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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #3

Mike Ridaught
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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #3
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Nationally ranked Montverde Academy unanimous No. 1

GAINESVILLE — The top ranked team in The Prep Zone Power Poll is among the best in the country.

Class 2A Montverde Academy, which is ranked No. 11 nationally by MaxPreps, remained No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings.

The Eagles (23-2), whose only losses this season are against nationally ranked No. 7 Doral Academy & nationally ranked No. 3 Orange Beach (AL), is a unanimous selection for top billing. They received all eight first-place votes.

Class 3A Eustis is ranked second.

The Panthers (17-4), winners of six in a row since a 12-0 loss vs. No. 1 Montverde Academy, remained No. 2. They are ranked 24th overall in Florida in the final FHSAA rankings.

Class 4A Baker County (Glen St. Mary), Santa Fe (Alachua), and 3A Crystal River round out the top five.

Middleburg (16-8) is ranked No. 6, followed by Baldwin (16-7), Matanzas (Palm Coast) (19-1), East Ridge (Clermont) (19-5) and Fort White (16-5) round out the top 10.

Class 3A Santa Fe (17-3) moved up three spots to No. 7. Two of their three losses are to Fort White, which moved up seven spots and into the top 10 after winning nine of its last 10 games.

The Raiders are ranked 19th overall in Florida in the final FHSAA rankings and No. 5 in 3A, while the Indians are ranked 39th overall and No. 3 in the Rural classification.

Last year’s FHSAA Class 1A state champion Trenton (13-6) and state runner-up Branford (17-6) are ranked 18th and 12th, respectively.

Class 1A University Christian (Jacksonville) (16-4), 5A Gainesville High (13-7), and 4A Columbia (Lake City) (13-10), which has lost seven of its last 10 games and dropped out of the rankings, are receiving votes.

FHSAA Softball district tournament play begins this week with the regional tournaments beginning next week.

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 by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2025 SOFTBALL POLL #3
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, & total voting points)
1. Montverde Academy (2A) (8) (23-2) – 160
2. Eustis (3A) (17-4) – 145
3. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (17-4) – 142
4. Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (17-3) – 124
5. Crystal River (3A) (20-5) – 114
6. Middleburg (5A) (16-8) – 110
7. Baldwin (2A) (16-7) – 103
8. Matanzas (Palm Coast) (5A) (19-1) – 102
9. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (19-5) – 87
10. Fort White (Rural) (16-5) – 84
11. Madison County (Rural) (16-1) – 72
12. Branford (Rural) (17-6) – 70
13. Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (20-5) – 66
14. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (16-8) – 65
15. Deltona (5A) (14-3) – 58
16. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-5) – 43
17. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (16-5) – 38
18. Trenton (Rural) (13-6) – 34
19. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (2A) (17-8) – 26
20. Paxon (Jacksonville) (3A) (15-5) – 15
Also receiving votes: University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (16-4) – 13; Gainesville (5A) (13-7) – 5; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (13-10) – 4.

GHS Water Polo – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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GHS Water Polo – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). His guests for this episode include GHS Water Polo coach Mason Badics and members of the GHS girls and boys water teams which each won a district title this season.

The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Baseball Poll #2

Mike Ridaught
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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Baseball Poll #2
Click on the logo for your free 7-day pass

Buchholz (Gainesville) remains No. 1 as postseason begins

GAINESVILLE — The Buchholz Bobcats finally tasted defeat, seeing a program record 21-game winning streak end with a 10-4 loss at Lincoln (Tallahassee) on April 5.

But a 24-1 record was more than enough to keep last year’s 6A state runner-up atop The Prep Zone Power Poll.

Buchholz received eight of the nine first-place votes to stay No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings as the high school baseball season heads into FHSAA postseason play. The Bobcats own wins over No. 2 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), No. 6 Providence (Jacksonville), and two wins against No. 16 Columbia (Lake City).

Trinity Christian received the other first-place vote, and was second on the other eight ballots.

The Conquerors (21-4) finished second at the NHSI Invitational, beating teams from Georgia, California, and Colorado before losing in the championship game to Venice 3-2. Their other losses have come to Buchholz, nationally-ranked No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton), and Jesuit (Tampa).

