Tuesday, Dec. 7 – Boys High School Basketball
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and Marty Pallman (Color) for this city showdown. P.K. Yonge has won the last two and seven of the last 12 in the series.
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
Chipley at Hawthorne – Class 1A State Semifinals
Friday, 7:15 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Join Zach Cohen (Play-by-play) and Cam Parker (Color) for the Class 1A state semifinals. The winner advances to next Saturday’s Class 1A state championship game.
‘Live’ & ‘archived’ AUDIO: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Santa Fe Volleyball – 2021
Wednesday, Dec. 1 – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show (broadcast from Sonic Drive-In on 39th Avenue in Gainesville)
Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. Guests for this episode include Santa Fe volleyball coach Eric Marshall and members of the Class 4A state champion Raiders’ volleyball team.
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
Santa Fe at Gainesville – Basketball 2021/22
Tuesday, Nov. 30 – Boys High School Basketball
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and Cam Parker (Color) for all the action. It’s the home opener for the Hurricanes. Both teams have first-year head coaches as Santa Fe is led by Glen Banks and GHS is now coached by Mike Barnes.
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2021 Girls Volleyball Poll #4 (FINAL)
Ponte Vedra finishes just ahead of Santa Fe (Alachua) in final regional rankings despite loss in state title game
GAINESVILLE — The Ponte Vedra Sharks volleyball team looked all season like a team that was cruising to their third consecutive state title and fourth in five years.
Moving up from 5A to 6A in 2021, the Sharks rolled all the way to the state championship game at Suncoast Credit Union in Fort Myers with a 29-1 record and number one ranking in Florida and No. 2 national ranking by Max Preps.
Unfortunately for Ponte Vedra, they ran into defending 6A state champion Mater Academy Charter (Hialeah Gardens). The Sharks 14-game winning streak came to an end as they were swept by the Lions (26-7).
Despite the loss, Ponte Vedra earned three of the five first-place votes in The Prep Zone Power Poll regional all-classification rankings to finish on top of the final poll for the second straight year.
Ponte Vedra outpointed No. 2 Santa Fe (Alachua) by one point for the top spot, and finished No. 2 in Florida and 3rd nationally by Max Preps.
Santa Fe received the other two first-place votes after winning the 4A state title for the first volleyball state championship in school history.
The Raiders (29-3) won their final 16 matches following a 3-2 loss to Ponte Vedra on Sept. 25, sweeping through every opponent in the playoffs, including defending 4A state champion #4 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) in the Region 1-4A final and Calvary Christian (Fort Myers) in the state title game. Santa Fe also finished No. 1 statewide and 2nd nationally overall by Max Preps.
Trinity Catholic (Ocala) finished 3rd.
The Celtics (24-5), the defending 3A state champion, came up close in a shot at a repeat state title, losing in five sets at eventual state champion Calvary Christian (Clearwater) in the state semifinal round.
Bishop Kenny finished No. 4.
The Crusaders (20-10), who finished ranked 5th in 4A, failed to repeat as state champions after being swept by Santa Fe in the region final, but moved up two spots.
Two teams are tied for 5th. DeLand, which was knocked out by eventual 7A state runner-up Windermere in the Region 1-7A semifinal, shares the No. 5 ranking with New Smyrna Beach.
The Barracudas (22-7) are up six spots to finish in the top five as their season ended at the hands of Viera in five sets in the Region 3-6A final, just missing a spot in the state semifinal round.
Bartram Trail (St. Johns) finished 7th, dropping three spots after losing at DeLand in five sets in the opening round of the 7A playoffs.
Right behind the Bears (19-7) is No. 8 Mandarin (Jacksonville) (22-4), which dropped four spots from the previous poll after a regional quarterfinal loss at Windermere.
Ridgeview (Orange Park) is up eight slots to finish in the top 10 at No. 9. The Panthers (17-8) advanced to the Region 1-5A final but were beaten in four sets by eventual 5A state champion Mosley (Lynn Haven).
