Braden River Marching Band wins state 3A title

For the Braden River High marching band, "The Human Experience" was about winning.

The Pirates' 100-member band won the 3A title at the Florida Marching Band Championships Nov. 18 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

"We knew we had a special show and the potential to do well," said Braden River Director of Bands Jeramiah Bowman. "This was all about (their production titled) 'The Human Experience.' We went through the different emotions ... anger, hope, joy and passion. I think our students did a great job communicating that to the audience. But you never know how things will be received (by the judges)."

While Braden River took home a championship, Lakewood Ranch High finished 10th overall in Division 4A. The Mustangs presentation, "Redemption," was not received as well by the judges as it had been in previous competitions. Lakewood Ranch was the grand champion at the Braden River Invitational and also won the 4A class at the Durant High School Invitational in Plant City, the site of the 4A semifinals Nov. 18.

The Mustangs had reached the finals (top five) the past six years and had been in the finals 10 of the previous 12 years.

Lakewood Ranch High Director of Bands Ron Lambert said his band scored 85 (out of 100 points) at its final regular season competition but was scored at 77 in the semifinals. The Mustangs missed the final five by four points.

"After our performance, our kids felt they just had their best performance," Lambert said. "There were hugs and (happy) tears. We thought we were sitting where we needed to be. So when the scores were announced, there was some disbelief.

"I've never gone into a competition thinking we were in (the finals). We always work as if we are not. That's very clear. All we can do is our best show. It was a teachable lesson, that you don't win every time. We've almost created unrealistic expectations here."

Lambert said a reconfiguration of the classes had three 2016 finalists at 3A and two finalists at 5A move into the 2017 4A class. 

"There were 10 bands worthy of the finals," he said. 

Braden River, which won 3A titles in 2012 and 2013, raised its score from previous competitions in winning the 3A class. The Pirates were eighth in 2016, Bowman's first year in charge of the program.

"I really thought we started to perform at the level we were capable of," Bowman said of the finals. "In the last couple of weeks, our kids were pushing themselves to excel."

Bowman said the Pirates won the Riverview Marching Band Invitational in their final regular-season performance, beating Lake Minneola, a 3A finalist in 2016.  

"I knew we were on the right track," Bowman said.

Both Bowman and Lambert said Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc with their bands' practice and performance schedule.

"It really threw a wrench into what we were trying to do and we had to play catch up," Bowman said. "So we tried to tie that into our show when it came to anger."

Lambert said his students' response to the adversity was amazing.

"We had three home (football) games rained out so we lost that concession revenue and three performances," he said. "We lost three rehearsal weekends and it put us behind the Eight ball. But the kids allowed me to push them hard when we got going again. In many respects, this was maybe the strongest band we've ever had top to bottom."

Bowman said his squad's state title wasn't a surprise to him.

"We knew we had special musicians we wanted to feature," he said. "It takes an army to put together a competitive marching band, but I thought we had the kids to pull it off."

Braden River's music, performed by 70 musicians, feature Michael Kamen's "New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms." The Pirates' performance featured a violin solo by Giordano Scarano, a clarinet solo by Josh Hellberg and a closing piece by the French horn quartet of Scarano, Connor Landers, Alaina Gorley and Ricardo Salazar.

"We always tell them, you can't put your hopes and dreams in hands of six (judges) in a box because you will be disappointed in life. But when it is received well, it is definitely rewarding. It validates what you are trying to accomplish."

The Mustangs, meanwhile, have to deal with some disappointment.

"I thought the season was fantastic," Lambert said. "We graduated 38 seniors last year, and that would have crippled a lot of bands, but it didn't do that to us.

"But the bar is really high for us, and no doubt, there was some disappointment. I was clear with the kids (after the semifinals). This is not going to change who we are. What we think is excellence is still excellence. We did what we could do to be a finalist."