The Prep Zone

Future is bright for Gainesville High Tennis

Mike Ridaught

-

April 12, 2017

By Jack DaSilva

Gainesville High’s tennis teams have been building up momentum heading into this week’s 3A-District 5 tournament, and they’ve found success with both the boys’ and girls’ teams.

While Gainesville’s #1 single Dare Harris lost to Lecanto High School’s Malik Tahiri in the district finals, making it there is an accomplishment in itself.

Harris, who earned his number one-seed throughout the season, went into the district finals but fell short to Tahiri in three sets: 3-6, 6-4, (15-13) in the match tiebreaker.

Christian Mazpule (left) and Dare Harris (right)

Harris and Christian Mazpule joined “The Prep Zone” show on April 4th and both recognized top-seeded Lecanto as the team to beat going into the district tournament and Lecanto went on the become district champions on Tuesday, April 11th.

Harris made it to the state playoffs last year as a sophomore but he will have to wait until next year to try and make it back.

The GHS girls’ team had better results, winning the district with 17 points, finishing ahead of Lecanto which came in second place with 11 points.

Sara Michel, Olivia Bryant, and Elena Gilland won singles titles for the Lady ‘Canes, and Michel and Bryant won the district championship at #1 doubles. GHS will host the 3A-6 District runner-up in a region match next Tuesday, April 18.

Gary Pigott was in-between jobs when he took on the role of coaching the boys’ tennis team at Gainesville High School.

Pigott, who will be the girls’ golf coach this fall, had some trouble putting a team together at first when the season began.

First-year GHS boys' tennis coach Gary Pigott — First-year GHS boys’ tennis coach Gary Pigott

“There’s 1,800 kids at GHS so I figured I’d have a meeting, some kids will show up and then we’ll kind of go from there which is what we did and only five kids showed up,” he said.

Pigott explained that he knew he’d have a good team to work with one way or another, especially with the return of Harris, who moved up from the #2 seed.

He made sure to point out that his team succeeds on and off the court with many of his players being a part of the Cambridge Program, which is similar to the IB Program at many schools.

In fact, only Mazpule and Harris came out to Sonic for “The Prep Zone” show on April 4th because the others wanted to stay home and study. Even the two players who were there had their school books open before the show began.

“GPA is not a problem on my team,” Pigott noted.

With success on and off the court, coach Pigott has done a great job as coach in his first year as the boys’ tennis coach. He hopes to transfer the same energy his tennis team had to his golf team next year.

2017 Miracle Sports state softball rankings – Poll #7

Mike Ridaught

-

April 12, 2017

2

This is the seventh 2017 Miracle Sports High School Softball Poll conducted by Miracle Sports. The Miracle Sports state softball poll is produced weekly utilizing former and current high school and college coaches from across the state. Records are for games through Tuesday, April 11. Area teams in bold.

ALL CLASS TOP 10
1. Coral Springs Charter (5A) 19-1
2. Orange Park Oakleaf (8A) 20-2
3. Winter Garden West Orange (9A) 18-2
4. Bradenton Lakewood Ranch (8A) 19-2
5. Miami Palmetto (9A) 20-2
6. Fort Myers (7A) 21-2
7. Orlando Timber Creek (9A) 17-2
8. Plantation American Heritage (6A) 17-3
9. Plant City (8A) 14-1
10. Niceville (7A) 19-3

CLASS 9A
1. Winter Garden West Orange 18-2
2. Miami Palmetto 20-2
3. Orlando Timber Creek 17-2
4. Palm Harbor University 20-2
5. Palm Beach Gardens 18-5
6. Jupiter 18-2
7. Parkland Stoneman Douglas 18-4
8. Orlando Boone 16-3
9. Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast 14-3
10. Davie Western 17-5
Honorable mention: Miami Coral Reef 15-6, Hialeah American 14-5, Orange City University 15-6, Coconut Creek Monarch 15-6, Tampa Alonso 12-6, Jacksonville Mandarin 12-6.

CLASS 8A
1. Orange Park Oakleaf 20-2
2. Bradenton Lakewood Ranch 19-2
3. Plant City 14-1
4. Lutz Steinbrenner 16-3
5. Wellington 15-3
6. Tallahassee Chiles 17-4
7. Winter Springs 16-5
8. Tarpon Springs East Lake 15-3
9. St. Cloud 16-5
10. Royal Palm Beach 16-5
Honorable mention: Lakeland George Jenkins 14-5, Oviedo Hagerty 13-6, Clearwater Countryside 16-6, Tallahassee Lincoln 15-6, Jacksonville Atlantic Coast 15-6, Bartow 13-7.

