Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc with the high school football schedule. Some games were still being made up earlier this week.
Now it’s deja vu all over again, with Hurricane Milton causing postponements and cancellations this week.
Despite that, the Bradford (Starke) Tornadoes remain unbeaten and easily on top of The Prep Zone Power Poll.
Bradford improved to 6-0 by blanking Palatka, 41-0. The Tornadoes received nine of the 10 first-place votes and are No. 1 for the fourth straight week.
They face a big challenge in a District 5-2A showdown at RV (receiving votes) Newberry in one of the few games scheduled to be played on Friday night. The game will be broadcast on 106.9 FM “I am Country” and online (audio) at IamCountryRadio.com beginning at 7 p.m. with Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and former Gator football player Hank Rone (Color) on the call.
Raines (Jacksonville) remains at No. 2 in the all-classification regional rankings.
The Vikings (6-0) had no problem with rival Ribault (Jacksonville) in the Northwest Classic, pounding the Trojans, 52-12. Raines also faces a huge test this Friday, hitting the road against 11th-ranked Madison County.
Nease (Ponte Vedra) stays at No. 3. The Panthers (5-0) took last week off, and also have another huge district game against RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns), in a game that has been moved to next Monday, Oct. 14.
St. Augustine also took the week off and remains at No. 4. The Yellow Jackets (4-1) return to action on Friday against Clay (Green Cove Springs).
Bolles (Jacksonville) also rounds out the top five. The Bulldogs (5-1) had no problem with RV Columbia (Lake City), winning 42-17.
Hawthorne leads off the second five. The Hornets (5-1) remain at No. 6 and are followed by Vanguard (Ocala) at No. 7. The Knights easily defeated North Marion (Citra), 41-12. Vanguard (5-1) travels to Lecanto for a District 5-4A game on Friday.
University (Orange City) is at No. 8 after beating Jesuit (Tampa), 35-33. Buchholz (Gainesville) moves back into the top 10 at No. 9 as they pounded city rival Gainesville, 52-7.
Rounding out the top 10 is Mandarin (Jacksonville). The Mustangs broke a two-game losing streak with a 24-7 win over Rockledge last Friday, then followed by beating First Coast (Jacksonville), 27-6, in a game moved up to Monday.
Among the Mainstreet Daily News area teams in the second 10 are No. 13 Union County (Lake Butler) and No. 14 Chiefland. Both teams stayed unbeaten at 6-0, as the Tigers defeated Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville), 47-14, and the Indians blanked Dixie County (Cross City), 48-0.
Also receiving votes are Newberry, Columbia and Eastside, which defeated previous No. 12 Dunnellon last Thursday, 14-12.
Moving into the poll this week are No. 17 Beachside (St. Johns), No. 18 Springstead (Spring Hill) and No. 19T Taylor County (Perry). Dropping out from the previous poll are Dunnellon, DeLand and Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine). Tocoi Creek dropped out after losing 29-26 to rival Beachside.
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 #8
(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. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (9) (6-0) – 191
2. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (1) (6-0) – 186
3. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (5-0) – 182
4. St. Augustine (5A) (4-1) – 164
5. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (5-1) – 161
6. Hawthorne (Rural) (5-1) – 132
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (5-1) – 127
8. University (Orange City) (7A) (6-1) – 126
9. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (4-3) – 124
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (5-2) – 115
11. Madison County (Rural) (4-2) – 98
12. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (5-2) – 96
13. Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (6-0) – 61
14. Chiefland (Rural) (6-0) – 56
15. Ponte Vedra (5A) (4-2) – 41
16. Middleburg (5A) (6-0) – 35
17. Beachside (St. Johns) (6A) (5-1) – 34
18. Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (6-0) – 25
19T. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (3-2) – 21
19T. Taylor County (Perry) (2A) (5-0) – 21
Also receiving votes: Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (4-2) – 15; Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (5-1) – 14; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (3-3) – 13; Dunnellon (3A) (3-3) – 11; New Smyrna Beach (4A) (5-1) – 11; Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (4-2) – 11; Providence (Jacksonville) (1A) (5-1) – 7; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (3-4) – 6; Newberry (2A) (4-2) – 4; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (3-3) – 3; DeLand (7A) (4-3) – 3; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (2-5) – 2; Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (4-2) – 2; Riverside (Jacksonville) (4A) (4-3) – 2; Mount Dora (3A) (5-1) – 1.