Bradford (Starke) new No. 1 after knocking off previous top-ranked Mandarin (Jacksonville)
GAINESVILLE – One of the biggest games of this early part of the high school football season took place last Friday in Starke.
Bradford, a state runner-up a year ago, knocked off another state runner-up in Mandarin (Jacksonville), 18-13. The win moved the Tornadoes (4-0) into the number one ranking in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
They received six of the 11 first-place votes after one of the biggest wins in program history.
The loss dropped Mandarin, which had been ranked first the last three weeks, to 4th this week. The Mustangs (3-1) face an even tougher test this Friday at nationally-ranked IMG Academy (Bradenton).
St. Augustine and Raines (Jacksonville) are tied for 2nd.
The Yellow Jackets (3-0) beat Riverside (Jacksonville), 47-35, and picked up three first-place votes. They face a huge St. Johns County test this Friday against 6th-ranked Nease (Ponte Vedra).
Raines (4-0) gained two first-place votes as the Vikings eased past winless RV Mainland (Daytona Beach), 35-14.
Buchholz (Gainesville), which was ranked 2nd previously, dropped to 5th after the Bobcats (3-1) lost their first regular-season game since 2022. Buchholz, which travels north for a game this Friday at Richmond Hill (GA), was edged by Manatee (Bradenton), 34-27, in a game that was played at Santa Fe High School in Alachua.
Nease is 6th after the Panthers (3-0) blanked previously unbeaten Fletcher (Neptune Beach), 39-0.
University (Orange City) improved to 4-0 with a 46-7 blowout of RV Deltona, and the Titans settled in this week at No. 7.
Hawthorne rebounded from their first regular-season loss in four years a week ago to Florida High (Tallahassee) by beating No. 19 Oakleaf (Orange Park), 27-21. The Hornets, who are ranked eighth, scored on a Hail Mary on the final play of the game to improve to 3-1.
Bolles (Jacksonville) dropped three spots to 9th this week despite a come-from-behind 35-28 triumph over rival RV Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville). The Bulldogs (2-1) host Oakleaf this Friday.
Rounding out the top 10 is DeLand.
The Bulldogs (3-1) won their third game in a row after an opening week loss to No. 11 Madison County, pounding Appling County (GA), 38-7.
Baker County (Glen St. Mary) moved into the poll this week at No. 20. The Wildcats (2-1) replaced South Sumter (Bushnell), which was 17th in the previous poll but fell to 1-3 with a 21-14 loss to undefeated Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel).
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 #5
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (6) (4-0) – 205
2T. St. Augustine (4A) (3) (3-0) – 203
2T. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (2) (4-0) – 203
4. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (3-1) – 181
5. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (3-1) – 171
6. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (3-0) – 159
7. University (Orange City) (7A) (4-0) – 154
8. Hawthorne (Rural) (3-1) – 129
9. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (2-1) – 127
10. DeLand (7A) (3-1) – 124
11. Madison County (Rural) (3-1) – 110
12. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (3-1) – 105
13. Dunnellon (3A) (3-1) – 78
14. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (3-1) – 55
15T. Chiefland (Rural) (4-0) – 45
15T. Ponte Vedra (5A) (2-1) – 45
17. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (2-2) – 42
18. Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (4-0) – 33
19. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (3-1) – 24
20. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (2-1) – 22
Also receiving votes: Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (3-0) – 13; Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (3-1) – 10; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (2-2) – 9; Middleburg (5A) (4-0) – 9; Deltona (4A) (1-2) – 8; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (2-2) – 8; Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (3A) (2-1) – 6; Taylor County (Perry) (2A) (4-0) – 5; Leesburg (4A) (3-1) – 4; Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5A) (0-4) – 3; Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (3-0) – 3; Newberry (2A) (2-2) – 2; Palatka (2A) (3-1) – 2; Fort White (Rural) (3-1) – 1; Williston (Rural) (2-1) -1.
