FLEMING ISLAND – The idea for Orange Park High’s competition-winning marching band performance was born in a coffee shop.

In between sips, the school’s band directors bounced ideas for this year’s show.

“We just threw around things until something sounded cool,” director Brett Pikuritz said. “And then we said ‘OK, what kind of music could you see for this?’ It’s kind of weird how it happens and it really comes from nothing. And then you just hear something and you’re like, ‘oh, that sounds great.’ And then you start organically kind of piecing it together. And then I start contributing pieces of music that I think fit into that theme.

“We were throwing around like, you know, ‘Enter Sandman.’ Somebody said words, and somebody said, tubular or something. And so, we were coming up with these kinds of thematic and then eventually we got to ‘OK hey, we like the words idea how can we deal with that?’”

The idea of words led to the notion of speaking volumes, which led them to think about the founding fathers. They also realized books speak volumes.”

Words Speak Volumes was created.

Months later – and countless hours of practice later – Orange Park turned the coffee shop idea into a performance that clinched the Class 2A Florida Marching Band Competition Regional competition Saturday at Fleming Island High.

Twenty-one high school bands competed, while host Fleming Island and the University of Jacksonville bands played exhibition sets.

Winners from the four classes qualified to advance to the state championships in Broward County in late November.

Orange Park swept first-place scores in ensemble music, performance, general music and effect, ensemble and individual performances, percussion, color guard and drum major.

“It was a great accomplishment for Orange Park,” Pikuritz said.

Trinity Christian clinched the Class 1A regional title, while Ponte Vedra won Class 3A and Orlando University won Class 4A.

Locally, Middleburg finished second in Class 1A, while Keystone Heights was seventh; Ridgeview was third and Clay was sixth in Class 2A and Oakleaf was runner-up in Class 4A.

Pikuritz said the Raiders band spent between 15 and 30 extra hours of preparation outside of school commitments. Most of the practice came with the bands working in smaller groups.

“Percussion has a class third period every day,” Pikuritz said. “Any wind instrumentalists that you saw like a trumpet, flute, clarinet, they have fifth-period class every day. And color guard, they actually meet as a seventh-period class every single day.

“And then also, there’s evening rehearsals and afternoon sectionals they put in. We actually do those on Tuesday, Thursday nights, where everybody comes together and combines their effort in order to put together what you see is the finished product.”