Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). His guests for this episode include former Chiefland quarterback and current Indians offensive coordinator Ty Corbin, along with members of the Chiefland football team which went 9-1 during the regular season.
Chiefland football – 2024
Eastside at GHS – Football 2024 (Radio)
Friday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:35 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Eastside at Gainesville
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
‘Live’ audio: https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and former Gator football player Hank Rone (Color) for this city showdown at Citizens Field. It’s Senior Night for the Hurricanes, who are looking to snap a 2-game losing streak in the series.
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024 Football Poll #11
Nease (Ponte Vedra) and Raines (Jacksonville) deadlocked at No. 1
GAINESVILLE — With Election Day coming up next week the Presidential race is coming down to the wire.
But there’s another poll that’s as close as the race to the White House. It’s the race to see who is at the top of the all-classification regional football rankings.
After Raines (Jacksonville) was on top the last three weeks by just a couple of votes, Nease (Ponte Vedra) catches the Vikings this week as both teams are now tied for the top spot in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
The Panthers improved to 7-0 and clinched the District 3-6A title with a 48-15 romp at Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine). Nease has two games left in the regular season, this Friday at RV Beachside (St. Johns) and then next Thursday with a makeup game against RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns).
The Panthers pick up six of the 11 first-place votes. They are tied in total points but are one first-place vote ahead of Raines this week.
The Vikings (8-0) had no problem on the road, winning 47-0 at Yulee to clinch the District 3-3A title. Raines picks up the other five first-place votes, and closes their regular season on Thursday at home against Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville).
St. Augustine (7-1) remains 3rd. The Yellow Jackets cruised past Ridgeview (Orange Park), 63-7, to win the District 3-4A championship. and travels to No. 10 Mandarin (Jacksonville) on Halloween to conclude their regular season.
Bolles (Jacksonville) stays 4th. The Bulldogs (8-1) have won eight games in a row since an opening week loss to Raines and they wrapped up their regular season and the District 4-2A title with a 35-0 blanking of Wolfson (Jacksonville) last Friday.
Rounding out the top five again this week is Buchholz (Gainesville). The Bobcats (6-3) won another classic matchup with Bartram Trail, triumphing 38-37 in overtime on the road.
Buchholz returns home to Citizens Field for Senior Night and another tough matchup on Halloween against undefeated Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach).
Bradford (Starke) and Vanguard (Ocala) lead off the second five as the two teams are tied for 6th.
The Tornadoes (8-1) also wrapped up their regular season slate as they blanked Santa Fe (Alachua), 44-0, while Vanguard (8-1) clinched the District 5-4A championship by pounding Gainesville, 47-3. The Knights finish their regular season at Forest (Ocala) on Friday.
University (Orange City) is 8th, Hawthorne is 9th, and Mandarin (Jacksonville) is ranked No. 10 with no changes in the top 10 this week.
Mandarin (7-2) followed their defense to the District 2-6A title as the Mustangs won 18-7 at No. 19 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
New Smyrna Beach (7-2) moves into the poll this week at No. 20. The Barracudas replaced Baker County (Glen St. Mary), which was 15th a week ago but drops out after a loss to Wakulla (Crawfordville).
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 – 2024 FOOTBALL POLL #11
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1T. Nease (Ponte Vedra (6A) (6) (7-0) – 214
1T. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (5) (8-0) – 214
3. St. Augustine (5A) (7-1) – 193
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (8-1) – 181
5. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (6-3) – 171
6T. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (8-1) – 155
6T. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (8-1) – 155
8. University (Orange City) (7A) (8-1) – 144
9. Hawthorne (Rural) (6-1) – 130
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (7-2) – 128
11. Newberry (2A) (7-2) – 98
12. Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (8-0) – 73
13. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (5-3) – 71
14. Ponte Vedra (5A) (7-2) – 66
15. Madison County (Rural) (5-3) – 63
16. Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (7-1) – 51
17. Chiefland (Rural) (7-1) – 33
18. Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (7-1) – 32
19. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (6-3) – 24
20. New Smyrna Beach (4A) (7-1) – 19
Also receiving votes: Dunnellon (3A) (6-3) – 15; Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (6-2) – 13; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (6-3) – 13; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (7-2) – 12; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (4-5) – 8; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (6-3) – 7; Mount Dora (3A) (8-1) – 7; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (3-5) – 5; Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (6-3) – 5; Taylor County (Perry) (2A) (6-2) – 5; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (5-3) – 2; Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (3-5) – 2; Palatka (2A) (6-3) – 1.
