The Poteet High School band members sat on the parking lot's cold concrete and closed their eyes. It wasn't prayer, but a visioning session.

"Hear the crowd – Poteet, Poteet," band director Scott Coulson told them. "Can you hear it? Can you see it? Can you smell it?"

The Mesquite students were imagining what it would be like today when they march into San Antonio's Alamodome, competing for their third consecutive state championship. Two other area schools, Forney High School and Waxahachie High School, also qualified for the Class 4A state finals.

Thursday, the musicians were imagining what it would be like marching onto that strange San Antonio field, cheered on by parents and friends, and bringing that trophy home.

No 4A school has won three consecutive titles, according to the University Interscholastic League, which sponsors the competition.

"I could graduate with two gold medals and two rings," Angela Whitfield said exuberantly. A trombone player, she was in the band when it won its last state championship in 2007. Band members earn a medal and have a chance to buy a special class ring.

Marching twice to the state championship is the same as a perfect career in band. UIL sports championships take place every year; state marching competitions are every other year. So musicians get only two chances during four years of high school.

Poteet's success speaks to the depth of the Mesquite district's music program, said Richard Floyd, the UIL's music director.

"It's not just a tradition of having a great marching band, but a tradition of great music education in the district," he said. "That has to extend down into seventh and eighth grade."

With 185 members, including the color guard, Poteet's is not the largest 4A band, Coulson said. They'll travel on five charter buses and stay in San Antonio two nights.

The band's program, "Green Planet," is not traditional. The two pieces have a science-fiction feel and were composed by Wataru Hokoyama, who visited the district earlier this year, and Jayce John Ogren.

There are slow sequences with a background that includes percussionists ruffling fat strings of shells and fast tempos that show off the band's precision.

Despite months of practice, there was last-minute work to do Thursday. Shoulders weren't square or a toe wasn't pointed correctly. The tempo wasn't quite right. They even worked on marching on and off the field, not something judged in the contest.

Jeff Jones, band director from neighboring North Mesquite High School and a UIL judge, offered last-minute advice and a pep talk.

"You want to be able to walk off the field, look at your friend and say, 'That was the best we had,' " Jones said. "That was amazing."

Mesquite's Poteet High School heads to San Antonio today, hoping for its third consecutive state championship. Facts about the event:

•Six schools have won three consecutive state championships, but none in 4A, Poteet's classification.

•The last school to win three consecutive state contests was 3A Canton High School in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

•Dickinson High School, near Galveston, is the only school in any classification to have won four consecutive championships.

•Four schools have won five total championships – Sundown, Denver City, Dickinson and Spring Westfield.

•The state contest was split after 1990 so that conferences participated every other year – 1A, 2A and 4A in odd-numbered years and 3A and 5A in even-numbered years.

SOURCE: University Interscholastic League