Creekside (St. Johns) rounds out the top 10. The Knights (15-8) dropped three spots from 7th as they were swept out of the opening round of the 7A playoffs by Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs).
As for the second 10, Taylor (Pierson) makes its first appearance in the rankings at a tie for No. 14 with Trinity Christian (Jacksonville). The Wildcats (23-4) advanced to their second 1A state title game and came up just short against now nine-time defending champion Sneads, falling in five sets.
Also moving into the rankings is #16 Vanguard (Ocala).
The Knights, who are the only team in the poll with a losing record at 13-18, played an incredibly challenging regular season schedule. But Vanguard caught fire to reach the 5A state semifinals, where they were finally eliminated in four sets by Mosley.
Also new to the poll is Oak Hall (Gainesville), which advanced to the 2A state semifinals before being swept by eventual state champion Seacrest Country Day (Naples). The Eagles (21-9) finished 18th.
The last new entry is St. John Lutheran (Ocala). The Saints end up 20th after advancing to the regional final round in 2A.
Falling out from the previous poll were Aucilla Christian (Monticello), The Villages, Episcopal (Jacksonville) and Christ’s Church (Jacksonville).
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, volleyball, girls basketball, boys basketball, baseball and 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 and Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
The Prep Zone Power Poll – 2021 Volleyball Poll #4 (FINAL POLL)
(School, city, classification, first-place votes, final 2021 record, and total voting points)
1. Ponte Vedra (5A) (3) (29-2) – 98
2. Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A) (2) (29-3) – 97
3. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (24-5) – 90
4. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (20-10) – 82
5T. DeLand (7A) (21-9) – 71
5T. New Smyrna Beach (6A) (22-7) – 71
7. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (19-7) – 65
8. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (7A) (22-4) – 58
9. Ridgeview (Orange Park) (5A) (17-8) – 52
10. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (15-8) – 48
11. Middleburg (5A) (18-11) – 46
12. Weeki Wachee (4A) (19-5) – 45
13. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (15-12) – 36
14T. Taylor (Pierson) (1A) (23-4) – 31
14T. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (20-10) – 31
16. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (13-18) – 26
17. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (18-7) – 25
18. Oak Hall (Gainesville) (2A) (21-9) – 23
19. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (6A) (20-9) – 17
20. St. John Lutheran (Ocala) (2A) (20-6) – 11
Receiving votes: Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (16-10) – 10; Christ’s Church (Jacksonville) (2A) (14-7) – 5; Yulee (4A) (18-11) – 5; Aucilla Christian (Monticello) (2A) (19-3) – 4; The Villages (4A) (18-4) – 3.
Pahokee at Hawthorne – Class 1A-Region 4 Final
Friday, Nov. 26 – High School Football
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and Cam Parker (Color) for this Class 1A-Region 4 Final. The host Hornets (8-0) are ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 1A by MaxPreps, while Pahokee (8-1) is ranked third. The winner advances to the state semifinals.
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2021-22 Girls Basketball Poll #1 (Preseason rankings)
Oakleaf (Orange Park) begins girls basketball season as No. 1 team after first state semifinal appearance last winter
GAINESVILLE — With the girls and boys basketball seasons getting started in The Prep Zone area, it’s time for the first all-classification regional rankings of the new season.
On the girls side, the preseason power poll is a pretty familiar group of teams to start. But there are some question marks heading into the 2021-22 season.
Oakleaf (Orange Park), which advanced to its first state semifinal in program history last winter and finished as the top-ranked team in the 2020-21 final poll, starts the new season on top as well.
The Knights, who were 24-3 a year ago and lost to eventual 7A state champion Plant (Tampa) in their first trip to Lakeland, start the 2021-22 season receiving six of the seven first-place votes to remain No. 1. However, Oakleaf has a lot of holes to fill and graduations to make up from the state semifinal season a year ago.
