Here’s a look at how all the ranked teams fared this past weekend, along with the opponent for Week #2. A total of eight teams suffered a season-opening loss but only one top 10 team lost (Suwannee).
Top-ranked & two-time defending 3A state champion Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) cruised in one of a half dozen games featuring ranked teams or receiving votes. The new poll will be released on Wednesday, September 2.
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 weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.
Prep Zone Power Poll – 2015 Football Poll #1
(School, followed by first-place votes, classification, current record, and results)
1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (6) (3A) (1-0) – d. RV Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 49-6, behind Billy Cobb’s four TD passes; two-time defending state champion Conquerors scored on offense, defense & special teams. NEXT: vs. RV Ribault (Jacksonville)
2. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5) (6A) (1-0) – d. #20 DeLand, 41-21, as QB Denzel Houston throws four TD passes – three to Randy Baker; nationally-ranked Bucs put the game away with two TD’s in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter. NEXT: vs. RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns)
3. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (7A) (1-0) – d. Westside (Jacksonville), 21-0; Keylan Brown rushed for 123 yards and a TD and the Knights held the Wolverines to 226 yards of total offense. NEXT: vs. Orange Park
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – d. 8A Lake Mary, 49-29, as the ‘Dogs rushed for 299 yards; junior QB Mac Jones, a Kentucky commit, was 10 of 15 for 185 yards and no turnovers. NEXT: at 6A No. 9 Heritage (Palm Bay)
5. First Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (0-0) – Game vs. Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville) was cancelled due to weather. NEXT: at #14 Gainesville
6. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (0-1) – LOST to 7A Leon (Tallahassee), 10-7; Bulldogs, who missed two FGs in the game, including one in the fourth quarter, fall on a 42-yard FG with one second to play in the game. NEXT: at 1A Fort White
7. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (1-0) – d. 7A Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach), 17-6; Colts rally from a 6-4 deficit in the 4th quarter on TD receptions by Kentrai Patterson and 4-star WR Freddie Swain; North Marion defense recorded two safeties in the game. NEXT: vs. 6A Forest (Ocala)
8. St. Augustine (6A) (1-0) – d. Baker County (Glen St. Mary), 29-7, as coach Joey Wiles improves to 18-2 in season openers. NEXT: at 5A Menendez (St. Augustine)
T9 South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (1-0) – d. Leesburg, 28-20; J.T. Taylor with three TD runs in the second half as the Raiders won their 34th consecutive regular season game. NEXT: at 8A Freedom (Orlando)
T9 Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (1-0) – d. Fleming Island (Orange Park), 28-0, as senior Bilal Ally rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns; the Blue Devils won back-to-back meetings in the series for the first time in 10 years. NEXT: at RV Flagler Palm Coast
11. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – d. Lee (Jacksonville), 39-0, as the Vikings dominated both lines of scrimmage and also got punt return TDs by Bishop Bonnett and Willie Wright, and a pick-six by Davonte Lawrence. NEXT: vs. 8A North Miami Beach
12. Madison County (1A) (0-1) – LOST at 5A Rickards (Tallahassee), 20-14, as the Cowboys lost three fumbles and suffered a late interception; NEXT: at Brooks County (Quitman, GA)
13. Ed White (Jacksonville) (6A) (0-1) – LOST at 7A #2 Lakeland, 35-10, as the Commanders were outscored 20-0 in the second half. NEXT: vs. 8A Mandarin (Jacksonville)
14. Gainesville (6A) (0-1) – LOST to RV Columbia (Lake City), 57-39, as the visiting ‘Canes led early at 17-14, but the Class 7A Tigers scored the next 16 to take a 30-17 halftime lead and never look back. NEXT: vs. #5 First Coast (Jacksonville)
15. Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (1-0) – d. Taylor County (Perry), 22-16, as the Bears won their third in a row against the Class 3A Bulldogs. NEXT: at Liberty County (Bristol)
16. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (0-1) – LOST at RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns), 31-16, as the Crusaders lost their opener for the first time since 2010. NEXT: at 7A Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville)
17. Trenton (1A) (1-0) – d. Duval Charter (Jacksonville), 50-16, as the Tigers jumped out to a commanding 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and cruised to the victory against the Class 3A Panthers. NEXT: vs. Bell
18. University (Orange City) (8A) (1-0) – d. RV Deltona, 30-20, as Cornelius Pitts, Lorenzo Lingard, Quenell Rutledge and Lawrence Coleman combined for 355 rushing yards; Titans scored 22 unanswered points in the second half to rally from a 12-point third quarter deficit and win. NEXT: at 6A New Smyrna Beach
19. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (0-1) – LOST at Sandalwood (Jacksonville), 24-17, snapping a five-game winning streak against the 8A Saints; Ronnie Stevens returned a punt 91 yards with 5:18 to play to make it a one score game but Alec Adamec’s desperation pass was intercepted on their final possession. NEXT: vs. Terry Parker (Jacksonville)
T20 Hamilton County (Jasper) (1A) (0-1) – LOST to RV Union County (Lake Butler), 35-20; defending 1A state runners-up struggled in the first half scoring just six points against the Tigers. NEXT: at 3A Taylor County (Perry)
T20 DeLand (8A) (0-1) – LOST at #2 Mainland (Daytona Beach), 41-21; Bulldogs closed the gap to a one score game on two occasions, including the third quarter following a blocked punt, but the Bucs put the game away with two TDs in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter. NEXT: vs. 6A Seabreeze (Daytona Beach)
Also receiving votes:
Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (1-0) – d. #16 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), 31-16, behind the two-QB system of Jordan Smith (13 of 17, 108 yards, TD) and Joey Gatewood (8 of 10, 104 yards, TD). NEXT: at #2 Mainland (Daytona Beach)
Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (0-1) – LOST to 6A Matanzas (Palm Coast), 14-7; the loss was the Bulldogs’ first in seven attempts against its smaller Flagler County rival. NEXT: vs. #9 Clay (Green Cove Springs)
Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (0-1) – LOST to #1 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), 49-6, as the Celtics managed just 147 total yards and fell behind 35-0 in the second quarter. NEXT: at 5A Jesuit (Tampa)
Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A) (0-1) – LOST at Newberry, 21-12; Raiders dug themselves a 21-0 hole in the second quarter and never recovered; they allowed the Panthers to rush for 4.5 yards per carry. NEXT: at Charlton County (GA)
Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (1-0) – d. #14 Gainesville, 57-39, thanks to some big special teams play; Latrell Williams had an 88-yard kickoff return for a score and a 30-yard punt return that set up another score, turning a close game into a blowout. NEXT: at 7A Lincoln (Tallahassee) (Thur.)
Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (1-0) – d. Hamilton County (Jasper), 35-20; Big road win to start the season for the Tigers as the Trojans are the defending 1A state runners-up. NEXT: vs. 2A Agape Christian (Orlando)
University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (1-0) – d. Providence (Jacksonville), 37-0, as Florida Times-Union Super 11 running back Hussein Howe carried the ball 19 times for 172 yards and four TDs. NEXT: vs. Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville)
Ribault (Jacksonville) (5A) (0-1) – LOST to Miami Norland, 23-12, as the Trojans turned the ball over in their own territory on three of their first four possessions and failed to convert on a pair of second-half opportunities inside the 10-yard line. NEXT: at #1 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)
Mount Dora (4A) (0-0) – game vs. South Lake (Groveland) was rescheduled for Saturday but then cancelled due to transportation issues. NEXT: at 5A Tavares
Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (1-0) – d. Eastside (Gainesville), 48-13, as the Bobcats amassed over 400 yards of offense and scored 36 unanswered points following an early deficit in winning their third straight against the Rams. NEXT: vs. 5A Citrus (Inverness) (Thur.)
Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (1-0) – d. Palatka, 25-12, as the Knights force six turnovers and rushed for 225 yards in winning their 4th straight against the Panthers. NEXT: at 7A West Port (Ocala)
Deltona (6A) (0-1) – LOST to #18 University (Orange City), 30-20, despite a 13-0 halftime lead and a 20-8 lead midway through the 3rd quarter following a 55-yard TD pass from quarterback Marquies Lane (12 of 22 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions) to Miami commit Evan Hinson. NEXT: vs. 3A Trinity Prep (Winter Park)
On the bubble:
Newberry (1A) (1-0) – d. RV Santa Fe (Alachua), 21-12; did the Panthers make a statement for 2015 with their surprising win against Santa Fe? The Panthers jumped out to a 21-0 lead and rushed for 179 yards and three TDs in beating their Alachua County rival for the eighth time in the last 10 meetings. NEXT: vs. 5A Eastside (Gainesville)
Dunnellon (4A) (1-0) – d. Crystal River, 23-6, as junior Zack West made FGs of 26, 43 and 35 yards, and Tootie Livermore had an interception and caught a 23-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter that sealed the win. NEXT: at 5A Lecanto
Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (1-0) – d. Fletcher (Neptune Beach), 24-17, as senior quarterback Eli Peters, a Fletcher transfer, totaled 299 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns as the Saints ended a five-year losing streak in the series. NEXT: at Jackson (Jacksonville)