CLASS 7A
1. Fort Myers 21-2
2. Niceville 19-3
3. Tampa Chamberlain 18-3
4. Viera 18-4
5. Gainesville 18-4
6. Bradenton Braden River 11-5
7. Deltona 17-3
8. St. Johns Creekside 10-2
9. Estero 15-5
10. Land O’Lakes Sunlake 15-4
Honorable mention: St. Johns Bartram Trail 14-4, Daytona Beach Seabreeze 10-4, Milton 16-5, Tampa Gaither 13-7, Eagle Lake Lake Region 13-8, Cantonment Tate 15-7.

CLASS 6A
1. Plantation American Heritage 17-3
2. North Fort Myers 20-3
3. Rockledge 17-4
4. Spring Hill Springstead 18-3
5. Land O’Lakes 19-3
6. Belleview 17-3
7. Tampa Robinson 18-3
8. Melbourne Eau Gallie 16-5
9. Crawfordville Wakulla 15-5
10. Ponte Vedra 15-5
Honorable mention: Crystal River 15-4, Wesley Chapel 13-5, Jacksonville Paxon 14-5, Dunnellon 16-6, Gulfport Boca Ciega 12-2.

CLASS 5A
1. Coral Springs Charter 19-1
2. Eustis 15-1
3. Callahan West Nassau 15-5
4. Alachua Santa Fe 16-4
5. Miami Gulliver Prep 12-5
6. Bradenton Bayshore 11-2
7. Key West 15-3
8. Glen St. Mary Baker County 17-6
9. Brooksville Nature Coast 16-5
10. Wauchula Hardee 17-5
Honorable mention: Defuniak Springs Walton 12-5, Orlando Bishop Moore 16-7, Keystone Heights 14-7, Marianna 15-6, Pompano Beach 12-6.

CLASS 4A
1. West Palm Beach Oxbridge Academy 20-2
2. Miami Westminster Christian 15-5
3. Jacksonville Trinity Christian 12-5
4. Montverde Academy 13-6-1
5. Fort Myers Bishop Verot 13-8
6. Jacksonville Episcopal 13-2
7. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna 11-5
8. Tampa Catholic 16-6
9. Tampa Academy of Holy Names 11-7
10. Fort Lauderdale University 10-6
Honorable mention: Clearwater Calvary Christian 10-5, Delray American Heritage 9-7, Interlachen, Panama City North Bay Haven 11-8.

CLASS 3A
1. Belle Isle Cornerstone Charter 16-3
2. Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian 12-2
3. Marathon 14-3
4. Orange Park St. Johns Country Day 12-3
5. Moore Haven 13-4
6. Gainesville Oak Hall 12-4
7. St. Petersburg Northside Christian 11-4
8. Bradenton Saint Stephen’s Episcopal 13-5
9. Tallahassee North Florida Christian 11-10
10. St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut 11-5
Honorable mention: Oviedo Master’s Academy 10-5, Fort Myers Evangelical Christian 11-6, Bradenton Christian 8-6, Seffner Christian 13-7, Fort Pierce John Carroll 13-8.

CLASS 2A
1. Land O’Lakes Academy at the Lakes 15-1
2. St. Petersburg Canterbury 14-6
3. Monticello Aucilla Christian 10-7
4. Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian 16-1
5. Lake Worth Christian 8-1
6. Sarasota Christian 12-2
7. Homestead Colonial Christian 12-3
8. Jacksonville Eagle’s View 16-5
9. Mount Dora Christian 16-5
10. Palatka Peniel Baptist Academy 14-5
Honorable mention: Vero Beach Master’s Academy 14-9, Orlando Christian Prep 8-3, Palm Bay Covenant Christian 9-4.

CLASS 1A
1. Trenton 17-1
2. Lake Butler Union County 14-2
3. Paxton 14-2
4. Chiefland 13-5
5. Eastpoint Franklin County 16-6
6. Chipley 12-4
7. Sneads 14-6
8. Milton Central 17-3
9. Pierson Taylor 10-3
10. Wewahitchka 9-6
Honorable mention: Baldwin 14-7, Holmes County 13-7, Bratt Northview 9-4, Port St. Joe 11-5, Santa Rosa Beach South Walton 12-8.

2017 FHSAA Flag Football State Rankings – Week #4

Mike Ridaught

-

April 12, 2017

0

Here are the latest FloridaHSFootball.com Girls Flag Football State Rankings for both FHSAA Class 2A and Class 1A after the first four weeks of regular season play. Area teams in bold.

