Friday, 6:30 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play), Jason Myers (Color), & Nick Anshultz (Stats/Halftime/Postgame) for all the action. Bradford won last year’s meeting 21-0.
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
‘Live’ audio: https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Bartram Trail (St. Johns) solidifies lead in all-classification regional rankings after rebounding from first loss with impressive win over rival last week
GAINESVILLE — The march towards the FHSAA football state playoffs continues for teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
And the team at the top remains the same as Bartram Trail (St. Johns) bounced back from its first loss of the season to pick up a big win over a St. Johns County rival.
The Bears (4-1), who lost their first game of the season the previous week to Max Preps nationally-ranked #20 American Heritage (Plantation), rebounded last week to roll past then-#11 Ponte Vedra, 33-17, and handed the Sharks their first loss of the 2020 season.
With last Friday’s win, Class 8A Bartram Trail received eight of the nine first-place votes and solidified its hold on the #1 ranking for the third straight week in the all-classification regional rankings.
Vanguard (Ocala) remains 2nd after rolling past then-RV West Port (Ocala), 43-6. The 5A Knights (2-0) return to action this Friday at home against winless North Marion (Citra).
Class 4A Bolles (Jacksonville) switches spots with 3-time defending 1A state champion Madison County and moves up to #3. The Bulldogs (4-1) had no trouble with #18 Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 24-7.
Next up for the ‘Dogs this Friday is a showdown at #5 Baker County (Glen St. Mary), which moves up two spots to round out the top five.
The Class 5A Wildcats (5-0), who will put their undefeated record on the line this week against Bolles, had no problem with Terry Parker (Jacksonville) last week with a 42-14 win on the road.
Madison County received the other first-place vote despite falling one spot to 4th. The Cowboys (5-1) slipped past Columbia (Lake City) and face another road game coming up this Friday at 6A Auburndale.
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) leads off the second five.
The 3A Conquerors (3-1) rolled past 8A Mandarin (Jacksonville), 33-7, but have a much tougher test this week as they hit the road to South Florida to face American Heritage (Plantation).
Class 6A Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) is 7th with 8A DeLand at #8. Both teams were off last week.
Class 7A Fleming Island (Orange Park) falls four spots but remains in the top 10 at #9 after the Golden Eagles (4-1) lost a 15-point fourth quarter lead and suffered their first regular season loss in almost two years, 29-22, in overtime at #10 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Oakleaf (3-2) moves up three spots to round out the top 10 after the upset win over Fleming Island.
Class 3A Trinity Catholic (Ocala) drops 11 spots from a tie for 7th previously. However, the Celtics (2-2) still remain in the rankings this week.
Baldwin, which is ranked 19th, and #20 Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) are new to the poll this week.
The Class 3A Indians (5-0) stayed unbeaten with a 22-12 win over Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville), while the No. 20 Sharks (3-0) edged rival Hernando (Brooksville), 34-28.
Dropping out from last week were #18 Flagler Palm Coast and #20 Columbia.
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 #6
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (8) (4-1) – 179
2. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (2-0) – 164
3. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (4-1) – 153
4. Madison County (1A) (1) (5-1) – 150
5. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (5-0) – 137
6. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (3-1) – 116
7. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (3-0) – 114
8. DeLand (8A) (2-0) – 103
9. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (4-1) – 100
10. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (3-2) – 99
11. Dunnellon (5A) (3-0) – 98
12. The Villages (4A) (3-0) – 93
13. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (4-0) – 64
14T. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (3-2) – 59
14T. Ponte Vedra (6A) (4-1) – 59
16. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (4-0) – 57
17. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (4-1) – 53
18. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (2-2) – 36
19. Baldwin (3A) (5-0) – 18
20. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (3-0) – 8
Also receiving votes: Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (2-1) – 6; Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (3-1) – 5; Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (0-3) – 4; Hilliard (1A) (5-0) – 4; St. Augustine (6A) (2-2) – 3; Forest (Ocala) (7A) (1-1) – 2; Keystone Heights (4A) (3-1) – 2; Wildwood (1A) (5-0) – 2; Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (4-1) – 1; Lake Minneola (6A) (2-1) – 1.
It’s hard to believe it but we have reached the postseason for volleyball. We’ll be broadcasting regional tournament action next week.
We’re also coming up on postseason for some of the other fall sports. Tonight we’ll talk swimming on our high school show at Sonic Drive-In, plus two football games on Friday.
Here is our broadcast schedule for the week of Oct. 12:
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 as he talks high school sports. His guests for this week include P.K. Yonge girls & boys swimming coach Kara Dawson and members of both swim teams.
Friday, 6:30 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Bradford (Starke) at P.K. Yonge (Gainesville)
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
‘Live’ audio: https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play), Jason Myers (Color), & Nick Anshultz (Stats/Halftime/Postgame) for all the action. Bradford won last year’s meeting 21-0.
