This weekend, Dixie State University in St. George will host the 2018 BOA Utah Regional Championship. Bands will converge from Utah, Idaho, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado to compete in the southern corner of Utah and ramp up into the end of the 2018 season. 

Watch the 2018 BOA Utah Regional LIVE at 7:30 AM MT (8:30 AM CT)

Top contenders for this weekend include Davis HS of Kaysville, UT, Clovis West HS of Clovis, CA, and last year’s Grand Champion, American Fork HS out of Utah.

Into The Beehive (State)

Davis High School’s 2018 production, “Aegyptus,” explores ancient Egyptian themes, including a large sun prop. The Davis band has about 100 fewer members than last year, when they came in fourth place. 

They will be competing in their final competition of the 2018 season on Saturday in St. George, just one day after their own State Championships.

Clovis West will be in attendance, visiting from California. The group took third in finals at the 2017 BOA Regional in San Jose (now the Northern California regional) behind two West Coast groups and will be looking towards this weekend as a big opportunity. San Marcos (CA) will also make the trip from California to take their shot at a finals spot. San Marcos (CA) last competed in BOA at the 2017 SoCal Regional in Downey, CA, where they took fourth place overall in finals, behind Ayala (CA).

BOA St. George’s 2017 champion, sweeping captions and earning a score of 89.250, American Fork (UT) will take the field in brand new uniforms this Saturday with their 2018 production, “Another View Point.” 

At their most recent competition, The Rocky Mountain Marching Invitational, American Fork held a six-point lead over second place and placed first in every caption. “Another View Point” opens with a front ensemble and guard feature, while the band flexes their visual skills on centerfield. There is no lack for wind soloists, and the guard is steep competition for the audience's attention.

Other bands of note include Montezuma-Cortez HS, as the only band traveling from Colorado—and Ayala High School, which may sound familiar if you follow WGI. Ayala comes from Chino Hills, CA, whose 2018 indoor percussion group placed 4th in Scholastic Marching World. The group itself is a musical powerhouse that is included in the best of the best, as far as the West is concerned.

This weekend in St. George will be a pivotal turning point leading up to Grand Nationals, as the high school marching season draws to a close in just two weeks. We’re looking forward to seeing the best the West coast and mountain states have to offer!