The Rock Volleyball – 2024
Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show (Archer Road)
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). His guests for this episode include The Rock volleyball coach Ruben Perez and members of the Lions volleyball team (26-2), which won the NCSAA national championship in Ohio this past weekend.
P.K. Yonge falls short of district title
Recap by Natalia Lopez
The P.K. Yonge Blue Wave were unable to break their losing streak to the Trinity Catholic (Ocala) Celtics on Friday night.
The Blue Wave lost their third consecutive district title game with a 37-0 shutout against the Celtics on Friday night in the Class 1A-District 4 championship game.
“My goal wasn’t to do a playoff type scenario because the thing I don’t believe in, is rewarding, as well as I put it in coaching terms, bad behavior right now,” said P.K. Yonge coach Willie Jackson, Jr.
It was a difficult start for the Blue Wave in the first quarter with several incomplete passes, allowing the Celtics the opportunity for a touchdown to make it 7-0 with 5:45 left in the first quarter.
Trinity Catholic got its second score on a touchdown by Luke Rudnianyn in the second quarter.
P.K. Yonge junior quarterback AJ Powers faced relentless pressure, leading to throwing incomplete passes, interceptions, and getting sacked.
“Quarterback, he’s flustered, everyone’s flustered, and they started dropping the ball, fumbling the ball,” Jackson said.
After an incomplete pass, two holding calls, a sack, and a false start took P.K. Yonge back to their 6-yard line with 3:34 left on the clock in the second quarter, Trinity Catholic got a safety to boost their lead to 16-0.
Junior Ty Moses tried to create opportunities for the Blue Wave throughout the game on offense and defense. In the third quarter with 2:09 left, Moses made an interception at the 18-yard line when the Celtics were looking for another touchdown.
P.K. Yonge’s offense was unable to reciprocate Moses’s efforts with no complete passes and unable to gain momentum.
“First off, I’m trying to build a program here,” said Jackson, who explained he was focusing on the development and growth for his team. “When you have a young team, you have to learn how to win, that’s on entry-level…I have guys that it’s their first time playing football, so you have to build the program.”
Trinity Catholic, which improved to 2-7, will play its home finale this Friday at 7 p.m. against Newberry, while P.K. Yonge, which dropped to 5-3, ends the regular season at home this Friday at 7 p.m. against Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville).
Newberry at Williston – Football 2024 (Radio)
Friday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Newberry at Williston
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
‘Live’ audio: https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and former Gators football player Hank Rone (Color) for a rematch of last year’s game, which Williston won on a Statue of Liberty play call with 47 seconds remaining in the game.
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024 Football Poll #10
Raines (Jacksonville) nips Nease (Ponte Vedra) in split voting as top team in regional rankings
GAINESVILLE — As the high school football season heads into the homestretch, two teams have pulled ahead of everyone else for the voters in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
And again this week, it’s the Raines (Jacksonville) Vikings barely staying on top.
Raines (7-0) pulled away for a 44-14 win at then-RV Creekside (St. Johns) last Friday to stay unbeaten and also remain the top-ranked team in the rankings for another week.
The Vikings, who received six of the 11 first-place votes, hit the road again this week to Yulee. They edged No. 2 Nease (Ponte Vedra) by two points for the number one ranking.
Nease, which received five first-place votes, also stayed unbeaten at 6-0 as they pounded Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville), 44-12, after two weeks off. The Panthers travel to Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) on Friday night.
