2016 Long Beach Regional



Prelims Results:
(view full recap here)

Class AA
1. Saratoga H.S., CA
2. South Pasadena H.S., CA
3. Covina H.S., CA

Music: Saratoga H.S., CA
Visual: Saratoga H.S., CA
GE: Saratoga H.S., CA

Class AAA
1. Clovis West H.S., CA
2. Savanna H.S., CA
3. Del Valle H.S., TX

Music: Clovis West H.S., CA
Visual: Clovis West H.S., CA
GE: Clovis West H.S., CA

Class AAAA
1. Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
2. Ayala H.S., CA
3. Desert Vista H.S., AZ

Music: Ayala H.S., CA
Visual: Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
GE: Vista Murrieta H.S., CA

Finals Results:
(view full recap here)

1. (86.80) Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
2. (85.25) Ayala H.S., CA
3. (80.80) Homestead H.S., CA
4. (80.55) Clovis West H.S., CA
5. (80.10) Desert Vista H.S., AZ
6. (77.45) Chino Hills H.S., CA
7. (75.55) Saratoga H.S., CA
8. (74.20) Savanna H.S., CA
9. (73.65) Upland H.S., CA
10. (72.00) Los Osos H.S., CA

Music: Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
Visual: Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
GE: Vista Murrieta H.S., CA

Participating Bands (23):
Arroyo H.S., CA
Ayala H.S., CA
Carlsbad H.S., CA
Chaffey H.S., CA
Chino Hills H.S., CA
Clovis West H.S., CA
Corona del Sol H.S., AZ
Covina H.S., CA
Del Valle H.S., TX
Desert Vista H.S., AZ
Fountain Valley H.S., CA
Highland H.S., AZ
Homestead H.S., CA
La Cañada H.S., CA
Los Osos H.S., CA
Nogales H.S., CA
Perry H.S., AZ
Saratoga H.S., CA
Savanna H.S., CA
South Pasadena H.S., CA
Upland H.S., CA
Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
Ysleta H.S., TX

Returning 2015 Finalists (6):
1. Ayala H.S., CA
2. Upland H.S., CA
3. Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
6. Desert Vista H.S., AZ
8. Corona del Sol H.S., AZ
9. Los Osos H.S., CA

Previous Champions:
2015: Ayala H.S., CA
2014: Ayala H.S., CA
2013: Ayala H.S., CA
2012: Ayala H.S., CA

States Represented (3):
Arizona, California, and Texas.
About
The 2016 Long Beach Regional was held Oct. 29 at Long Beach City College. Vista Murrieta beat former national finalist Ayala to claim the regional champion title.

Both groups are heading to Grand Nats in two weeks and clearly have their sights set on finalist positions. Outscoring 2015 semifinalist Homestead by around five points is a good first step.

Clovis West will also be heading to Grand Nats this year and was only a quarter of a point behind Homestead. That might seem too far out to be a national finalist, but crazier comebacks have happened, and the band is at least in position for a strong semifinalist appearance.

Homestead pulled off its own impressive feat, jumping ahead of Clovis West and Saratoga, two groups who out placed them last weekend in San Jose.

Analysis
The increasing number of great bands competing at BOA events proves that we might be needing a West Coast super regional in a few years. We've split up our predictions into three categories with four bands in each category.

Potential champions: first through fourth

Ayala has won this regional consistently since 2012 and will be returning to the Grand National Championships this year. If they can earn another decisive victory like years past, they'll be in good shape heading back to Indianapolis.

Clovis West is also attending Grand Nats this year and already has one regional title under its belt. Last weekend, they won the San Jose Regional. Winning a second regional in one year is something very few groups have been able to do and will put them into the conversation for a Grand Nats finals performance spot.

Saratoga won last year's American Canyon Regional and placed second, last weekend, at the San Jose Regional, winning both the music and visual captions. It's not out of the question for them to jump ahead of Clovis West and challenge Ayala for the title, but we expect to see them

Vista Murrieta is the third group at this regional making the trip to Indy in November. They've placed third at the Long Beach Regional for the past two years, but with the addition of several strong groups at the top, simply remaining in the top half will require two strong performances.

Fighting for fifth: fifth through eighth

Chino Hills is new to this regional, but not new to marching band success. While they've historically found themselves behind groups like Homestead and Upland, this year, they've been placing much higher, scoring closer to groups like Vista Murrieta. Making finals is almost guaranteed, but a top half placement will take some work.

Desert Vista earned sixth place at last year's regional and will be looking to remain in finals this year. In their home state of Arizona, they face very little competition from local bands, but at a huge regional like this, we get to see how they stack up against some of the best bands in California.

Homestead had an impressive showing at San Jose finishing in third, just behind Saratoga. Don't forget, this is the group that earned 19th place last year at Grand Nats. While they probably won't be returning to Grand Nats anytime soon, this is just one example of how competitive California bands can be even outside of their region.

Upland placed second behind Ayala at last year's Long Beach Regional, but this year, there are several new competitors that will make it very challenging to earn that placement again. Some might view a drop in placements as a disappointment, but with this year's line up, they could give an even stronger performance than last year and still drop out of the top half.

On the bubble: ninth through twelfth

Corona del Sol was able to hang with Desert Vista earlier in the season, but at a competition this past weekend, they found themselves behind fellow Arizona band and regional attendee Highland. If they aren't able to make up that gap, they could be watching finals instead of performing during finals.

Fountain Valley has made Long Beach finals in the past, but last year they fell just outside of finals, placing eleventh in prelims. They might be able to slip back into finals this year, but not without a lot of hard work and dedication.

Highland has typically placed behind Corona del Sol and Desert Vista, but this past weekend, they placed ahead of Corona del Sol, enough of a jump to put them in consideration for a finals spot here at Long Beach. It's a tough year to make finals, and it would certainly be a huge accomplishment if they pull it off.

Los Osos placed ninth at last year's Long Beach Regional, but this year's event will be so much more competitive. Grabbing that last spot in finals is an even bigger competition this year than it was in years past.

This competition is serious

Most people who think they know something about band on a national level only think of California as having Ayala, but there are so many other incredible bands here. Just look at Homestead who earned 19th place at Grand Nats, but is facing stiff competition from several other bands that consistently perform at the same level. This year, there are three California bands coming to Grand Nats, and we hope that even more groups will choose to attend in the future, so they can prove that the talent of California is just as good, if not better, than any other state.

Predictions
1. Ayala H.S., CA
2. Clovis West H.S., CA
3. Saratoga H.S., CA
4. Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
5. Homestead H.S., CA
6. Chino Hills H.S., CA
7. Upland H.S., CA
8. Desert Vista H.S., AZ
9. Fountain Valley H.S., CA
10. Los Osos H.S., CA

Adjudication Panel
Music: T. André Feagin, Donald Hill, David Morrison, and Clifton Smith.
Visual: Mike Anderson, Austin Greene, and Kevin Nix.
Chief: John Turner.