Friday, 7:15 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 p.m. (KICKOFF)
Eastside (Gainesville) at Ridgeview (Orange Park)
‘Live’ & ‘Archived’ video via the Eastside Athletics Facebook page
Join Travis Coleman (Play-by-play) & Davis Johnson (Color) for Rams’ football.
XX
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. on “The Tailgate” with Jeff Cardozo & Pat Dooley**
Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show (broadcast from Sonic Drive-In on 39th Avenue in Gainesville)
Join Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports. His guests for this week include P.K. Yonge girls & boys swimming coach Kara Dawson and members of both teams.
Radio: “I am Country” 106.9 FM Gainesville
‘Live’ audio: https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/WPLL
Ponte Vedra unanimous No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings heading into the postseason
GAINESVILLE – The top-ranked team in The Prep Zone Power Poll for the sixth straight week is Ponte Vedra.
The defending 5A state champion Sharks (19-0) remains on top of the regional all-classification rankings after a perfect 6-0 week including wins over Bolles (Jacksonville), which is currently receiving votes, and current No. 10 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville).
Ponte Vedra, which hasn’t lost to an area team since last September (Fleming Island), received all seven of the first-place votes in this week’s poll.
Class 6A Creekside (St. Johns) stayed at No. 2 despite losing a tough 3-2 match with No. 1 Ponte Vedra earlier in the week.
The Knights (14-2) are hosting the 6A-District 4 tournament and will face either #8 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) or Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) in Tuesday’s semifinals.
Forest (Ocala) remained third after finishing its regular season undefeated after two more wins this week. The Wildcats (12-0) will play Buchholz (Gainesville) in Tuesday’s 6A-District 5 semifinals.
Class 4A Santa Fe (Alachua) jumped back to fourth after knocking off Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 3-1, earlier in the week. The Class 3A Celtics (9-5) moved down to fifth after the tough loss in four sets to the Raiders (16-8).
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 is No. 6 Vanguard (Ocala) (10-2), No. 7 Newberry (18-3), Fletcher (16-2) , No. 9 Fleming Island (Orange Park) (13-6) and 10th-ranked Bishop Kenny (14-8).
Dropping out of the top 20 this week was previous No. 14 East Ridge (Clermont) (6-5) and No. 17 Bolles (10-10).
Moving into the top 20 this week are No. 16 P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (9-4), which enters the rankings having won 8 of its last 10 games, No. 17 Deland (13-6), and No. 20 South Lake (Groveland) (16-3).
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, volleyball, 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, 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 – 2020 Volleyball Poll #6
(School, city, classification, first-place votes, record through 10/11, and total voting points)
1. Ponte Vedra (5A) (7) (19-0) – 140
2. Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (14-2) – 129
3. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (12-0) – 124
4. Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A) (17-8) – 118
5. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (10-6) –113
6. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (10-2) – 101
7. Newberry (1A) (18-3) – 99
8. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (6A) (16-2) – 98
9. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (13-6) – 81
10. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (14-8) – 78
11. Aucilla Christian (Monticello) (2A) (13-0) – 61
12. Bell (1A) (16-5) – 59
13. Weeki Wachee (4A) (12-0) – 57
14. St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) (2A) (14-0) – 48
15. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (10-8) – 33
16. P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (9-4) – 21
17. Deland (7A) (13-6) – 20
18. Providence (Jacksonville) (11-3) – 19
19. Gainesville (6A) (11-6) – 15
20. South Lake (7A) (Groveland) (16-3) 10
Receiving votes: St. John Lutheran (Ocala) (2A) (11-5) – 9, Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (10-10) – 7, Trenton (1A) (11-4) -6, First Academy-Leesburg (2A) (12-3) -6, East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (6-5) – 4, New Smyrna Beach (4A) (14-7) – 4, Branford (1A) (12-7) – 2, Yulee (5A) (12-5) – 1, Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (7-2) – 1, Matanzas (9-3) – 1.
