Boys’ basketball regional rankings (Poll #6)
Wolfson (Jacksonville) overtakes Bolles (Jacksonville) for the top spot
Gainesville – There’s a new team leading the pack in the Prep Zone Power Poll heading into district tournament play.
Wolfson (Jacksonville) has overtaken Bolles (Jacksonville) for the top spot in this week’s boys’ basketball regional rankings by receiving five of the eight first-place votes. The Wolfpack (24-1) defeated Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), a team the Bulldogs had lost to last Tuesday, and also defeated 8A Sandalwood (Jacksonville) to move to the top of poll for the first time this season.
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (22-3), which is ranked third, and new No. 2 Bolles, have taken turns as the top team. Last week then No. 1 Bolles defeated then No. 2 Bishop Kenny following the ‘Dogs loss to Trinity Christian, which snapped a 13-game winning streak for Bolles. The Bulldogs (22-3) received the other three first-place votes.
The No. 4 team, which moved up one spot from fifth, continues to climb in the rankings. Creekside (St. Johns), which began the season ranked 20th, is the top seed and will face Buchholz in tonight’s Class 7A-District 4 semifinal. The Knights (21-4) have yet to lose in 2016 and they are 9-0 heading into the postseason.
Rounding out the top five is Spruce Creek (Port Orange). The Hawks (19-4) are the top seed in 8A-District 1.
Of the top five, Creekside is the only team not ranked top five in the state in their respective class. In fact, the Knights are currently unranked in Class 7A
Gainesville High, which secured the No. 1 seed in 6A-District 4, moved up two spots to sixth following a 3-0 week that included wins over city rivals Buchholz & Eastside, along with an 18-point win against state-ranked Leesburg, which dropped four spots in this week’s power poll. The loss by the Yellow Jackets (20-4) snapped their nine-game winning streak and they fell to 14th.
The No. 6 Hurricanes (21-4) could meet Vanguard (Ocala) in Friday’s district championship game. The No. 2 seed Knights (19-6) have won 12 in a row and moved up two spots to 12th this week.
Providence (Jacksonville) (17-8), P.K. Yonge (Gainesville), Hawthorne, and Mount Dora Christian (25-0) and Atlantic (Port Orange) (22-2), who are tied for 10th, round out the top 10. Last week, 3A P.K. Yonge (20-4) lost at 1A Hawthorne (19-5) in a battle of two of the top teams in Alachua County.
Dunnellon re-enters the poll at No. 20, while Oakleaf (Orange Park) narrowly missed the rankings. The Knights (15-8), who are receiving votes, have won seven of their last eight with the only loss coming to No. 5 Spruce Creek during that time.
St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville), which finished with its best record in school history, received one vote for the first time this season. The Wolves (21-5) are the No. 2 seed in 3A-District 3 behind P.K. Yonge.
The next poll will be released just prior to the FHSAA Regional Quarterfinals (2A-8A) & Semifinals (1A), which takes place on Thursday, Feb. 11.
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.
PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2015-16 BASKETBALL POLL #6
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 1/30, and total voting points)
1. Wolfson (Jacksonville) (5A) (5) (24-1) – 156
2. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (3) (22-3) – 154
3. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (22-3) – 141
4. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (21-4) – 131
5. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (8A) (19-4) – 125
6. Gainesville (6A) (21-4) – 115
7. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (17-8) – 102
8. PK Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (20-4) – 98
9. Hawthorne (1A) (19-5) – 89
10T Mount Dora Christian Academy (2A) (25-0) – 78
10T Atlantic (Port Orange) (6A) (22-2) –78
12. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (19-6) – 77
13. Jackson (Jacksonville) (4A) (15-6) – 67
14T Leesburg (5A) (20-4) – 64
14T Ribault (Jacksonville) (5A) (15-9) – 64
16. Deltona (6A) (18-7) – 38
17. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (19-6) – 28
18. Hamilton County (Jasper) (1A) (17-5) – 19
19. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (14-8) – 17
20. Dunnellon (4A) (17-8) – 10
Also receiving votes: Lake Minneola (7A) (18-7) – 9; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (7A) (17-8) – 8; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (14-9) – 6; Madison County (1A) (18-7) – 5; St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville) (3A) (21-5) – 1.
