Very little change in top 10 as Bartram Trail (St. Johns) continues unanimous hold on #1 ranking
GAINESVILLE — There have been scattered outbreaks of COVID-19 from time to time, but the high school football season has made it to the final week of the regular season and the beginning of the postseason for some teams this week.
And for the Bartram Trail (St. Johns) Bears, the beat goes on as they remain at the top of The Prep Zone Power Poll for another week.
Bartram Trail (7-1) knocked off then-RV Sandalwood (Jacksonville), 28-13, and received all nine first-place votes to remain the top-ranked team in the all-classification rankings for the fifth straight week. The Bears close out their regular season Thursday night at Raines (Jacksonville).
Bolles (Jacksonville) remains 2nd.
The Bulldogs (6-1) took last week off and will close out the regular season schedule with a tough road matchup Thursday at #11 Mainland (Daytona Beach).
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) stays 3rd as their defense continued its dominance with a 21-0 blanking of Raines.
The Conquerors (6-1) have allowed six points the last three weeks in wins over nationally-ranked American Heritage (Plantation), #10 Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville), and now Raines. Trinity Christian closes out its regular slate with a Thursday game at Ribault (Jacksonville).
Dunnellon moves up to 4th after slipping past Forest (Ocala), 10-7. The Tigers (4-0) look to stay unbeaten as they finish their regular season this week against RV West Port (Ocala), which comes in 4-1.
Rounding out the top five is Clay (Green Cove Springs).
The Blue Devils remained unbeaten, improving to 7-0 with a 63-27 beatdown of Clay County rival Ridgeview (Orange Park), which came into the game 6-1. Clay faces an even bigger test this Friday, putting the undefeated mark on the line against another county rival, #7 Oakleaf (Orange Park), this time on the road.
Baker County (Glen St. Mary) starts off the second five. The Wildcats (7-1) cruised past Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), 49-7, but will also face a bigger challenge this week as #16 Suwannee (Live Oak) comes to Macclenny this Friday night.
Oakleaf bounced back from a tough loss at Bartram Trail to handle Nease (Ponte Vedra) 35-14 last week. The Knights (5-3) take on Nease in the opening round of the 8A playoffs next week.
Rounding out the top 10 are Vanguard (Ocala), which is 8th, Madison County 9th, and Lee at #10.
Madison County dropped five spots as the Cowboys (7-2) dropped a 15-14 heartbreaker at RV Flagler Palm Coast.
Lee (5-1) bounced back from its first loss of the season to Trinity Christian to cruise past Gainesville, 29-3, last week and stay 10th.
The only team to move into the rankings this week is Lake Minneola (Minneola) at #19. The Hawks (5-1) blasted Tavares 63-0 to move into the poll for the first time in 2020.
Lake Minneola replaced DeLand. The Bulldogs (2-2) were 20th a week ago but dropped out after a 31-7 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale).
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, volleyball, 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 – 2020 FOOTBALL POLL #9
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (9) (7-1) – 180
2. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (6-1) – 168
3. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (6-1) – 163
4. Dunnellon (5A) (5-0) – 150
5. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (7-0) – 143
6. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (7-1) – 122
7. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (5-3) – 120
8. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (4-1) – 114
9. Madison County (1A) (7-2) – 101
10. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (5-1) – 99
11. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (5-1) – 94
12. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (5-1) – 77
13. The Villages (4A) (5-0) – 70
14. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (6-2) – 54
15. Baldwin (3A) (7-0) – 42
16. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (6-2) – 38
17. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (6-0) – 32
18. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (5-1) – 30
19. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (5-1) – 19
20. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (4-3) – 18
Also receiving votes: St. Augustine (6A) (5-2) – 17; Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (4-3) – 11; Newberry (1A) (7-1) – 8; Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (3-3) – 5; Hawthorne (1A) (5-2) – 4; Hilliard (1A) (7-0) – 4;Keystone Heights (4A) (6-1) – 3; DeLand (8A) (2-2) – 2; West Port (Ocala) (8A) (4-1) – 2.
