allentown a week earlier. Madison Scouts added the most to its score, 2.40 point, closely followed by Troopers with 2.25. Holy Name Cadets, the Cavaliers and Pioneer all added 1.75 points and Santa Clara Vanguard and Crossmen picked up 1.70.
Blue Devils (1st—97.95) remained undefeated, opening up a 1.85 margin over its nearest competitor. Other than a 2nd place finish in Visual Performance (just 0.10 away from taking 1st place) and 3rd place in Brass (just 0.20 down from 1st), the corps took 1st place in all the captions, although one Music Effect judge had the corps in 2nd place by 0.10.
The Blue Devils enjoyed a 0.60 spread over its nearest competitor in total Effect, a 0.50 spread in total Visual and a 0.35 spread in total Music. What particularly helped the corps' overall spread was that the next four corps all exchanged placements within the various captions. Carolina Crown was spread between 2nd and 5th place in its various captions, Holy Name Cadets between 2nd and 4th, the Cavaliers between 2nd and 5th and Santa Clara Vanguard between 2nd and 6th. More than anything else, the story behind Blue Devils' dominance is plain to see from a perspective of pure numbers.
Carolina Crown (2nd—96.10) was 1st in Brass and 2nd in Music Effect and Music Ensemble. There were no 3rd place finishes. The corps tied for 4th in Visual Effect (2nd from one judge and 5th from the other) with the Cavaliers. They took 4th outright in Visual Performance and Percussion, as well as 5th place in Visual Ensemble and Color Guard. Still, considering how the other top corps seemed to be experiencing an unprecedented level of parity with each other, Crown was able to barely hold on to 2nd place.
Holy Name Cadets (3rd-96.05) captured 1st in Visual Performance and took 2nd in Visual Effect, only 0.20 down to Blue Devils. The corps was in a three-way tie for 3rd in Music Effect (3rd from one judge and 5th from the other) with the Cavaliers and Santa Clara Vanguard and took 3rd in Visual Ensemble, Music Ensemble and Percussion. Color Guard and Brass finished in 4th place.
The Cavaliers (4th-95.85) enjoyed 2nd place finishes in Color Guard and Percussion. A 3rd place finish in Visual Performance and the tie for 3rd in Music Effect were the next highest finishes. The corps tied for 4th with Carolina Crown in Visual Effect (3rd from one judge and 5th from the other) and took 4th in Visual Ensemble and Music Ensemble. A 5th place finish in Brass and 5th in total Effect (despite being 3rd in Music Effect and 4th in Visual Effect) were the corps' lowest placements.
Santa Clara Vanguard (5th-95.50) took 2nd in Visual Ensemble and Brass. A 3rd place finish in Visual Effect and the tie for 3rd in Music Effect resulted in 4th place in total Effect. The corps also placed 3rd in Color Guard. The corps' lowest placements came from 5th place in Visual Performance and Music Ensemble and 6th place in Percussion.
In looking at the overall scores of the 2nd through 5th place corps, it's easy to see how very minor shifts in just about any caption could result in a major shift in overall placements. Carolina Crown is only 0.05 from Holy Name Cadets, with the Cavaliers just 0.30 behind that and Santa Clara Vanguard only 0.35 under the Cavaliers.
For the moment, Bluecoats are securely in 6th place (92.65), 2.85 under Santa Clara Vanguard and 1.95 above Phantom Regiment. With the exception of 7th place in Percussion and 8th in Color Guard, the corps took 6th place across the board in the individual captions, taking 6th in total Effect and 7th in total Visual and total Music.
Phantom Regiment (7th-90.70) took 6th in total Music, (5th in Percussion and 7th in Brass and Music Ensemble), which with a spread of 0.90 over Boston Crusaders, helped keep the corps above its nearest competitor. The corps took 7th in Music Effect and tied for 8th in Visual Effect. The biggest concern for the corps was 10th place in total Visual, caused by placing 9th in Visual Ensemble and 10th in both Visual Performance and Color Guard.