St. Augustine (6-1) remained third.
The Yellow Jackets had no problem with rival RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns), pounding the Bears, 48-21. St. Augustine, whose only loss was by one point in overtime to Nease, hosts Ridgeview (Orange Park) on Friday.
Bolles (Jacksonville) stays 4th.
The Bulldogs (7-1) won another road game, this time 38-19 at then-RV Riverside (Jacksonville), and they stay on the road on Friday at Wolfson (Jacksonville).
The only change in the top five is Buchholz (Gainesville), which moved into the 5th spot despite a bye. The Bobcats (5-3), who hit the road tonight for a big district game at Bartram Trail, edged Bradford (Starke) by one point to get back into the top five.
Bradford (7-1) rebounded from its loss at No. 12 Newberry two weeks ago with a 43-7 romp at Leon (Tallahassee).
Vanguard (Ocala) is still No. 7. The Knights, who host district rival Gainesville tonight, edged RV South Sumter (Bushnell), 7-0, in a defensive slugfest.
Rounding out the top 10 are No. 8 University (Orange City), 9th-ranked Hawthorne and No. 10 Mandarin (Jacksonville).
University switches spots with Hawthorne after a 30-20 win at Oviedo, and despite a 35-14 triumph at IMG Academy White (Bradenton), the Hornets (6-1) drop to 9th.
Mandarin (6-2) won another defensive battle, 8-0 at Fletcher (Neptune Beach), and the Mustangs are on the road again on Friday at No. 16 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
The only team new to the poll this week is No. 20 Flagler Palm Coast. The Bulldogs (6-1) replace Taylor County (Perry).
Taylor County (6-2), which was ranked 16th last week, dropped two games to Florida High (Tallahassee) and Suwannee.
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 – 2024 FOOTBALL POLL #10
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (6) (7-0) – 215
2. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (5) (6-0) – 213
3. St. Augustine (5A) (6-1) – 193
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (7-1) – 180
5. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (5-3) – 164
6. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (7-1) – 163
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (7-1) – 155
8. University (Orange City) (7A) (7-1) – 136
9. Hawthorne (Rural) (6-1) – 134
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (6-2) – 126
11. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (5-2) – 107
12. Newberry (2A) (6-2) – 88
13. Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (7-0) – 78
14. Ponte Vedra (5A) (6-2) – 68
15. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (5-2) – 45
16. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (6-2) – 42
17. Madison County (Rural) (4-3) – 41
18. Chiefland (Rural) (7-1) – 38
19. Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (6-1) – 20
20. Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (6-1) – 14
Also receiving votes: New Smyrna Beach (4A) (6-1) – 13; Taylor County (Perry) (2A) (6-2) – 13; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (5-3) – 12; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (3-4) – 9; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (6-2) – 9; Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (5-2) – 7; Providence (Jacksonville) (1A) (7-1) – 7; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (3-5) – 6; Dunnellon (3A) (5-3) – 4; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (3-5) – 4; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (5-3) – 3; Palatka (2A) (5-3) – 2; Suwannee (Live Oak) (2-5) – 1.
Sandalwood (Jacksonville) at Eastside – Football 2024 (Radio)
Friday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:35 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Sandalwood (Jacksonville) at Eastside
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
‘Live’ audio: https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and former Gator football player Hank Rone (Color) for Senior Night from Citizens Field in Gainesville.
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024 Football Poll #9
Raines (Jacksonville) takes over top spot
The Bradford (Starke) football team finally found its Kryptonite. It’s the Newberry Panthers.
The Tornadoes (6-1) saw their 16-game regular season winning streak end last Friday, losing 21-7 at then-RV Newberry in the 2A-District 5 championship game.
The loss dropped them from the top spot in The Prep Zone Power Poll for the first time in four weeks.
Bradford, which finished as state runner-up last season, losing only to Cocoa, and advanced to the state semifinals in 2022, was 26-3 over the past two seasons, with their last regular season setback coming 10-7 at Suwannee (Live Oak) in the final regular season game of 2022.