Here are the current standings, followed by this week’s games and last week’s results:
Joshua Wilson (FloridaHSFootball.com): 79-16 (.832)
Mike Ridaught (The Prep Zone): 72-23 (.758)
John Patton (Ocala Star-Banner): 70-25 (.737)
Corey Davis (Gainesville Sun): 68-27 (.716)
Marty Pallman (The Prep Zone): 68-27 (.716)
Tyler TenBieg (The Prep Zone): 62-33 (.653)
Friday, Nov. 6
Bolles (Jacksonville) (6-1) at Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5-1) (Thursday)
Suwannee (Live Oak) (6-2) at Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (7-1)
Clay (Green Cove Springs) (7-0) at Oakleaf (Orange Park) (5-3)
Mandarin (Jacksonville) (3-4) at Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (5-1)
DeLand (2-2) at Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) (3-3)
Keystone Heights (6-1) at Union County (Lake Butler) (5-3)
East Ridge (Clermont) (3-3) at South Lake (Groveland) (4-2)
Creekside (St. Johns) (4-3) at Ponte Vedra (5-3)
Bronson (5-4) at Crescent City (0-7) (Class 1A Play-In Game)
Williston (2-6) at Chiefland (1-6)
Corey Davis (5-5)
Creekside – X
Bartram Trail
Dixie County
Menendez
Madison County – X
Calvary Christian – X
St. Augustine
Wildwood – X
St. Thomas Aquinas
Hawthorne – X
Mike Ridaught (8-2)
Buchholz
Bartram Trail
Dixie County
Menendez
Madison County – X
Calvary Christian – X
St. Augustine
The Villages
St. Thomas Aquinas
Zephyrhills
Marty Pallman (7-3)
Buchholz
Bartram Trail
Dixie County
Orange Park – X
Madison County – X
Trinity Catholic
St. Augustine
The Villages
St. Thomas Aquinas
Hawthorne – X
John Patton (8-2)
Buchholz
Bartram Trail
Dixie County
Menendez
Madison County – X
Calvary Christian – X
St. Augustine
The Villages
St. Thomas Aquinas
Zephyrhills
Tyler TenBieg (6-4)
Buchholz
Bartram Trail
Dixie County
Menendez
Madison County – X
Calvary Christian – X
St. Augustine
Wildwood – X
DeLand – X
Zephyrhills
Joshua Wilson (9-1)
Buchholz
Bartram Trail
Dixie County
Menendez
Madison County – X
Trinity Catholic
St. Augustine
The Villages
St. Thomas Aquinas
Zephyrhills
Thursday, 10:25 a.m. (PREGAME) – High School Swimming, 10:30 a.m. (Swim Finals)
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Davis Johnson (Color) for all the action. Class 2A-Region 1 swim meet at the Northeast Pool in Gainesville (Eastside hosts).
Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “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. Their guests for this week include Eastside football coach Alex Deleon and members of the Rams’ football team. Eastside, which picked up its first win of the season last Friday, plays city rival Gainesville this Friday night.
At the end of September, we announced that we broadcast a total of 13 ‘live’ high school sports games/shows during the month of September and that we would be very happy if we could match that total in October.
We exceeded it!
We broadcast a total of 15 games/shows to give us a whopping 28 ‘live’ and ‘archived’ high school sports events just two months into the 2020-21 school year.
As we roll into the month of November, we’ve got postseason football beginning next week and hoops coverage in a little over two weeks. But first, more swimming coverage and the last week of the regular season for football.
Here is our broadcast schedule for the week of Nov. 2:
Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show (broadcast from Sonic Drive-In on 39th Avenue in Gainesville) Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville ‘Live’ audio:https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports. Their guests for this week include Eastside football coach Alex Deleon and members of the Rams’ football team. Eastside, which picked up its first win of the season last Friday, plays city rival Gainesville this Friday night.
Thursday, 10:25 a.m. (PREGAME) – High School Swimming, 10:30 a.m. (Swim Finals)
Class 2A-Region 1 swim meet at the Northeast Pool in Gainesville (Eastside hosts) ‘Live’ & ‘Archived’ video via the Eastside Athletics Facebook page
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Davis Johnson (Color) for all the action.
Friday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Eastside (Gainesville) at Gainesville Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville ‘Live’ audio:https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play), Zach Cohen (Color), & Cam Parker (Stats/Halftime/Postgame) for this city showdown and rivalry game.
Friday, 7:15 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Eastside (Gainesville) at Gainesville ‘Live’ & ‘Archived’ video at www.ThePrepZone.com (Subscription required to view the game)
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play), Will Levenson (Color), and Conlan Birdsall (Videographer) for this city showdown and rivalry game.
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THE PREP ZONE’S WEEKDAY COVERAGE:
**For our Gainesville audience, tune in to ThePrepZone.com Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union every weekday morning between 7:50-7:55 a.m. on 106.9 FM in Gainesville. These are a little over 60 seconds in length and air Monday-Friday.