Boston Crusaders (8th-90.35) took 7th in Visual Effect and Color Guard and 8th in Visual Ensemble and all three Music captions (Brass, Ensemble and Percussion), and tied for 8th in Music Effect. Visual Performance finished in 9th.
Blue Stars (9th-89.95) are on the verge of putting nine corps over 90.00 points, something that has previously happened in the DCI World Championship Finals only in 1992 and 2004. The corps' high points were a 6th place finish in Color Guard and 7th places in the other two Visual captions, Performance and Ensemble. The corps tied for 8th in both Effect captions. The Music captions were more of a challenge for the corps, with 9th place finishes in both Brass and Music Ensemble and 12th place in Percussion.
Glassmen (10th-87.75) took 8th in Visual Performance and 9th in Color Guard. A tie for 10th in Visual Effect was joined by 10th in Brass and Music Ensemble. Music Effect, Visual Ensemble and Percussion all placed 11th.
Blue Knights (11th-87.00) took 9th in Percussion and tied for 10th in Visual Effect, with 10th place finishes in Music Effect and Visual Ensemble. 12th place in Visual Performance and 13th place in Color Guard, Brass and Music Ensemble kept the corps safely in the top 12; with that 9th place in Percussion pulling up total Music to 11th place despite the 13th place finishes in Brass and Music Ensemble.
If Troopers (12th-86.05) can hold on to a top-12 finish, it would put the corps in the World Championship Finals for the first time since 1986. Their highest placements were 10th in Percussion and 11th in Visual Performance and Brass. A tie for 12th in Visual Effect and outright 12th place finishes in Visual Ensemble and Color Guard were slightly offset by a 13th place in Visual Effect and 14th in Music Ensemble.
Colts (13th-85.15) took 11th in Color Guard, 12th in Visual Effect and Music Ensemble, and 13th in Visual Ensemble, Earning 14th in Music Effect, Visual Performance and Percussion, they were 15th in Brass. Over half of the corps' deficit to Troopers (0.90) was due to a 0.50 deficit in total Music.
The Academy (14th-83.90) jumped back into Semifinals with 11th place in Music Ensemble and a tie for 12th place in Music Effect. Visual Effect, Visual Ensemble and Color Guard all ended in 14th. A 15th place finish in Visual Performance, with 16th in Brass and 17th in Percussion rounded out the caption placements.
Madison Scouts (15th-83.50) took 12th in Brass and 13th in Visual Performance and Percussion. Both Effect captions, Color Guard and Music Ensemble, all finished in 15th. Visual Ensemble was the lowest placing caption at 16th.
Crossmen (16th-81.90) took 14th in Brass and 15th in Visual Ensemble. A tie for 16th in Visual Effect was joined by 16th in Visual Performance, Color Guard and Percussion. Music Effect and Music Ensemble both finished in 17th.
Spirit (17th-80.70) captured the final place in the Semifinals by taking 15th in Percussion and 16th in both Effect captions, tying for 16th in Visual Effect. Color Guard took 17th, as did both Ensemble captions (Visual and Music). The corps was able to stay in Semifinals despite 18th place finishes in Visual Ensemble, Brass and Music Ensemble. Visual Performance finished in 20th with all three Visual captions resulting in 19th place for total Visual.
Mandarins (18th-79.65) took 16th in Music Ensemble and 17th in Visual Ensemble and total Visual. 18th in Music Effect and Color Guard was followed by 19th in Visual Effect, Visual Ensemble and Brass and 20th in Percussion.
Pacific Crest (19th-79.05) took 17th in Brass, 18th in Visual Effect and Percussion, 19th in Music Effect, Visual Performance and Music Ensemble and 20th in Visual Ensemble and Color Guard.
Jersey Surf (20th-78.55) took 17th in Visual Ensemble, 18th in Visual Performance, 19th in Color Guard and Percussion and 20th in both Effect captions, Music Ensemble and Percussion.
Pioneer (21st-75.75) was 21st in both Effect captions, Visual Ensemble, Color Guard, Brass and Percussion and 22nd in Visual Performance and Music Ensemble.
Cascades (22nd-74.95) took 21st in Visual Performance and Music Ensemble and 22nd in all other captions.