As the high school football season heads into the homestretch, two teams have pulled ahead of everyone else for the voters in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
And again this week, it’s the Raines (Jacksonville) Vikings barely staying on top of the all-classification regional rankings.
Raines (7-0) pulled away for a 44-14 win at then-RV (receiving votes) Creekside (St. Johns) last Friday to stay unbeaten and remain the top-ranked team in the rankings for another week. The Vikings, who received six of the 11 first-place votes, hit the road this week to Yulee.
Raines edges Nease (Ponte Vedra) by two points for the No. 1 ranking. Nease also stayed unbeaten at 6-0 as they pounded Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville), 44-12, after two weeks off. The Panthers travel to Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) on Friday night. Nease received five first-place votes.
St. Augustine (6-1) remains third. The Yellow Jackets had no problem with rival RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns), pounding the Bears, 48-21. St. Augustine, whose only loss was by one point in overtime to Nease, hosts Ridgeview (Orange Park) on Friday.
Bolles (Jacksonville) stays at No. 4. The Bulldogs (7-1) won another road game, this time 38-19, at then-RV Riverside (Jacksonville), and stay on the road Friday at Wolfson (Jacksonville).
The only change in the top five is Buchholz (Gainesville) moving into the No. 5 spot despite a bye. The Bobcats (5-3) edged Bradford (Starke) by one point to get back into the top five. Buchholz hits the road this week for a big district game at Bartram Trail.
Bradford (7-1) rebounded from their loss at No. 12 Newberry two weeks ago with a 43-7 romp at Leon (Tallahassee).
Vanguard (Ocala) remains at No. 7. The Knights edged RV South Sumter (Bushnell), 7-0, in a defensive slugfest. Vanguard hosts district rival Gainesville on Friday.
Rounding out the top 10 are No. 8 University (Orange City), ninth-ranked Hawthorne and No. 10 Mandarin (Jacksonville). University switches spots with Hawthorne after a 30-20 win at Oviedo and, despite a 35-14 triumph at IMG Academy White (Bradenton), the Hornets (6-1) dropped to No. 9.
Mandarin (6-2) won another defensive battle 8-0 at Fletcher (Neptune Beach), and the Mustangs are on the road again on Friday at No. 16 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Among the Mainstreet Daily News area teams in the second 10 are No. 12 Newberry, 13th-ranked Union County (Lake Butler) and No. 18 Chiefland. Newberry improved to 6-2 with a 44-10 romp over Fort White and is at Williston this week. Union County remained unbeaten, improving to 7-0 with a 54-16 win over Trinity Catholic (Ocala).
Receiving votes are Eastside (Gainesville), Columbia (Lake City) and Suwannee (Live Oak).
The only team new to the poll this week is No. 20 Flagler Palm Coast. The Bulldogs (6-1) replace Taylor County (Perry). Taylor County (6-2), who was ranked 16th last week, dropped two games to Florida High (Tallahassee) and Suwannee.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2024 FOOTBALL POLL #10
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
Teams in bold are inside the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (6) (7-0) – 215
2. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (5) (6-0) – 213
3. St. Augustine (5A) (6-1) – 193
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (7-1) – 180
5. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (5-3) – 164
6. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (7-1) – 163
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (7-1) – 155
8. University (Orange City) (7A) (7-1) – 136
9. Hawthorne (Rural) (6-1) – 134
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (6-2) – 126
11. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (5-2) – 107
12. Newberry (2A) (6-2) – 88
13. Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (7-0) – 78
14. Ponte Vedra (5A) (6-2) – 68
15. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (5-2) – 45
16. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (6-2) – 42
17. Madison County (Rural) (4-3) – 41
18. Chiefland (Rural) (7-1) – 38
19. Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (6-1) – 20
20. Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (6-1) – 14
Also receiving votes: New Smyrna Beach (4A) (6-1) – 13; Taylor County (Perry) (2A) (6-2) – 13; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (5-3) – 12; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (3-4) – 9; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (6-2) – 9; Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (5-2) – 7; Providence (Jacksonville) (1A) (7-1) – 7; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (3-5) – 6; Dunnellon (3A) (5-3) – 4; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (3-5) – 4; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (5-3) – 3; Palatka (2A) (5-3) – 2; Suwannee (Live Oak) (2-5) -1.