**For those in the Tri-County area, tune in to ThePrepZone.com Nature Coast Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:28 a.m. and repeating at 5:28 p.m. They are two minutes in length and air on 93.1 FM & 940 AM in Chiefland/Trenton and 96.3 FM & 1240 AM in Cross City. Listen LIVE here**
**Tune in to our weekly radio interviews talking high school sports on ThePrepZone.com Sports Report presented by SunState Federal Credit Union on WRUF-98.1 FM & 850 AM in Gainesville every Thursday at 4 p.m. (excluding remotes) on “The Tailgate” with Jeff Cardozo & Pat Dooley**
We broadcast a high school football Game of the Week, plus our weekly high school show from Sonic Drive-In on 106.9 FM “I am Country.” They are archived here.
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Friday, October 30, was Keonte Macon of the Eastside (Gainesville) football team.
Macon scored what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown in a 20-3 win against visiting Santa Fe (Alachua) on Senior Night.
After a scoreless first quarter, Macon scored on a 1-yard TD run to give the Rams a 7-0 lead. It would be all the points the Rams (1-6) would need to pick up their first win of the season.
The senior finished with 82 yards on 19 carries. He also had one reception for 11 yards.
Eastside will play its regular season finale on Friday, November 6, against city rival Gainesville (1-3).
Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.
On Friday night, the Dixie County Bears traveled to P.K Yonge and dominated the Blue Wave by a score of 42-13.
After a sluggish start that found themselves down 13-0, Dixie County rushed for six touchdowns, five of them in the second half.
In the first half, P.K. Yonge was in a great position to win its second in a row.
Defensive back Yarnell Mccray stripped the ball from Dixie County receiver Brenden Hall to give the ball to the Blue Wave offense at the 45-yard line.
A few plays later, quarterback Aaron Small, Jr. ran the ball 25-yards for the game’s first score. A botched snap on the PAT would make the score 6-0 with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
To start the second quarter, P.K. Yonge (3-6) would add to its lead.
After a Dixie County interception was overturned by a defensive pass interference and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Blue Wave offense found themselves inside the 10-yard line. Running back Taylor Kendrick would rush in from six yards out to make the score 13-0.
From there, Dixie County would start its domination with a 16-play, 67-yard drive that ended in a Kolton Hunt 2-yard rushing touchdown with less than a minute left in the half. The drive was led by receiver Hall, who had a one-handed circus catch for 14-yards and a 17-yard rush.
— Reaching Athletes With Education (@RAWE_RECRUITS) October 30, 2020
Coach LB Cravey raved over Hall’s circus catch.
“It was probably the most amazing catch I had ever seen, but coming from that kid, I expect it,” said Cravey. “He makes those kinds of plays. He’s made them all year long. He’s got a great eye for the ball, great hands. I think he’s got a really good future in football.”
This drive would give the Bears a lot of momentum going into the second half.
After punts by both teams to start the half, Dixie County scored four touchdowns on its next five drives. The first one was a one-yard run by Keatan Brown, which gave the Bears their first lead of the night at 14-13.
On the very next play, Dixie County’s Scott Hysmith intercepted a Small pass and returned it inside the 10-yard line. Three plays later, Hysmith scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-13 with 3:19 to play in the third.
“In the first half, we weren’t doing as good as we could have, said Hysmith, who was named the Sonic Drive-In Player of the Game. “In the second half, we gathered up and talked about everything we were doing wrong and everything we needed to do better. We excelled in the second half. Everyone did a great job.”
The Bears’ defense would continue to dominate by forcing a three-and-out to end the third quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, Dixie County (5-2) extended the lead to 28-13 with Hunt’s second touchdown of the night, this time from five-yards out.
After forcing another punt, the Bear offense would only need one play to score a touchdown- a Brenden Hall 68-yard run to make the score 35-13.
The final score of the night would be a one-yard rush by Chris Staples.
Next week, Dixie County hosts North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville), while P.K. Yonge travels to South Sumter (Bushnell).
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Friday, October 30, was senior Scott Hysmith of the Dixie County (Cross City) football team.
The senior made big plays on both sides of the ball as Dixie County rallied from a 13-0 deficit to win at P.K. Yonge, 42-13.
He had an interception late in the third quarter after the Bears had just taken their first lead at 14-13. Hysmith then scored on a 1-yard run with 3:19 to play in the third quarter for a 21-13 lead.
“Scott played lights out,” said Dixie County coach L.B Cravey. “He had a great week of practice.”
Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.
Here are the current standings, followed by this week’s games and last week’s results:
At the end of September, we announced that we broadcast a total of 13 ‘live’ high school sports games/shows during the month of September and that we would be very happy if we could match that total in October.
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Friday, October 30, was Keonte Macon of the Eastside (Gainesville) football team.
