Defending champ Mainland (Daytona Beach) falls, Mandarin (Jacksonville) new No. 1
GAINESVILLE – One week down in the high school football regular season and already there are changes at the top of The Prep Zone Power Poll, which ranks the top 20 teams across 26 counties in Florida.
Mandarin (Jacksonville) moves into the top spot after pounding RV Creekside (St. Johns), 57-13, in their opener last Friday. The Mustangs move up from number five in the preseason poll to the number one ranking this week, receiving five of the 10 first-place votes in the all-classification regional rankings.
Buchholz, which received one first-place vote, is right behind Mandarin at No. 2. The Bobcats (1-0) picked up a win at No. 17T Vanguard (Ocala), 24-7, and this week take a lengthy trip to Vero Beach.
St. Augustine dropped a spot to third this week despite garnering three first-place votes. The Yellow Jackets had no trouble with their rivalry game at Palatka, winning 42-6.
Hawthorne, which hosts No. 11 Newberry tonight, is 4th. The two-time defending state champion Hornets eased past Anclote (Holiday), 51-0, on the road to win their 26th straight game.
Defending state champion Mainland (Daytona Beach) fell from the top spot in the preseason rankings to 5th. The Bucs were upset at home by University (Orange City), 31-28.
University joins the poll this week, shooting all the way to No. 12.
Raines (Jacksonville) jumped five spots to lead off the second five at No. 6. The Vikings pulled off a 32-23 win at rival Bolles (Jacksonville), dropping the Bulldogs from 13th to 15th.
The rest of the top includes 7th-ranked Bradford (Starke), No. 8 Madison County, 9th-ranked Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), and Bartram Trail (St. Johns), which is 10th.
Dunnellon also moves into the poll this week at 16th, while Nease (Ponte Vedra) is in a tie for 17th after knocking off RV Ponte Vedra.
Chiefland is also new to the rankings after knocking off previous-No. 14 rival Williston, 18-10. The Red Devils, who had their 20-game regular season winning streak snapped, are out this week along with Riverside (Jacksonville), Trinity Catholic (Ocala), and Ponte Vedra.
Columbia is also new to the poll as the Tigers are tied for 19th with Chiefland and University Christian (Jacksonville). The Tigers defeated rival RV Suwannee, 13-0, in their opener.
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 #2
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A (5) (1-0) – 186
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (1) (1-0) – 182
3. St. Augustine (4A) (3) (1-0) – 177
4. Hawthorne (Rural) (1) (1-0) – 168
5. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5A) (0-1) – 143
6. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (1-0) – 132
7. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (1-0) – 131
8. Madison County (Rural) (1-0) – 129
9. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (1-0) – 122
10. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (1-0) – 121
11. Newberry (2A) (1-0) – 77
12. University (Orange City) (7A) (1-0) – 70
13. DeLand (7A) (0-1) – 69
14. South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (0-1) – 64
15. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (0-1) – 60
16. Dunnellon (3A) (1-0) – 46
17T. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (1-0) – 40
17T. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (0-1) – 40
19T. Chiefland (Rural) (1-0) – 15
19T. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (1-0) – 15
19T. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (0-1) – 15
Also receiving votes: Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (0-1) – 11; Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (1-0) – 11; Williston (Rural) (0-1) – 11; Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (1-0) – 10; Riverside (Jacksonville) (4A) (0-1) – 9; Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (0-1) – 6; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (1-0) – 6; Ponte Vedra (5A) (0-1) – 5; Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (1A) (0-1) – 5; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (1-0) – 3; Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (0-1) – 1.