Trinity Christian has beaten Providence, No. 10 Clay (Green Cove Springs), No. 13 Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), Columbia, No. 12 Creekside (St. Johns), and 15th-ranked Suwannee (Live Oak).

Spruce Creek (Port Orange) is 3rd. The Hawks (23-2) are ranked 22nd nationally by MaxPreps, with their only losses to Creekside and Windermere.

Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) is 4th. The Cardinals (19-5) own wins over Clay, Tocoi Creek, Columbia, and No. 7 Bolles (Jacksonville).

Rounding out the top five is St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park). Last year’s 2A champion Spartans are in 1A now and enter the playoffs 17-8 and ranked first in 1A, and have wins over Creekside, Clay, Providence, and Suwannee.

Providence is 6th, and Bolles drops from 3rd in the previous poll to 7th.

Lafayette (Mayo), ranked 1st in the rural classification, is 8th in the regional rankings. Trenton (18-4) is right behind Lafayette at No. 9. The two teams split their two regular season meetings, but could see each other in the Rural playoffs.

Clay (16-9) rounds out the top 10.

Moving into the poll this week along with No. 15 Suwannee (Live Oak) is 18th-ranked South Sumter (Bushnell) and No. 19 West Nassau (Callahan). Dropping out along with Newberry are Hernando (Brooksville) and Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville).

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– 2025 BASEBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, current 2025 record through 4/12 and total voting points)
1. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (8) (24-1) – 179
2. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (1) (21-4) – 172
3. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (23-2) – 155
4. Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-5) – 149
5. St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) (1A) (17-8) – 133
6. Providence (Jacksonville) (2A) (15-9) – 116
7. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (16-8) – 104
8. Lafayette (Mayo) (Rural) (18-2) – 100
9. Trenton (Rural) (18-4) – 96
10. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (4A) (16-9) – 94
11. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-5) – 91
12. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (16-9) – 81
13. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (16-7) – 74
14. St. Joseph’s Academy (St. Augustine) (1A) (18-6-1) – 59
15. Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (17-6) – 55
16. Columbia (Lake City) (5A) (13-10) – 44
17. The Villages (3A) (20-5) – 39
18. South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (18-4) – 27
19. West Nassau (Callahan) (3A) (16-8) – 18
20. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (19-4) – 13
Also receiving votes: Montverde Academy (2A) (15-8) – 12; Fernandina Beach (3A) (16-6) – 11; Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (3A) (17-7) – 10; Keystone Heights (2A) (17-7) – 9; University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (17-7) – 9; Newberry (2A) (11-7) – 7; North Marion (Citra) (3A) (13-11) – 7; Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (18-7) – 4; Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (16-9) – 3; Hernando (Brooksville) (3A) (14-11) – 1.

Buchholz Track & Field – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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Buchholz Track & Field – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). His guests for this episode include Buchholz Track & Field assistant coach Gregory Meyers and members of the Lady Bobcats’ track and field team.

Eastside Boys Lacrosse – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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Eastside Boys Lacrosse – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). His guests for this episode include Eastside boys lacrosse coach Chip Skinner and members of the Rams lacrosse team, which will play at Newberry on Thursday in the FHSAA Class 1A-District 4 Quarterfinals.

Hawthorne Baseball – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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Hawthorne Baseball – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught and co-host Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). Their guests for this episode include first-year Hawthorne baseball coach Matt Surrency and members of the Hornets baseball team.

The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #2

Mike Ridaught
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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #2
Click on the logo for your free 7-day pass

Nationally ranked Montverde Academy new No. 1

GAINESVILLE — There’s a new No. 1 in The Prep Zone Power Poll.

The Montverde Academy softball team, which is nationally ranked by MaxPreps, flip-flopped with previous No. 1 Eustis in the all-classification regional rankings.

The Class 2A Eagles (10-1) fell to No. 24 nationally following a 10-0 loss to Doral Academy, which is ranked No. 2 in the country. The loss snapped a 9-game winning streak.

Montverde Academy received five first-place votes to move into the top spot and edged No. 2 Eustis, 176-175, in total voting points.

The second-ranked Panthers (10-1), who dropped down to 3A this season, received the other four first-place votes.

