Class 3A state champion Raines (Jacksonville) finishes as unanimous No. 1
GAINESVILLE — The Raines (Jacksonville) football team took a trip to Miami for the second year in a row, but the Vikings were looking for redemption after a 41-0 loss to Northwestern (Miami) a year ago in the FHSAA Class 3A state championship.
This time around, Raines brought a state title home to Jacksonville in incredibly dramatic fashion. The Vikings (14-0) scored with 10 seconds left in the game to stun Northwestern, 23-22, in a state championship game rematch from 2024 at Pitbull Stadium in Miami.
Raines finished as the only undefeated team in Florida, and captured their fourth state title, with the other championships coming in 1997, 2017, and 2018.
The state champion Vikings finish at the top of The Prep Zone Power Poll for the second straight year, this time unanimously as they received all 10 first-place votes.
Finishing behind Raines at No. 2 in the all-classification regional rankings is 2A state runner-up Bolles (Jacksonville).
The Bulldogs (13-2) advanced to their first state championship since 2020 but were beaten, 52-28, by Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota), which scored on every offensive possession in the game. This was the sixth runner-up finish for Bolles since their last state title in 2011.
Buchholz (Gainesville) finished 3rd.
The Bobcats (12-2) advanced to the state semifinals for the fifth straight year. Unfortunately, they lost in that round for the fifth straight year, falling, 24-17, to eventual 6A state runner-up West Broward (Pembroke Pines).
It was the third straight year that Buchholz lost in the final four at Citizens Field.
Mandarin (Jacksonville) is No. 4.
The Mustangs (11-2) moved up a spot from the previous poll after being edged, 27-20, by Buchholz in the Region 1-6A final. Mandarin’s only other loss came to nationally-ranked IMG Academy (Bradenton).
Rural state champion Hawthorne rounds out the top five.
The Hornets (11-1) captured their third state title in four years with a 24-8 win over Blountstown at The Villages. It was the sixth consecutive state championship game appearance for Hawthorne under Cornelius Ingram.
Hawthorne allowed only 22 points in their four playoff wins on their way to the state championship.
DeLand leads off the second five. The Bulldogs (12-1) were knocked off in the Region 1-7A final by Lake Mary, who won their first football state title with a Hail Mary in the championship game against Vero Beach.
St. Augustine is 7th, while Bradford (Starke), which was eliminated in the 2A-Region 2 Final, and Nease (Ponte Vedra, which lost at Buchholz in the 1-6A semifinal round, finish tied for 8th.
Ponte Vedra, which advanced to the 5A state semifinals, moved up six spots to finish at No. 10. The Sharks (11-3) defeated No. 12 Mainland (Daytona Beach) in the Region 1-5A final before being eliminated at eventual state runner-up Lakeland in the state semifinals.
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) moved into the top 20 in the final rankings, finishing 15th. The Conquerors (9-5) recovered from a 1-4 start and won eight in a row before being eliminated at four-time defending state champion Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) in the 1A state semifinals.
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) also moved into the final poll at No. 19. The Crusaders (10-3) advanced to the Region 1-3A final, where they were beaten by eventual state champion Raines.
The only other team to move into the final rankings was University Christian (Jacksonville), which finished tied for 20th with The Villages.
Williston and Eastside drop out from the previous poll.
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 Be Well Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2025 FOOTBALL POLL #13 (FINAL POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A)(10) (14-0) – 200
2. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (13-2) – 184
3. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (12-2) – 178
4. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (11-2) – 157
5. Hawthorne (Rural) (11-1) – 154
6. DeLand (7A) (12-1) – 147
7. St. Augustine (4A) (11-2) – 142
8T. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (11-2) – 114
8T. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (9-3) – 114
10. Ponte Vedra (5A) (11-3) – 94
11. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (9-3) – 80
12. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5A) (9-3) – 73
13. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (9-3) – 69
14. Chiefland (Rural) (11-2) – 66
15. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-5) – 65
16. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (9-3) – 56
17. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (8-3) – 42
18. South Lake (Groveland) (6A) (11-2) – 34
19. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (10-3) – 30
20T. The Villages (2A) (9-2) – 23
20T. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-4) – 23
Also receiving votes: Williston (Rural) (10-2) – 22; Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (9-3) – 18; Fort White (Rural) (8-4) – 7; Beachside (St. Johns (5A) (8-4) – 5; Madison County (Rural) (6-6) – 4.
