Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) and Mainland (Daytona Beach) are neck and neck
Gainesville – The top two ranked teams in the Prep Zone Power Poll this week are just as close in the regional rankings as they were last week.
Top-ranked Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) opened up defense of its third straight state title with a dominating 49-6 win at Trinity Catholic (Ocala). The Conquerors (1-0) scored on offense, defense and special teams against the Celtics. They remained No. 1 after receiving six first-place votes and edged No. 2 Mainland (Daytona Beach).
The nationally-ranked Bucs (1-0) defeated previous #20 DeLand, 41-21, and collected the other five first-place votes. Just as they were in Week #1, a total of one voting point separates Trinity Christian and Mainland (215-214).
Both teams are ranked No. 1 in their respective classes in the AP state poll. Trinity Christian is ranked on top of the Class 3A rankings and Mainland is the top-ranked team in the Class 6A poll.
Oakleaf (Orange Park) remained third. The Knights (1-0) held Westside (Jacksonville) to just 226 total yards in a 21-0 victory. They are also ranked third in 7A.
Following a 41-21 win against Class 8A Lake Mary, the Bolles (Jacksonville) Bulldogs held on to the No. 4 spot. The ‘Dogs (1-0), who had 299 yards rushing in the game, are seeking their fifth straight appearance in the Class 4A state championship game.
Rounding out the top five is North Marion (Citra), which moves up two spots to fifth. The Colts (1-0) rallied from a 6-4 deficit in the fourth quarter to win at Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach), 17-6.
First Coast (Jacksonville), which had its game against Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville) called due to weather, dropped from fifth to sixth. The Bucs, who are 34-1 during the regular season the past four years, are followed by St. Augustine, Clay (Green Cove Springs), South Sumter (Bushnell) and Raines (Jacksonville) in the top 10.
The only team to drop out of the top 10 was 5A Suwannee (Live Oak), which dropped five spots from sixth to 11th following a 10-7 loss at 7A Leon (Tallahassee).
A total of five teams fell out of the poll following a loss: #14 Gainesville, #16 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), #19 Fletcher (Neptune Beach), T20 Hamilton County & T20 DeLand.
Columbia (Lake City) made the biggest jump in the poll this week as the Tigers went from receiving votes to No. 12 following their 57-39 win against Gainesville. Among the other newcomers are University Christian (Jacksonville), the new No. 1 team in Class 2A, and Class 7A Buchholz (Gainesville), who are ranked 19th and 20th respectively.
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 Football Poll #2
(School, followed by first-place votes, classification, current record, and total voting points)
1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (6) (3A) (1-0) – 215
2. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5) (6A) (1-0) – 214
3. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (7A) (1-0) – 196
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – 185
5. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (1-0) – 170
6. First Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (0-0) – 155
7. St. Augustine (6A) (1-0) – 154
8. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (1-0) – 138
9. South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (1-0) – 130
10. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – 120
11. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (0-1) – 87
12. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (1-0) – 83
13. Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (1-0) – 81
14. University (Orange City) (8A) (1-0) – 76
15. Trenton (1A) (1-0) – 68
16. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (1-0) – 59
17. Ed White (Jacksonville) (6A) (0-1) – 38
18. Madison County (1A) (0-1) – 30
19. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (1-0) – 23
20. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (1-0) – 21
Also receiving votes: Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (1-0) – 18; Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (1-0) – 9; Gainesville (6A) (0-1) – 9; Newberry (1A) (1-0) – 7; DeLand (8A) (0-1) – 6; Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (1-0) – 6; Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (0-1) – 5; Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (0-1) – 3; Dunnellon (4A) (1-0) – 3; Deltona (6A) (0-1) – 1.