Receiving the other first-place vote and coming in at No. 2 is last year’s 4A state semifinalist, Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville). The Crusaders made their second straight appearance in Lakeland after finishing as the state runner-up in 2019-20.
Last year’s Crusaders team finished 20-10 and lost to nationally-ranked Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) for the second straight year at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Bishop Kenny finished last season 2nd and starts in the same place this year, but they must replace all-time leading scorer Jasmyne Roberts, now playing at Miami.
Ribault (Jacksonville) is 3rd. The Trojans were knocked out by Bishop Kenny, 44-39, in a region semifinal matchup last year, and has a good group coming back in 2021-22.
Ribault (17-4) finished last season ranked 5th.
Right behind Ribault at No. 4 is Spruce Creek (Port Orange). The Hawks finished last season ranked #6 with an 18-6 record but were knocked out by Oakleaf in the Region 1-7A semifinals.
Two teams are tied for 5th.
Wildwood, which is considered one of the favorites in 1A this season, shares the spot along with St. Augustine. The Yellow Jackets finished last season ranked 3rd at 26-2 and advance to their first 5A state semifinal in program history.
Last year’s 1A state runner-up Hawthorne is No. 7. The Hornets, who won their first girls state title in 2020, just missed out on going back-to-back last winter, losing in the state championship game to Ponce De Leon, 40-37.
Hawthorne, which finished 4th in the final power poll a year ago, is expected to contend for the 1A state crown again.
The rest of the top 10 consists of Raines (Jacksonville) at No. 8, 9th-ranked Nease (Ponte Vedra), and Mainland (Daytona Beach), which is ranked 10th.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, volleyball, girls basketball, boys 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 and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2021-22 GIRLS BASKETBALL POLL #1 (PRESEASON POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, 2020-21 final record, and total voting points)
1. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (7A) (5) (24-3) – 119
2. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (1) (20-10) – 113
3. Ribault (Jacksonville) (4A) (17-4) – 84
4. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (18-6) – 79
5T. St. Augustine (6A) (26-2) – 74
5T. Wildwood (1A) (18-4) – 74
7. Hawthorne (1A) (20-5) – 73
8. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (19-6) – 72
9. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (7A) (19-7) – 66
10. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5A) (20-3) – 62
11. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (13-7) – 61
12. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (15-7) – 53
13. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (15-5) – 52
14. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (4A) (13-6) – 44
15. Trenton (1A) (23-5) – 40
16. Ponte Vedra (6A) (16-7) – 27
17. St. John’s Country Day (Orange Park) (2A) (8-5) – 26
18T. Crystal River (4A) (19-4) – 17
18T. St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) (2A) (20-1) – 17
18T. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (10-14) – 17
Also receiving votes: Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (6-8) – 15; The Villages (4A) (20-7) – 14; North Marion (Citra) (4A) (17-5) -13; Orange Park (5A) (13-13) – 13; Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-14) – 9; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (6A) (18-4) – 8; Eustis (4A) (13-6) – 6; Hernando Christian Academy (Brooksville) (2A) (15-1) – 5; P.K Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (3-6) – 3; West Port (Ocala) (7A) (11-11) – 3; Gainesville (6A) (5-9) – 2; Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (7A) (6-9) – 1.