Current ranking, followed by team record and previous ranking

CLASS 2A
1. Seminole Ridge (Loxahatchee), 6-0, 1
2. Plant (Tampa), 7-2, 2
3. Martin County (Stuart), 7-0, 3
4. Park Vista (Lake Worth), 4-0, 4
5. Dr. Phillips (Orlando), 5-0, 5
6. Alonso (Tampa), 6-3, 6
7. Hialeah, 7-0, 8
8. Bloomingdale (Valrico), 7-1, 7
9. Apopka, 6-1, 9
10. Cooper City, 9-0, 13

The Next 10
11. Fleming Island (Orange Park), 2-0, 12
12. South Broward (Hollywood), 7-1, 10
13. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), 4-1, 11
14. Coral Gables, 6-0, 14
15. East Bay (Gibsonton), 7-1, 16
16. Western, 6-2, 19
17. Piper (Sunrise), 5-1, 15
18. Vero Beach, 4-1, NR
19. St. Cloud, 4-2, 18
20. Wharton (Tampa), 5-3, 16

CLASS 1A
1. Robinson (Tampa), 9-0, 1
2. Harmony, 6-0, 3
3. Godby (Tallahassee), 6-1, 2
4. Chiles (Tallahassee), 6-0, 4
5. Miami Edison, 6-0, 5
6. Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach), 6-0, 6
7. Mainland (Daytona Beach), 7-0, 10
8. Pembroke Pines Charter, 8-0, 11
9. Fort Pierce Westwood, 2-0, 7
10. Terry Parker (Jacksonville), 4-0, 13

The Next 10
11. Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches), 10-1, 14
12. Miami Jackson, 6-1, 12
13. Jensen Beach, 4-0, 16
14. Lincoln (Tallahassee), 4-4, 8
15. Rickards (Tallahassee), 4-2, 20
16. Orange Park, 4-2, 15
17. Suncoast (Riviera Beach), 6-0, 18
18. Booker T. Washington (Miami), 5-1, NR
19. Tarpon Springs, 5-0, NR
20. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes), 7-2, NR

DROPPED OUT: No. 9 Monsignor Pace, 7-2; No. 17 Englewood (Jacksonville), 3-1; No. 19 Seabreeze (Daytona Beach), 3-2.

Oak Hall Girls’ Lacrosse

Mike Stanton

-

April 11, 2017

0

Date: Tue 04/11/2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Title: “The Prep Zone”

Event Details: Join Mike Ridaught and Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from Sonic of Gainesville. Their guests include first-year Oak Hall (Gainesville) girls’ lacrosse coach Deanna Majeski and members of the Lady Eagles district championship team. We’ll also announce The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week and preview a big broadcast week ahead. #ThePrepZone.com

Click Here to Listen

CHROME BROWSER NOTE: Recent versions of the Chrome Browser have discontinued support for several plugins including the Silverlight media player used on this site. The best option to access this ‘live’ broadcast is to switch to a different browser, i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The other option for windows users is to click the “WMP Player” once you access the broadcast on Chrome. This will play the broadcast in your standalone windows media player if that is available on your computer.

Cornerstone Academy spring soccer teams hoping to compete for an FCAPPS championship

Mike Ridaught

-

April 10, 2017

0

Cornerstone Academy_Gainesville By Jack DaSilva

While soccer season is officially over for the Florida High School Athletic Association, Gainesville’s Cornerstone Academy is just warming up.

For the Cougars, who play spring soccer in the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS), their season began in March.

There are 14 schools participating in varsity boys’ soccer and 13 schools participating in girls’ soccer. The schools are divided into two conferences (East/West).

Jon Doles coaches the Cornerstone boys’ team, but in the Winter he is the head coach for the P.K. Yonge girls’ team.

“For me as a coach it’s good to just continue training and take what I’ve seen and learned from the Winter season and plug some of that in to the group over at Cornerstone.” said Doles, who was describing what it’s like to coach one school in the Winter and another school in the Spring.

In the FCAPPS, the format is a little different.

In soccer, the field is about 20% smaller than most schools are used to but the goals are still full-sized. Coach Doles explained that because the fields are smaller the game is sped up as well.

The Cornerstone boys’ team is a young group with only one senior on the team, while the girls’ team has only two seniors. With a young squad both the boys’ and girls’ teams have a bright future and will be able to build on the foundation they already have.

Cornerstone girls soccer Jamie Thomas is one of the coaches for the girls’ team and believes that despite losing a few key players that her team is in a good spot.

“Starting a fairly new and young team this year which is often times unfortunate, we got us new girls in that we’re excited to use and one of the things that we really stress with these girls is making sure that we play to our advantages,” she said. “So we have a young team—even last year we had a young team[…] so starting out with young new players can be great and can be really challenging.

