Top 10 stays the same as Raines (Jacksonville) continues to pace regional rankings
GAINESVILLE — We are almost to the halfway point of the high school football regular season. But so far so good for football teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
The top 10 stays exactly the same this week as all 10 teams won their games in Week 4, including top-ranked Raines (Jacksonville).
The Vikings improved to 4-0 with an easy 43-8 win at Terry Parker (Jacksonville) and received eight of the 11 first-place votes this week to stay No. 1. Raines faces its toughest test of the 2026 season so far on Friday as they host 4th-ranked Mandarin (Jacksonville) in front of a sold out crowd. It’s the first meeting between the two programs in eight years.
Buchholz (Gainesville) remained 2nd and picked up two first-place votes again this week. The Bobcats (4-0) also face a tough test as they hit the road to play 4A powerhouse Jesuit (Tampa) on Friday.
Columbia (Lake City) is still No. 3. The Tigers (4-0) pounded Ribault (Jacksonville), 49-0, in their District 3-4A opener last Friday. Columbia heads back to Jacksonville this week to face 13th-ranked Trinity Christian.
Mandarin, which is 4th, improved to 3-0 with a 32-14 win at then-No. 17 Nease (Ponte Vedra), while St. Augustine rounds out the top five. The Yellow Jackets (4-0) had no problem in their District 4-4A opener with a 48-6 win at Middleburg.
Class 6A DeLand (2-1) is tied for sixth with Hawthorne, which had one of its biggest wins in program history with a 16-12 win against 4A state runner-up Northwestern (Miami) on a stormy Thursday night in Hawthorne. Unfortunately, the Hornets (4-0) lost junior quarterback Richard Roundtree Jr. for the season with a broken fibula.
Bolles (Jacksonville) remained 8th after taking care of rival Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), 35-13, last week. The Bulldogs (2-1) host No. 15 Oakleaf (Orange Park) this week.
Class 2A Bradford (Starke) (4-0) is 9th and Spruce Creek (Port Orange) remained at No. 10.
The 10th-ranked Hawks (4-0) won two games last week, 34-8 at Deltona on Friday and then made up a postponed game on Monday with a 10-3 win at Rockledge.
Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (3-1), which knocked off then-No. 15 Bartram Trail (St. Johns), 30-7, and Fort White (4-0) are new to the rankings at No. 17 and No. 20, respectively. Bartram Trail dropped out from last week along with Nease.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball teams (regardless of classification and affiliation) 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 – 2026 FOOTBALL POLL #5
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (8) (4-0) – 216
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (5A) (2) (4-0) – 205
3. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (1) (4-0) – 204
4. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (5A) (3-0) – 178
5. St. Augustine (4A) (4-0) – 163
6T. DeLand (6A) (2-1) – 159
6T. Hawthorne (1A) (4-0) – 159
8. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (2-1) – 151
9. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (4-0) – 125
10. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (6A) (4-0) – 118
11. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (2-2) – 106
12. Ed White (Jacksonville) (4A) (2-1) – 93
13. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (2-2) – 69
14. Madison County (1A) (3-1) – 68
15. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (5A) (2-1) – 66
16. Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (3-1) – 43
17. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (5A) (3-1) – 30
18. The Villages (3A) (3-0) – 23
19. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (2-2) – 20
20. Fort White (1A) (3-0) – 16
Also receiving votes: West Nassau (Callahan) (SSAA) (3-0-1) – 9; Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (1-1) – 8; Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (3-0) – 8; Dunnellon (3A) (4-0) – 7; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (3-1) – 6; Yulee (4A) (3-1) – 6; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (3-1) – 5; Paxon (Jacksonville) (SSAA) (4-1) – 4; Newberry (2A) (2-2) – 2; Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (4-0) – 2; Forest (Ocala) (5A) (4-0) – 1; Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (1-3) – 1; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (3-1) – 1.