Football Playoff scores – Friday, Nov. 19 (Matchups for Friday, Nov. 26)
Friday, November 19
FHSAA Regional Semifinals
8A-1
No. 3 Apopka 34, No. 2 Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 3
7A-1
No. 1 Buchholz (Gainesville) 39, No. 5 University (Orange City) 7
No. 7 Nease (Ponte Vedra) 24, No. 3 Niceville 19
6A-2
No. 1 Vanguard (Ocala) 24, No. 5 Lake Wales 13
5A-1
No. 1 Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 13, No. 5 West Florida (Pensacola) 10
No. 3 Wakulla (Crawfordville) 32, No. 2 Raines (Jacksonville) 27
5A-3
No. 1 Clearwater 40, No. 5 Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) 14
4A-1
No. 1 South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach) 42, No. 4 Baldwin 28
No. 2 Bolles (Jacksonville) 27, No. 6 Gadsden County (Havana) 6
4A-2
No. 1 Cocoa 41, No. 4 South Sumter (Bushnell) 0
No. 2 The Villages 34, No. 3 Keystone Heights 6
3A-1
No. 1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 35, No. 4 P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) 7
2A-1
No. 1 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 44, No. 4 St. John Paul II (Tallahassee) 7
No. 2 Munroe (Quincy) 36, No. 3 University Christian (Jacksonville) 23
1A-2
No. 3 Madison County 45, No. 2 Port St. Joe 6
1A-3
No. 1 Chiefland 28, No. 4 Lafayette (Mayo) 27
No. 3 Union County (Lake Butler) 52, No. 2 Hilliard 14
1A-4
No. 1 Hawthorne 50, No. 4 Wildwood 14
No. 2 Pahokee 38, No. 3 Bradford (Starke) 20
Friday, November 26
All games 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated
FHSAA Regional Finals
7A-1
No. 7 Nease (Ponte Vedra) (9-3) at No. 1 Buchholz (Gainesville) (11-1), 7 p.m.
6A-2
No. 3 Jones (Orlando) (10-2) at No. 1 Vanguard (Ocala) (12-0)
5A-1
No. 3 Wakulla (Crawfordville) (10-2) at No. 1 Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (10-2)
4A-1
No. 2 Bolles (Jacksonville) (7-2) at No. 1 South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach) (10-1), 8:30 EST
4A-2
No. 2 The Villages (11-0) at No. 1 Cocoa (9-1)
3A-1
No. 3 Florida High (Tallahassee) (10-1) at No. 1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (7-2)
2A-1
No. 2 Munroe (Quincy) (8-2) at No. 1 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (7-4)
1A-2
No. 3 Madison County (9-3) at No. 1 Blountstown (9-1)
1A-3
No. 3 Union County (Lake Butler) (12-0) at No. 1 Chiefland (10-1)
1A-4
No. 2 Pahokee (8-1) at No. 1 Hawthorne (8-0)
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2021 Football Poll #13
Buchholz (Gainesville) cruises in playoff opener with second-half running clock and remains unanimous No. 1 in regional poll
GAINESVILLE — The high school football postseason started last week with it’s normal amount of drama and surprises.
One team with no such drama though is the team who remains the unanimous No. 1 team in The Prep Zone Power Poll, the Buchholz (Gainesville) Bobcats.
Buchholz (10-1) rolled past Fleming Island (Orange Park), 35-7, in the 7A playoff opener, with a running clock in the second half. The Bobcats received all six first-place votes to remain at the top of the poll this week.
Buchholz will host #13 University (Orange City) in a Region 1-7A semifinal at Citizens Field on Friday. The Titans (7-2) move up six spots from the previous poll after a 35-14 regional quarterfinal win at Fletcher (Neptune Beach).
Vanguard (Ocala), which is one of only three undefeated teams in the poll, remains 2nd and improved to 11-0 after blanking Heritage (Palm Bay), 38-0, in a Region 2-6A quarterfinal. Next up for the Knights, seeded 1st in Region 2, is Lake Wales on Friday at Booster Stadium in Ocala.
Bolles (Jacksonville) had a bye last week as the number 2 seed in Region 1-4A and remains No. 3 in the regional all-classification poll. The Bulldogs (6-2) open up their postseason at home this week against Gadsden County (Havana).
Bartram Trail (St. Johns) moved up a spot to 4th after blasting Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs), 42-7, in their 8A playoff opener. The Bears (9-2) now face an even tougher test as they host Apopka on Friday night in a Region 1-8A semifinal.
Riverside (Jacksonville) dropped two spots to round out the top five.