“We are really smart. That is where our advantage is. Coach Doles is so great at teaching fundamentals of keeping spacing and knowing where you’re supposed to be and where the ball is supposed to be so we play smart ball and that’s really where we win games.”

Senior Hannah McGee will help lead the girls team, which lost three solid players from last year’s team, making the road to a conference championship much more difficult.

“While I was doubtful of missing the girls I was like, ‘it’s ok,’ because I was confident in our coaches and I knew it would would work out,” she explained.

Junior Abigail Mase is injured but has found a way to stay involved with the team.

“My role this year is that I keep the stats during the games, making sure the girls are always on time, and making sure that if they need anything that they can get what they need,” she said.

Cornerstone boys soccer The Cornerstone boys, who joined The Prep Zone show with the girls on March 21, feel they are in contention for a conference championship

“I guess it’s just the teamwork and all of us working together […] I believe our teamwork is our best effort,” said sophomore Matthew Lobatos.

Coach Doles is respected by his players who understand that he’s had success with his previous position coaching the Lady Blue Wave.

“He’s a great coach,” noted Lobatos.

Where there’s inexperience, the Cornerstone boys’ and girls’ soccer team makes up for in knowledge.

Girls’ Head Coach Dominic Griego, Doles, and the other coaches have done a great job at coaching and mentoring these players on and off the field.

The conference season continues this Thursday vs. The Rock School (Gainesville). The boy’s game is at 5 p.m., followed by the girls at 6:30 p.m.

The conference tournament dates are April 27-29 and the FCAPPS State Invitational Tournament is May 5-6 in Lakeland.

ThePrepZone.com state baseball poll – Poll #4

Mike Ridaught

-

April 6, 2017

0

Gainesville – There were a couple of firsts last week for some of the top teams in ThePrepZone.com state baseball rankings.

Class 6A No. 1 Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy suffered its first loss of the season. The Mavericks (16-1), ranked No. 1 in the country in some polls, lost 5-1 to nationally-ranked South Hills (CA) at the National High School Invitational in Cary (NC). However, they held on to the top spot in the Florida all-classification rankings.

The No. 2-ranked team in Class 9A, Miami Palmetto, also lost last week for the first time this season. The Panthers (13-1) lost at Miami Killian, 11-5, which vaulted the Cougars (12-3) into the 9A state rankings at No. 7.

Miami Columbus flip-flopped with Miami Palmetto for the No. 2 spot in the all-classification rankings and for the No. 1 spot in Class 9A.

Another Miami school, Monsignor Pace, is the top-ranked team in Class 5A and the Spartans (15-1) are the No. 4 team overall. Class 7A Cantonment Tate rounds out the top five.

Some of the new teams to crack the top 10 in their respective classifications this week include: 9A Coral Springs Taravella (No. 10), 8A Clearwater Countryside (#10), 7A Gainesville (#10), 5A schools Keystone Heights & Fernandina Beach (9th & 10th, respectively), 3A #10 Largo Indian Rocks Christian, 2A #10 Land O’Lakes Academy at the Lakes, and 1A #10 Fort White.

Records are through April 5. Teams in The Prep Zone’s coverage area in bold.

ALL-CLASSIFICATION
1. Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy (6A) 16-1
2. Miami Columbus (9A) 16-1
3. Miami Palmetto (9A) 13-1
4. Miami Monsignor Pace (5A) 15-1
5. Cantonment Tate (7A) 14-1
6. Lynn Haven Mosley (6A) 15-1
7. Tampa Jesuit (6A) 18-2
8. Miami Westminster Christian (4A) 13-4
9. Jacksonville Providence (4A) 15-4
10. Tampa Plant (8A) 13-3

CLASS 9A
1. Miami Columbus 16-1
2. Miami Palmetto 13-1
3. Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley 12-3
4. Jupiter 14-4
5. Jacksonville Sandalwood 15-1
6. Winter Garden West Orange 15-3
7. Miami Killian 12-3
8. Orlando Olympia 14-4
9. Pembroke Pines Flanagan 10-3
10. Coral Springs Taravella 11-3
Honorable mention: Tampa Alonso 13-4, Parkland Stoneman Douglas 9-4, Pembroke Pines West Broward 10-3, Lake Worth Park Vista 11-4, Orange City University 10-5, Miami Braddock 13-6, Vero Beach 12-3, Palm Beach Central 11-7.