Eustis, which defeated Baker County (Glen St. Mary) last year, 1-0, in the FHSAA Class 4A state championship game, suffered its first loss of the season last week to MaxPreps’ No. 20 overall team Wakulla (Crawfordville), 4-0.

Baker County moved up one spot to No. 3.

The Wildcats (8-2) lost at current No. 5 Baldwin, 3-0, and at No. 1 Montverde Academy, 5-2. They have won at No. 15 Columbia (Lake City), 9-7, and at No. 17 Fort White, 3-0.

Class 5A Middleburg is ranked fourth.

The Broncos (9-3) lost three in a row following a 2-0 start but won seven in a row. Their losses this season have come at No. 9 Trenton, 5-1, at No. 10 Branford, 6-4, and against No. 42 overall East Lake (Tarpon Springs), 7-1.

They have wins against No. 5 Baldwin, 10-7, versus No. 15 Episcopal (Jacksonville), 11-0, and against RV Oakleaf (Orange Park), 2-0.

Baldwin rounds out the top five.

The 2A Indians (8-3) have losses at No. 4 Middleburg, 10-7, at No. 15 Columbia (Lake City), 6-3, and at 7A No. 8 Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville), 15-11. They have a win against No. 3 Baker County, 3-0.

Class 3A Crystal River, whose only loss was against nationally ranked No. 12 Calvary Christian (Clearwater), leads off the second five at No. 6, followed by 3A Santa Fe (Alachua), 7A Creekside (St. Johns), Rural schools Trenton and Branford in the top 10.

Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (11-1) and Ponte Vedra (5A) (9-1) are new to the rankings at Nos. 13 and 14, respectively, while Madison County (Rural) (8-0) and Paxon (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-1) enter the poll for the first time and are tied for 18th.

Class 2A Newberry, which moved into the rankings at No. 20 following a 10-0 start.

Class 6A Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A), 5A Gainesville (5-5), 7A Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (5-3), Williston (Rural) (7-5), and 5A Matanzas (Palm Coast) (9-1) all fell out of the rankings but are still receiving votes.

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 by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2025 SOFTBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 3/24, & total voting points)
1. Montverde Academy (2A) (5) (10-1) – 176
2. Eustis (3A) (4) (10-1) – 175
3. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (8-2) – 132
4. Middleburg (5A) (9-3) – 124
5. Baldwin (2A) (8-3) – 120
6. Crystal River (3A) (12-1) – 118
7. Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (10-1) – 94
8. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (8-2) – 92
9. Trenton (Rural) (7-2) – 91
10. Branford (Rural) (11-4) – 88
11. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (11-2) – 83
12. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-0) – 77
13. Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (11-1) – 74
14. Ponte Vedra (5A) (9-1) – 73
15T. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (2A) (10-3) – 69
15T. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (10-3) – 69
17. Fort White (Rural) (7-4) – 55
18T. Paxon (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-1) – 43
18T. Madison County (Rural) (8-0) – 43
20. Newberry (2A) (10-0) – 29
Also receiving votes: Matanzas (Palm Coast) (5A) (9-1) – 22; Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (5-3) – 16; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (6-5) – 10; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (9-1) – 6; Deltona (5A) (4-1) – 5; Williston (Rural) (7-5) – 4; Gainesville (5A) (5-5) – 2.

Oak Hall School Baseball – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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Oak Hall School Baseball – 2025

Wednesday, March 26 – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). His guests for this episode include Oak Hall School baseball coach Kevin Maris, assistant coach Eric Ringdahl, and members of the Eagles baseball team.

The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024-25 Boys Basketball Poll #5 (FINAL)

Mike Ridaught
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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024-25 Boys Basketball Poll #5 (FINAL)
Click on the logo for your free 7-day pass

Class 3A state runner-up The Villages finishes No. 1

GAINESVILLE — The 2024-25 boys basketball season came to an end with some surprises and some things that we’ve heard before.

But in the end, it was a team who just missed a state title that ends up as the No. 1 team in The Prep Zone Power Poll’s final rankings.

The Villages, which was blown out in 2023 in the FHSAA Class 4A state championship game by Mater Lakes Academy, advanced back to Lakeland after escaping a hard-fought 83-79 win over Tampa Catholic in the Region 2-3A final.

The Buffalo (26-6) then faced Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville), who was the top-ranked team in the previous all-classification rankings. They won a classic showdown, knocking off the Tigers, 57-55, to advance to the 3A state championship game.

