Buchholz (Gainesville) closes in on Mainland (Daytona Beach) as No. 1 team in regional poll
GAINESVILLE — The Mainland (Daytona Beach) Bucs have been the No. 1 team in The Prep Zone Power Poll since the opening week of the high school football season.
But the Buchholz (Gainesville) Bobcats are hot on the trail for the top spot and continue to get closer and closer.
The Bobcats dominated then-No. 11 Bartram Trail (St. Johns), 44-7, to clinch the District 3-6A title. Buchholz (8-0), which is the No. 1 overall team in the latest FHSAA Class 4S rankings, actually earned a majority of first-place votes for the first time this year, picking up seven of the 13 votes cast.
But Mainland, which is also 8-0 after blanking Osceola (Kissimmee), 22-0, remained No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings as they edged Buchholz in total voting points, 253-251. The Bucs, who are ranked No. 1 in Class 3S in the USA Today Florida Network state rankings, also received the other six first-place votes.
Two more unbeaten teams, Hawthorne and St. Augustine, are tied for 3rd. The Hornets are also 8-0 after pounding North Marion (Citra), 54-8, while the Yellow Jackets moved to 7-0 with a 56-0 romp at Gainesville.
Another unbeaten is No. 5 Bradford (Starke).
The Tornadoes (8-0) pitched another shutout, blanking Lecanto, 42-0. Bradford hosts Palatka for the District 6-2S title this Friday, then finishes their regular season at home next week against No. 15 Suwannee (Live Oak).
Class 1R Williston, which is also 8-0 after winning 49-16 at previously unbeaten Class 2S Hudson last week, leads off the second five.
DeLand is 7th after the Bulldogs clinched the District 9-4S title by handing then-No. 9 University (Orange City) its first loss of the season, 14-3.
University (7-1) drops only one spot and stays in the second five at No. 10.
Raines (Jacksonville) dropped two spots to eighth despite a 29-22 win over Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville), and Ponte Vedra moved up three spots to No. 9 as the Sharks won their seventh straight game with a 35-0 win at Orange Park.
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 – 2023 FOOTBALL POLL #10
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (3S) (6) (8-0) – 253
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (4S) (7) (8-0) – 251
3T. Hawthorne (1R) (8-0) – 226
3T. St. Augustine (3S) (7-0) – 226
5. Bradford (Starke) (2S) (8-0) – 198
6. Williston (1R) (8-0) – 175
7. DeLand (4S) (6-2) – 174
8. Raines (Jacksonville) (2M) (7-1) – 166
9. Ponte Vedra (4S) (7-1) – 143
10. University (Orange City) (4S) (7-1) – 127
11. South Sumter (Bushnell) (2S) (8-1) – 114
12. Madison County (1R) (5-1) – 112
13. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (5-3) – 99
14. Vanguard (Ocala) (3S) (6-2) – 95
15. Suwannee (Live Oak) (2S) (6-1) – 79
16. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (4M) (6-2) – 66
17. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (4S) (4-4) – 52
18. Providence (Jacksonville) (1M) (7-1) – 51
19. Riverside (Jacksonville) (2M) (7-2) – 35
20. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (4S) (6-3) – 32
Also receiving votes: Leesburg (3S) (8-1) – 20; Columbia (Lake City) (3S) (3-4) – 10; Bolles (Jacksonville) (2M) (4-4) – 9; Newberry (1R) (6-2) – 8; Fort White (1R) (7-1) – 4; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (3M) (6-2) – 2; Middleburg (3S) (4-4) – 2; University Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (5-3) – 1.