CLASS 8A
1. Tampa Plant 13-3
2. Orange Park Oakleaf 14-2
3. Neptune Beach Fletcher 13-4
4. Tampa Steinbrenner 12-4
5. Oviedo Hagerty 11-6
6. Davie Nova 13-2
7. Tarpon Springs East Lake 12-3
8. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas 11-4
9. Coral Springs Coral Glades 11-1
10. Clearwater Countryside 13-3
Honorable mention: Ocoee 8-3, Tallahassee Lincoln 11-5, Tallahassee Leon 11-5, Wellington 11-5, West Palm Beach Forest Hill 12-5, Lakeland George Jenkins 12-5, Gainesville Buchholz 10-5, Sarasota 9-6, Royal Palm Beach 12-6.

CLASS 7A
1. Cantonment Tate 14-1
2. Venice 14-5
3. Naples Gulf Coast 15-3
4. Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 14-4
5. St. Johns Creekside 13-3
6. Viera 14-3
7. Brandon 12-3
8. Fort Myers Riverdale 12-2
9. Winter Haven 12-3
10. Gainesville 13-4
Honorable mention: Doral Academy 11-4-1, Punta Gorda Charlotte 11-4, Estero 13-3, New Port Richey Mitchell 14-2, Pace 11-5, Pensacola Escambia 11-5, New Smyrna Beach 9-5.

CLASS 6A
1. Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy 16-1
2. Lynn Haven Mosley 15-1
3. Tampa Jesuit 18-2
4. Plantation American Heritage 12-5
5. Melbourne Eau Gallie 13-2
6. Belleview 14-1
7. Miami Springs 14-1
8. Spring Hill Springstead 15-2
9. Rockledge 11-5
10. Miami Goleman 13-4
Honorable mention: Merritt Island 10-5, Jacksonville Terry Parker 13-5, Gulf Breeze 10-6, Orange Park Ridgeview 12-2, Jacksonville Stanton 14-3, Sebring 12-5, Ponte Vedra 11-4, Cape Coral Ida Baker 13-4.

CLASS 5A
1. Miami Monsignor Pace 15-1
2. Jacksonville Bishop Kenny 14-1
3. Melbourne Central Catholic 11-2
4. Jacksonville Bolles 11-5
5. Pompano Beach 12-2
6. Live Oak Suwannee 13-2
7. Miami Gulliver Prep 10-5
8. Bushnell South Sumter 12-1
9. Keystone Heights 13-2
10. Fernandina Beach 12-4
Honorable mention: Marianna 12-5, Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy 10-5, The Villages 10-5, Ft. Lauderdale Pine Crest 9-6, Satellite Beach Satellite 11-4, Yulee 11-5, Lakeland McKeel Academy 11-5, Wauchula Hardee 11-3.

CLASS 4A
1. Miami Westminster Christian 13-4
2. Jacksonville Providence 15-4
3. Pensacola Catholic 14-3
4. Fort Lauderdale University 17-0
5. Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian Academy 12-7
6. Clearwater Calvary Christian 14-0
7. Jacksonville Trinity Christian 10-7
8. Orlando The First Academy 13-2
9. Delray Beach American Heritage 14-4
10. Miami Florida Christian 9-4
Honorable mention: Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy 10-5, Ocala Trinity Catholic 9-4, Fort Myers Bishop Verot 11-6, Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 11-5-1, Clearwater Central Catholic 10-4, Boca Raton St. John Paul II Academy 13-4, Winter Park Trinity Prep 9-5.

CLASS 3A
1. Sarasota Out-of-Door 15-2-1
2. Fort Myers Canterbury 14-4
3. Tallahassee North Florida Christian 12-4
4. St. Petersburg Northside Christian 14-3
5. Tampa Cambridge Christian 13-3
6. Naples St. John Neumann 14-3
7. Jacksonville University Christian 11-5
8. Miami Archbishop Carroll 14-2
9. Tampa Carrollwood Day 12-5
10. Largo Indian Rocks Christian 11-4
Honorable mention: Lake Mary Prep 11-5, Oviedo Master’s Academy 10-4, Melbourne Florida Prep 8-4, Lakeland Christian 9-6, Tallahassee Maclay 9-6, Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic 9-6, Spring Hill Bishop McLaughlin 10-7, Seffner Christian 7-4.

CLASS 2A
1. Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian 11-1-1
2. Miami Christian 14-4
3. Deltona Trinity Christian 12-4
4. Mount Dora Christian Academy 12-3
5. Lake Worth Trinity Christian 12-6
6. Jacksonville First Coast Christian 10-2-1
7. Miami Westwood Christian 11-5
8. Naples Seacrest Country Day 11-6
9. St. Petersburg Keswick Christian 10-4-2
10. Land O’Lakes Academy at the Lakes 8-3
Honorable mention: St. Petersburg Canterbury 12-4, Lake Worth Christian 11-4, Brito Miami Private 8-5, Jacksonville Christ’s Church 8-5, Tampa Bayshore Christian 6-4.