Unfortunately, The Villages dropped the final, also by two points, to Calvary Christian (Clearwater). But that win over Andrew Jackson was enough to flip-flop the two teams and put The Villages, which received seven of the nine first-place votes, on top of the final regional rankings for 2024-25.

Andrew Jackson, which defeated The Villages, 47-43, in last year’s 4A state semifinals, dropped to second.

The Tigers (28-3) appeared in Lakeland for the sixth time in seven years, which includes four state runner-up finishes. Andrew Jackson, which is still looking for that elusive state title, received one first place vote.

Class 5A state runner-up Ponte Vedra is ranked No. 3.

The Sharks (22-9) knocked off 10th-ranked Gainesville in the region semifinals for the third straight year, then held off Leon (Tallahassee) in the Region 1-5A final to advance back to the state semifinals for the third straight year.

Ponte Vedra edged No. 11 Leesburg in triple overtime in the state semifinals before coming up short against Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) in the state title game.

Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), which advanced to its first state semifinal appearance, finished 4th. The Toros (27-4) lost to eventual 6A state runner-up Evans (Orlando), 60-53, in Lakeland.

Rural classification state champion Hawthorne rounds out the top five.

The Hornets (20-3), who received the other first-place vote, knocked off two-time defending state champion No. 14 Williston, 45-43, in the Region 4 final to advance back to Lakeland.

Hawthorne had no trouble in Lakeland, winning their state semifinal game against Graceville and championship game against Crossroad Academy (Quincy) by a combined 46 points.

The next three teams in the rankings all made it to the state semifinals.

Ribault (Jacksonville), which is ranked sixth, advanced to the 4A Final Four, where they were knocked off by state champion Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale).

Finishing 7th is 1A state semifinalist Impact Christian (Jacksonville). The Lions (23-7) lost in the semifinal in Lakeland to Sagemont (Weston), which won its third consecutive state title.

University Christian (Jacksonville) ended up 8th after advancing to the 2A state semifinal round.

Rounding out the top 10 are No. 9 Newberry (24-1), which lost at home in the Class 3A-Region 1 Semifinals to Florida High (Tallahassee), and No. 10 Gainesville.

Two more Final Four teams, Eustis and Leesburg, which finished just outside the top 10, are tied for 11th with Fleming Island (Orange Park).

Leesburg and Fort White, which advanced to its first final four in program history, are new to the final rankings, while Mandarin (Jacksonville) and Lecanto dropped out.

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 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #5 (FINAL POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, final 2024-25 record, and total voting points)
Teams in the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area are in bold
1. The Villages (3A) (7) (26-6) – 178
2. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (3A) (1) (28-3) – 166
3. Ponte Vedra (5A) (22-9) – 153
4. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (27-4) – 148
5. Hawthorne (Rural) (1) (20-3) – 140
6. Ribault (Jacksonville) (4A) (21-9) – 138
7. Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (1A) (23-7) – 115
8. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (22-9) – 114
9. Newberry (3A) (24-1) – 91
10. Gainesville (5A) (21-8) – 80
11T. Eustis (4A) (21-9) – 77
11T. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (23-6) – 77
11T. Leesburg (5A) (17-8) – 77
14. Williston (Rural) (16-12) – 72
15. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (19-8) – 48
16. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (22-6) – 46
17. Providence (Jacksonville) (2A) (16-13) – 37
18. Fort White (Rural) (15-10) – 36
19. Atlantic (Port Orange) (4A) (22-8) – 24
20. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (18-8) – 23
Also receiving votes: Lecanto (5A) (26-4) – 13; Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (18-7) – 11; New Smyrna Beach (5A) (20-8) – 7; North Marion (Citra) (4A) (18-9) – 7; Hilliard (Rural) (15-6) – 4; Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (18-11) – 3; St. Augustine (5A) (18-8) – 3; Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (2A) (15-13) -1; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (6A) (21-6) – 1.

St. Francis Catholic Academy Baseball – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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0
St. Francis Catholic Academy Baseball – 2025

Wednesday, March 19 – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). His guests for this episode include St. Francis Catholic Academy baseball coach Ryan Brown and members of the Wolves baseball team.

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