Unbeaten Wildwood takes over top spot
GAINESVILLE – There is only one undefeated team remaining in the region, and they are now on top of the all-classification rankings.
Wildwood, which is ranked No. 1 in the Rural classification and one of the top 10 overall teams in the state, moved up one spot in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
The Wildcats, who were 15-0 heading into the week, received six of the 10 first-place votes to earn top billing.
District foe Williston (14-2) is ranked No. 2.
The Lady Red Devils, who are in the same Rural District 7 as Wildwood and 2-time defending state champion Hawthorne, moved up four spots in the rankings following a 7-1 record since the last poll.
Among their victories was a 56-50 win against previous No. 1 Providence (Jacksonville) at the MLK tournament at Hawthorne High School last Saturday.
Williston, which has won five in a row since a 48-48 loss at receiving votes (RV) North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) in December, also defeated current No. 13 Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 69-38, last week.
Providence, which is ranked 26th overall in Florida and 6th in Class 2A in the latest FHSAA rankings, dropped from first to third, but the Stallions (13-6) received three of the other four first-place votes.
Class 4A schools Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) and Bolles (Jacksonville) flip-flopped in the rankings to round out the top five. Last week the Bulldogs defeated the Crusaders, 40-36, and leap frogged over Bishop Kenny (17-4) and up to No. 4.
Bolles (15-5) received the other first-place vote.
New Smyrna Beach is ranked sixth, followed by The Villages, Ribault (Jacksonville), Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), and Ridgeview (Orange Park) and San Jose Prep (Jacksonville), who are tied for 10th.
Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville), Newberry and Bradford (Starke) are new to the rankings at Nos. 15, 17 and 19, respectively.
Newberry (12-4) defeated previous No. 7 Hawthorne, 58-52, while Bradford also defeated the Hornets, 47-39, on Dec. 18.
The Tornadoes (12-4) lost to Newberry, 56-46, on Jan. 17. Both teams compete in Class 3A-District 3.
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 by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2024-25 GIRLS BASKETBALL POLL #4
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 1/18, and total voting points)
1. Wildwood (Rural) (6) (15-0) – 192
2. Williston (Rural) (14-2) – 181
3. Providence (Jacksonville) (2A) (3) (13-6) – 177
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (1) (15-5) – 173
5. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (17-4) – 162
6. New Smyrna Beach (5A) (14-5) – 156
7. The Villages (3A) (16-3) – 123
8. Ribault (Jacksonville) (4A) (15-8) – 105
9. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (12-6) – 103
10T. San Jose Prep (Jacksonville) (2A) (11-7) – 95
10T. Ridgeview (Orange Park) (5A) (13-3) – 95
12. Hawthorne (Rural) (7-3) – 89
13. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (2A) (11-7) – 75
14. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (13-5) – 66
15. Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (2A) (16-4) – 64
16. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (3A) (13-6) – 52
17. Newberry (3A) (12-4) – 46
18. Gainesville (5A) (8-7) – 38
19. Bradford (Starke) (3A) (12-4) – 24
20. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (9-10) – 20
Also receiving votes: West Port (Ocala) (7A) (13-7) – 13; Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (15-4) – 8; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (6A) (14-6) – 7; Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (9-7) – 7; North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (1A) (10-10) – 7; Forest (Ocala) (6A) (13-6) – 6; Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (8-5) – 5; Leesburg (5A) (7-7) – 4; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (10-6) – 2; Paxon (Jacksonville) (4A) (10-7) – 2; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (11-9) – 1; Fort White (Rural) (10-6) – 1; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (8-8) – 1.