The Generals (10-1) avenged their only regular-season loss by beating then-No. 16 Columbia (Lake City), 17-3, on the road in a 6A regional quarterfinal. Riverside faces an even longer trip this week, heading to the Panhandle to face Pine Forest (Pensacola) in a Region 1-6A semifinal matchup.
Raines (Jacksonville) leads off the second five at No. 6.
The Vikings (8-2) knocked off Terry Parker (Jacksonville), 24-10, in their 5A playoff opener for their fifth straight win. Raines now hosts Wakulla (Crawfordville), which advanced by blasting RV Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), 52-24.
Hawthorne, another one of the remaining unbeaten teams, remains 7th after a bye last week. The Hornets (7-0) are the #1 seed in Region 4-1A and open up postseason play with a home game against Wildwood on Friday.
Baker County (Glen St. Mary) moved up three spots to No. 8 after beating Ed White (Jacksonville) for the second time this year in another Region 1-5A quarterfinal. Next up for the Wildcats (9-2) is West Florida (Pensacola), which won on the road last week, 35-14, at North Marion (Citra).
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), which opens up play in the 2A regional semifinals against St. John Paul II (Tallahassee), is 9th this week.
The Villages (10-0), the third and final unbeaten team in the top 10, moved up two spots to 10th. The Buffalo open up play in Region 2-4A Friday night at home against RV Keystone Heights.
Nease (Ponte Vedra), which won 24-21 at then-No. 6 Spruce Creek (Port Orange), moves into the poll at No. 15. The Panthers (8-3) make the long trip to Niceville for a Region 1-7A semifinal game.
Chiefland and University Christian (Jacksonville) are also new to the rankings this week, with both teams tied for 17th.
Chiefland, the No. 1 seed in Region 3-1A, hosts RV Lafayette (Mayo) in a region semifinal game.
University Christian blasted Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville), 66-0, in their 2A playoff opener, and travels to Munroe (Quincy).
Finally, Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) moved into the 20th position after winning its 5A playoff opener at Chamberlain (Tampa).
Dropping out from last week’s poll are Gainesville, Columbia, Creekside (St. Johns), Mainland (Daytona Beach), and St. Augustine.
This is the last power poll until after the FHSAA Football Finals in Fort Lauderdale on December 16-18.
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 Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2021 FOOTBALL POLL #13
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (7) (10-1) – 120
2. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (11-0) – 113
3. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (6-2) – 106
4. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (9-2) – 99
5. Riverside (Jacksonville) (6A) (10-1) – 96
6. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (8-2) – 86
7. Hawthorne (1A) (7-0) – 85
8. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (9-2) – 78
9. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (6-4) – 71
10. The Villages (4A) (10-0) – 60
11. Madison County (1A) (8-3) – 52
12. Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (11-0) – 45
13. University (Orange City) (7A) (7-2) – 36
14. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (6-2) – 35
15. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (7A) (8-3) – 30
16. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (8-2) – 27
17T. Chiefland (1A) (9-1) – 19
17T. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (7-4) – 19
19. Dunnellon (5A) (8-3) – 18
20. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (8-3) – 10
Also receiving votes: P.K Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (8-3) – 9; Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (5-5) – 8; Creekside (St. Johns) (8A) (8-3) – 6; St. Augustine (6A) (6-3) – 6; Baldwin (4A) (7-3) – 5; Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (6-5) – 5; Gainesville (6A) (8-3) – 5; Hilliard (1A) (9-1) – 5; Keystone Heights (4A) (10-1) – 4; South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (7-4) – 4; Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (8-3) – 1.
University at Buchholz – 7A-Region 1 Playoff
Friday, 7:15 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Join Jake Ricker (Play-by-play) and Brandon Carroll (Color) for the second round of the Class 7A state playoffs. The Bobcats (10-1) are the No. 1 seed in 7A-Region 1. University (7-2) is the No. 5 seed. The winner advances to the regional final.
‘Live’ & ‘archived’ AUDIO: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/