CLASS 1A
1. Trenton 13-1
2. Pierson Taylor 14-1
3. Blountstown 15-1
4. Santa Rosa South Walton 11-3
5. Lake Butler Union County 13-4
6. Chipley 9-4
7. Bell 10-3
8. Milton Central 11-3
9. Cross City Dixie County 9-5
10. Fort White 7-5
Honorable mention: Vernon 8-3, Malone 8-4, Port St. Joe 7-5, Chiefland 6-4, Madison County 9-7, Williston 8-6, Bratt Northview 8-7, Jay 6-5.

Gainesville at Vanguard | Baseball

Mike Stanton

-

April 6, 2017

0

Date: Thu 04/06/2017
Time: 6:45 p.m. – PREGAME (First pitch at 7 p.m.). Click on the link below to listen to the game.
Title: HS Baseball – Gainesville at Vanguard (Ocala)

Event Details: Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) and Skyler Lebron (Color) for this Alachua County vs. Marion County showdown. It’s also a key Class 7A-District 3 game. Follow @ThePrepZone on Facebook & Twitter for updates.

Gainesville, winners of four in a row and eight of their last night, is currently in second place in the district. Vanguard is currently in third place in the 4-team district.

The visiting Hurricanes (13-4 overall & 3-1 in the district) are two games behind Columbia (Lake City), who they split with. GHS, which is coming off a 15-5 win against 8A Buchholz (Gainesville), will host Vanguard (8-7, 2-2 in 7A-District 3) on Friday in the district finale.

If the Purple Hurricanes sweep the Knights then a coin toss will be used to determine the No. 1 seed. The top seed in the district will host the district tournament the first week of May.

Click Here to Listen

CHROME BROWSER NOTE: Recent versions of the Chrome Browser have discontinued support for several plugins including the Silverlight media player used on this site. The best option to access this ‘live’ broadcast is to switch to a different browser, i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The other option for windows users is to click the “WMP Player” once you access the broadcast on Chrome. This will play the broadcast in your standalone windows media player if that is available on your computer.

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

Mike Ridaught

-

April 5, 2017

0

Despite loss, Providence (Jacksonville) still unanimous #1 in regional baseball poll

GAINESVILLE — Another week down in the high school baseball season for the teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll, and every team from last week’s top five lost last week.

Despite that fact, the team at the top of the poll remains the same.

Providence (Jacksonville) dropped a game last Saturday to a team ranked in the top 50 in the country according to Max Preps in Brookwood (Snellville, GA), but defeated then-#5 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) and Duval Charter (Jacksonville) to remain the top team in the poll this week.

The Stallions (15-3) received all eight first-place votes again this week and remain #1 in 4A and #5 overall in the all-classification rankings of ThePrepZone.com state rankings.

Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) dropped its first game of the season last week 4-1 at Ponte Vedra, but remain 2nd this week. The Crusaders (13-1) also picked up two district wins against Ribault (Jacksonville) last week. They are also ranked 2nd in the 5A state poll.

Oakleaf (Orange Park) moves up three spots to #3, replacing Sandalwood (Jacksonville), which dropped one slot to #4.

Oakleaf (13-2) had a 2-0 week with wins over First Coast (Jacksonville) and Fleming Island (Orange Park). The Knights are also ranked 2nd in the state poll for 8A.

Sandalwood (13-2) notched a win over #13 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) but lost 7-2 at #8 Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) a week ago. The Saints are currently 7th in the 9A state baseball poll.

Rounding out the top five is Bolles (Jacksonville), which was 4th in the last poll. The Bulldogs (11-4) also beat Fletcher 15-9 last week along with a win at First Coast, but also dropped a 4-3 decision on Saturday to Brookwood (GA). Bolles is currently ranked 3rd in the state for 5A.

Suwannee (Live Oak) moves up two places this week to start the second 10 at No. 6. The Bulldogs (13-2) garnered wins over Santa Fe (Alachua) and at Yulee and are also ranked 7th in the state poll for 5A.

Trinity Christian drops two spots to 7th this week after a busy week that included playing in the National High School Invitational in Cary, NC.

The Conquerors (11-7) went 2-2 in North Carolina with wins over South Hills (CA) and Hough (NC) and losses to American Heritage (Plantation) and Orange Lutheran (CA). The Conquerors also double-booked themselves as they had a big District 2-4A game at Providence during the tourney, but instead sent their JV team to play the Stallions and dropped that game 11-0.

Atlantic Coast moves up a slot to 8th after beating Sandalwood while losing to #14 Mandarin (Jacksonville) during a 2-1 week.