Bradford, which travels to Leon (Tallahassee) on Friday, dropped to 5th this week.
The new number one team is Raines (Jacksonville).
Despite having their game at No. 12 Madison County postponed due to Hurricane Milton, the Vikings (6-0) received six of the 11 first-place votes. There is no set makeup date for the Madison County game.
Raines, which returns to action on Friday at RV Creekside (St. Johns), edged Nease (Ponte Vedra) for the top spot. The Panthers (5-0), who return to action on Friday at home against Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville), didn’t play for the second straight week, as their game against RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns) was moved to Thursday, November 7.
St. Augustine, which travels to Bartram Trail on Friday for its annual St. Johns County rivalry game, moved to No. 3.
The Yellow Jackets (5-1), whose only loss is by one point in overtime to Nease, had no problem with Clay (Green Cove Springs), blowing them out 56-6 on Monday night.
Bolles (Jacksonville) moved up a spot to 4th.
The Bulldogs (6-1) had no problem with Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville), blanking the Tigers 26-0 in a game that was moved up three days due to Hurricane Milton. Bolles hits the road again on Friday to RV Riverside (Jacksonville).
Buchholz (Gainesville) moved up three spots to lead off the second five. The Bobcats (5-3) followed up their blasting of rival Gainesville by pummeling RV Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), 63-22, in a District 3-6A game on Monday.
Vanguard (Ocala) remained 7th as the Knights (6-1) won another big district game at Lecanto, 40-13, while Hawthorne dropped two slots to 8th after a bye week.
The Hornets (5-1) hit the road against IMG Academy White (Bradenton) on Friday.
University (Orange City) and Mandarin (Jacksonville) round out the top 10.
University’s game at No. 11 Spruce Creek (Port Orange) was postponed until November 7, which will now serve as the final week of the regular season, with the playoffs starting on Friday, November 15.
Oakleaf joins Newberry as teams who move back into the poll this week. The Knights (5-2) had no problem with First Coast (Jacksonville), hammering the Bucs, 44-0.
Dropping out were previous No. 16 Middleburg (6-1), which lost its first game of the season, 52-21, at No. 15 Ponte Vedra, and previous No. 17 Beachside (St. Johns), which fell out after a 44-17 loss at RV Fleming Island (Orange Park).
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 – 2024 FOOTBALL POLL #9
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (6) (6-0) – 215
2. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (5) (5-0) – 213
3. St. Augustine (5A) (5-1) – 188
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (6-1) – 179
5. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (6-1) – 163
6. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (5-3) – 153
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (6-1) – 149
8. Hawthorne (Rural) (5-1) – 146
9. University (Orange City) (7A) (6-1) – 134
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (5-2) – 122
11. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (5-2) – 100
12. Madison County (Rural) (4-2) – 94
13. Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (6-0) – 71
14. Newberry (2A) (5-2) – 61
15. Ponte Vedra (5A) (5-2) – 59
16. Taylor County (Perry) (2A) (6-0) – 42
17. Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (6-0) – 38
18. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (4-2) – 25
19T. Chiefland (Rural) (6-1) – 23
19T. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (5-2) – 23
Also receiving votes: Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (5-1) – 18; New Smyrna Beach (4A) (5-1) – 17; Middleburg (5A) (6-1) – 15; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (4-3) – 13; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (5-2) – 9; Providence (Jacksonville) (1A) (6-1) – 7; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (3-4) – 6; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (3-3) – 5; Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (4-3) – 5; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (3-5) – 4; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (4-3) – 4; Leesburg (4A) (5-2) – 3; Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (4-3) – 3; Dunnellon (3A) (4-3) – 2; Riverside (Jacksonville) (4A) (5-3) – 1.
Buchholz boys golf – 2024
Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). His guests for this episode include Buchholz boys golf coach Ryan McNickle and members of the Bobcats golf team.