Class 7A No. 2 Mainland (Daytona Beach) a unanimous selection as the top overall team in the all-classification regional rankings
GAINESVILLE – And the beat goes on.
Mainland (Daytona Beach) remained on top of The Prep Zone Power Poll following its 25th consecutive win, which came in the district championship game.
The Bucs (26-1), ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 7A by MaxPreps, won the Class 7A-District 5 tournament with a 49-48 win against previous #14 Atlantic (Port Orange) in the championship game.
They were a unanimous selection as the top overall team in the all-classification regional rankings after receiving all seven first-place votes.
However, the rest of the top 10 is shaken up.
That’s because previous No. 2 Providence (Jacksonville) was upset at previous No. 9 University Christian (Jacksonville) in the 4A-District 2 championship game. It marked the first district loss for the Stallions (23-4) since February 9, 2008, according to Justin Barney of the Florida Times-Union.
Providence, which had won 59 straight against district competition, fell three spots to fifth, while U.C.S. (24-3) moved up five spots to fourth.
Hawthorne, which has won 16 in a row, moved up one spot from third to second.
The Hornets (24-1) won at #6 P.K. Yonge (Gainesville), 71-65, in the final week of the regular season, and they beat Hillard by 18 in the 1A-District 6 championship game.
Class 6A-District 6 champion Eastside (Gainesville) moved up two spots from fifth to third. The Rams (25-2) defeated RV Santa Fe (Alachua), 56-48, in the district championship game
Fleming Island’s (Orange Park) two losses this season are to No. 4 University Christian and Oakleaf (Orange Park), which moves into the rankings at No. 16. The Golden Eagles’ loss to the Knights (18-6) in the 8A-District 4 championship game dropped Fleming Island (19-2) five spots from fourth to ninth.
Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville), which won the Gateway Conference Tournament earlier this season but just had a streak of 15 in a row snapped in a 2-point loss at Providence, dropped out of the top 10, falling six spots from eighth to 14th.
The Tigers (21-6) lost to current No. 11 Bolles (Jacksonville), 42-41, in the 5A-District 3 championship game.
Palatka remained seventh. The Panthers (23-4) lost at previous No. 17 Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) in the final week of the regular season, but they bounced back to win the 6A-District 5 title.
Paxon (Jacksonville) is ranked eighth, followed by Fleming Island and The Villages in the top 10.
The Buffalo (20-7), led by UF signee Tre Mann, moved up two spots from 12th to 10th following a 78-64 win at No. 13 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) in the 5A-District 5 championship game.
St. Augustine (17-6) moved into the rankings at No. 18 following 61-57 win against Englewood (Jacksonville), which earned the Yellow Jackets the 7A-District 3 title.
Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (19-4), which lost to Miami Christian in last year’s 2A state championship game, enters the poll for the first time this season at No. 20.
The top playoff game in the area this week is No. 5 Providence at No. 6 P.K. Yonge. The visiting Stallions have played in seven state title games since 2010, but last year the Blue Wave (22-4) hit a shot at the buzzer by Israel Wilcox to snap a five-game losing streak to the Stallions and earn a spot in the state semifinals. Click here for audio & video broadcast info.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball 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.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2018-19 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #6
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and results)
1. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (7A) (7) (26-1) – 140
2. Hawthorne (1A) (24-1) – 132
3. Eastside (Gainesville) (6A) (25-2) – 123
4. University Christian (Jacksonville) (4A) (24-3) – 115
5. Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (23-4) – 112
6. P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (4A) (22-4) – 107
7. Palatka (6A) (23-4) – 94
8. Paxon (Jacksonville) (6A) (22-3) – 89
9. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (8A) (19-2) – 88
10. The Villages (5A) (20-7) – 79
11. Bolles (Jacksonville) (5A) (22-6) – 64
12. Madison County (1A) (22-3) – 62
13. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (5A) (20-6) – 53
14. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (5A) (21-6) – 45
15. First Coast (Jacksonville) (8A) (20-6) – 36
16. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (18-6) – 33
17. Atlantic (Port Orange) (7A) (19-7) – 31
18. St. Augustine (7A) (17-6) – 19
19. Columbia (Lake City) (7A) (15-12) – 18
20. Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-4) – 6
Also receiving votes: Santa Fe (Alachua) (6A) (19-8) – 5; Englewood (Jacksonville) (7A) (17-7) – 5; Hilliard (1A) (21-6) – 3; Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) (3A) (18-6) – 2; Crystal River (6A) (19-6) – 1; North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (2A) (11-13) – 1; Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (4A) (16-9) – 3; Eustis (6A) (18-8) – 2; Leesburg (6A) (14-8) – 1; Wildwood (1A) (15-12) – 1.