Creekside (St. Johns) is up two spots and into the top 10 at #9. The Knights (12-3) were 3-0 last week with two wins over rival Bartram Trail (St. Johns).

Remaining 10th is University Christian (Jacksonville). The Christians (11-5) were a perfect 3-0 last week and also are ranked 7th in the 3A state baseball poll.

The only team new to the poll is 1A Union County (Lake Butler), which is tied for 19th with 4A Trinity Catholic (Ocala).

Class 6A Terry Parker (Jacksonville) dropped out of the top 20.

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.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2017 BASEBALL POLL #3
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, record thru 4/1, and total voting points)
1. Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (8) (15-3) – 160
2. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (13-1) – 147
3. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (13-2) – 136
4. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (9A) (13-2) – 135
5. Bolles (Jacksonville) (5A) (11-4) – 129
6. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (13-2) – 113
7. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (4A) (11-7) – 107
8. Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (8A) (11-4) – 101
9. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (12-3) – 95
10. University Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (11-5) – 77
11. Belleview (6A) (14-1) – 71
12. Springstead (Spring Hill) (6A) (15-2) – 64
13. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (8A) (12-4) – 63
14. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (9A) (10-5) – 57
15. Trenton (1A) (13-1) – 49
16. Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) (2A) (11-0-1) – 39
17. South Sumter (Bushnell) (5A) (12-0) – 36
18. Keystone Heights (5A) (12-2) – 28
T-19. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (4A) (11-3) – 14
T-19. Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (11-4) – 14
Also receiving votes: Gainesville (7A) (13-4) – 12; Ponte Vedra (6A) (10-4) – 11; Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (6A) (12-5) – 8; Stanton (Jacksonville) (6A) (12-3) – 7; Ridgeview (Orange Park) (6A) (12-2) – 6; University (Orange City) (9A) (10-5) – 1.

Gainesville Tennis and Golf

"The Prep Zone" Sports Show Presented by Sonic Drive-In

Mike Stanton

-

April 5, 2017

0

Date: Wed 04/05/2017
Title: “The Prep Zone”

Event Details: Join Mike Ridaught and Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from Sonic of Gainesville. Their guests include Gainesville boys’ tennis coach Gary Pigott and members of the Hurricanes’ tennis team. We’ll also announce The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week. #ThePrepZone.com

Click Here to Listen

CHROME BROWSER NOTE: Recent versions of the Chrome Browser have discontinued support for several plugins including the Silverlight media player used on this site. The best option to access this ‘live’ broadcast is to switch to a different browser, i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The other option for windows users is to click the “WMP Player” once you access the broadcast on Chrome. This will play the broadcast in your standalone windows media player if that is available on your computer.

2017 Miracle Sports state softball rankings – Poll #6

Mike Ridaught

-

April 5, 2017

0

This is the sixth 2017 Miracle Sports High School Softball Poll conducted by Miracle Sports. The Miracle Sports state softball poll is produced weekly utilizing former and current high school and college coaches from across the state. Records are for games through Tuesday, April 4. Area teams in bold.

ALL CLASS TOP 10
1. Coral Springs Charter (5A) 17-1
2. Fort Myers (7A) 20-1
3. Bradenton Lakewood Ranch (8A) 15-1
4. Orlando Timber Creek (9A) 14-1
5. Winter Garden West Orange (9A) 16-2
6. Miami Palmetto (9A) 18-2
7. Orange Park Oakleaf (8A) 15-2
8. Gainesville (7A) 15-2
9. Plantation American Heritage (6A) 17-2
10. Land O’Lakes Academy at the Lakes (2A) 13-0

CLASS 9A
1. Orlando Timber Creek 14-1
2. Winter Garden West Orange 16-2
3. Miami Palmetto 18-2
4. Palm Beach Gardens 17-4
5. Palm Harbor University 17-2
6. Jupiter 16-2
7. Miami Coral Reef 15-5
8. Parkland Stoneman Douglas 17-4
9. Orlando Boone 13-3
10. Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast 11-1
Honorable mention: Davie Western 16-5; Orange City University 15-5; Hialeah American 13-5; Coconut Creek Monarch 15-6; Tampa Alonso 11-6; Jacksonville Mandarin 10-4.

CLASS 8A
1. Bradenton Lakewood Ranch 15-1
2. Orange Park Oakleaf 15-2
3. Plant City 11-1
4. Lutz Steinbrenner 15-3
5. Wellington 13-3
6. Tarpon Springs East Lake 13-2
7. St. Cloud 13-2
8. Tallahassee Chiles 15-4
9. Winter Springs 12-4
10. Oviedo Hagerty 12-5
Honorable mention: Royal Palm Beach 14-5; Tallahassee Lincoln 14-5; Jacksonville Atlantic Coast 12-5; Lakeland George Jenkins 12-5; Bartow 10-5; Gibsonton East Bay 13-6; Valrico Bloomingdale 13-6.

CLASS 7A
1. Fort Myers 20-1
2. Gainesville 15-2
3. Tampa Chamberlain 16-1
4. Niceville 17-2
5. Viera 16-2
6. Deltona 15-2
7. Bradenton Braden River 8-3
8. Eagle Lake Lake Region 12-4
9. St. Johns Bartram Trail 12-3
10. Lake City Columbia 10-4
Honorable mention: Cantonment Tate 12-4; St. Johns Creekside 10-2; Milton 11-3; Land O’Lakes Sunlake 14-4; Pembroke Pines Charter 11-6; Winter Haven 14-5; North Port 11-7.

CLASS 6A
1. Plantation American Heritage 17-2
2. North Fort Myers 19-3
3. Rockledge 15-2
4. Spring Hill Springstead 16-2
5. Belleview 14-2
6. Land O’Lakes 17-3
7. Melbourne Eau Gallie 14-3
8. Miami Lakes Goleman 16-3
9. Tampa Robinson 13-3
10. Crawfordville Wakulla 13-5
Honorable mention: Ponte Vedra 10-4; Crystal River 9-3; Wesley Chapel 10-5; Dunnellon 14-6; Jacksonville Paxon 12-4; Gulfport Boca Ciega 11-2; Naples Barron Collier 11-5.

CLASS 5A
1. Coral Springs Charter 17-1
2. Alachua Santa Fe 15-3
3. Eustis 12-1
4. Callahan West Nassau 12-4
5. Bradenton Bayshore 9-2
6. Orlando Bishop Moore 14-3
7. Key West 13-3
8. Glen St. Mary Baker County 16-6
9. Miami Gulliver Prep 8-5
10. Brooksville Nature Coast 13-4
Honorable mention: Wauchula Hardee 14-5; Keystone Heights 11-4; Pompano Beach 9-5; Marianna 12-5; Live Oak Suwannee 11-6; Starke Bradford 9-5.

CLASS 4A
1. Miami Westminster Christian 15-4
2. West Palm Beach Oxbridge Academy 18-2
3. Jacksonville Trinity Christian 11-4
4. Fort Myers Bishop Verot 11-6
5. Montverde Academy 10-4-1
6. Jacksonville Episcopal 11-2
7. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna 9-4
8. Clearwater Calvary Christian 9-4
9. Tampa Academy of Holy Names 10-6
10. Delray American Heritage 7-5
Honorable mention: Fort Lauderdale University 10-6; Tampa Catholic 13-6; Interlachen 10-7; Panama City North Bay Haven 10-7.

CLASS 3A
1. Belle Isle Cornerstone Charter 14-3
2. Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian 9-2
3. Orange Park St. Johns Country Day 11-3
4. Marathon 13-3
5. Moore Haven 11-4
6. Gainesville Oak Hall 10-4
7. St. Petersburg Northside Christian 9-4
8. Fort Myers Evangelical Christian 11-5
9. Bradenton Saint Stephen’s Episcopal 11-5
10. Tallahassee North Florida Christian 10-9
Honorable mention: Oviedo Master’s Academy 9-5; St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut 9-5; Bradenton Christian 8-6; Tampa Carrollwood Day 6-3; Seffner Christian 11-7; Fort Pierce John Carroll 9-7.

CLASS 2A
1. Land O’Lakes Academy at the Lakes 13-0
2. Monticello Aucilla Christian 9-5
3. St. Petersburg Canterbury 10-5
4. Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian 13-1
5. Lake Worth Christian 7-0
6. Mount Dora Christian 14-3
7. Sarasota Christian 11-2
8. Homestead Colonial Christian 11-3
9. Jacksonville Eagle’s View 13-4
10. Palm Bay Covenant Christian 8-3
Honorable mention: Palatka Peniel Baptist Academy 12-5; Vero Beach Master’s Academy 11-9.

CLASS 1A
1. Lake Butler Union County 13-1
2. Trenton 14-1
3. Milton Central 16-1
4. Chiefland 10-4
5. Wewahitchka 8-6
5. Sneads 14-5
6. Eastpoint Franklin County 13-5
7. Pierson Taylor 9-3
8. Chipley 10-4
9. Bonifay Holmes County 10-6
10. Baldwin 9-6
Honorable mention: Paxton 8-2; Port St. Joe 9-4; Crescent City 9-6; Santa Rosa Beach South Walton 9-8; Bratt Northview 6-3; Poplar Springs 8-2.