Here are the FHSAA district volleyball tournament match-ups involving teams in The Prep Zone’s coverage area:
5-1A at Lafayette (Mayo)
Oct 12
5 Hilliard 3, 4 Hamilton County (Jasper) 0
Oct 13
5 Hilliard 3, 1 Madison County 0
2 Lafayette (Mayo) 3, 3 Taylor County (Perry) 1
Oct 15
2 Lafayette (Mayo) 3, 5 Hilliard 2 (Championship game)
6-1A at Bell
Oct 12
4 Dixie County (Cross City) 3, 5 Fort White 0
Oct 13
1 Union County (Lake Butler) 1, 4 Dixie County (Cross City) 0 (forfeit)
2 Bell 3, 3 Branford 0
Oct 15
2 Bell 3, 1 Union County (Lake Butler) 1 (Championship game)
7-1A at Williston
Oct 12
5 Trenton 3, 4 Bronson 0
Oct 13
5 Trenton 3, 1 Chiefland 0
2 Newberry 3, 3 Williston 1
Oct 15
2 Newberry 3, 5 Trenton 0 (Championship game)
8-1A at TBA
Oct 13
1 Crescent City 3, 4 Hawthorne 0
2 Fort Meade 3, 3 Wildwood 1
Oct 15
1 Crescent City 3, 2 Fort Meade 1 (Championship game)
1-2A at North Florida Christian (Tallahassee)
Oct 12
4 Community Christian (Jacksonville) 3, 5 NFC (Tallahassee) 0
2 Aucilla Christian (Monticello) 3, 7 FAMU (Tallahassee) 0
6 Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville) 3, 3 Wakulla Christian (Crawfordville) 0
Oct 13
1 St John Paul II (Tallahassee) 3, 4 Community Christian (Jacksonville) 2
2 Aucilla Christian (Monticello) 3, 6 Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville) 0
Oct 15
1 St. Johns Paul II (Tallahassee) 3, 2 Aucilla Christian (Monticello) 2 (Championship game)
2-2A at Harvest Community (Jacksonville)
Oct 13
2 Eagle’s View (Jacksonville) 3, 3 Beaches Chapel (Jacksonville) 1
Oct 15
Championship
1 Harvest Community (Jacksonville) 3, 2 Eagle’s View (Jacksonville) 0 (Championship game)
3-2A at St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park)
Oct 13
1 St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) 3, 4 Peniel Baptist (Palatka) 0
3 Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) 3, 2 First Coast Christian (Jacksonville) 0
Oct 15
3 Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) 3, 1 St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) 2 (Championship game)
4-2A at Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala)
Oct 12
4 St. John Lutheran (Ocala) 3, 5 St. Francis Catholic Academy (Gainesville) 0
3 Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 3, 6 Countryside Christian (Gainesville) 1
Oct 13
4 St. John Lutheran (Ocala) 3, 1 Redeemer Christian School (Ocala) 1
2 Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala) 3, 3 Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 1
Oct 15
4 St. John Lutheran (Ocala) 3, Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala) 2 (Championship game)
5-2A at Mount Dora Christian
Oct 13
4 First Academy-Leesburg 3, 5 Trinity Christian (Deltona) 0
Oct 15
4 First Academy-Leesburg 3, 1 Calvary Christian Academy 0
2 Mount Dora Christian 3, 6 Lake Mary Prep 0
Oct 16
2 Mount Dora Christian 3, 4 First Academy-Leesburg (Championship game)
1-3A at Florida High (Tallahassee)
Oct 15
5 Florida High (Tallahassee) 3, 4 Maclay (Tallahassee) 0
Oct 16
5 Florida High (Tallahassee) 3, 1 Oak Hall (Gainesville) 2
2 Pensacola Catholic 3, 3 P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) 0
Oct 17
5 Florida High (Tallahassee) vs. 2 Pensacola Catholic (Championship game)
2-3A at Episcopal (Jacksonville)
Oct 12
4 Episcopal (Jacksonville) 3, 5 Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) 0
7 University Christian (Jacksonville) 3, 2 Baldwin 0
6 Providence (Jacksonville) 3, 3 Wolfson (Jacksonville) 0
Oct 13
4 Episcopal (Jacksonville) 3, 1 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 2
6 Providence (Jacksonville) 3, 7 University Christian (Jacksonville) 0
Oct 15
6 Providence (Jacksonville) 3, 4 Episcopal (Jacksonville) 0 (Championship game)
3-3A at TBA
Oct 12
4 Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) 3, 5 St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) 0
Oct 13
4 Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) 3, 1 Interlachen 0
3 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 3, 2 Taylor (Pierson) 0
Oct 15
3 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 3, 4 Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) 0 (Championship game)
2-4A at Suwannee (Live Oak)
Oct 13
1 Marianna 3, 4 Godby (Tallahassee) 0
3 Santa Fe (Alachua) 3, 2 Suwannee (Live Oak) 0
Oct 15
3 Santa Fe (Alachua) 3, 1 Marianna 0 (Championship game)
3-4A at Yulee
Oct 12
4 Keystone Heights 3, 5 Eastside (Gainesville) 0
2 Fernandina Beach 3, 7 West Nassau (Callahan) 0
3 Yulee 3, 6 Bradford (Starke) 0
Oct 13
1 Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 3, 4 Keystone Heights 0
3 Yulee 3, 2 Fernandina Beach 1
Oct 15
3 Yulee 3, 1 Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 1 (Championship game)
4-4A at Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville)
Oct 13
5 Raines (Jacksonville) 3, 4 Ribault (Jacksonville) 0 5
Oct. 14
5 Raines (Jacksonville) 3, 1 Ed White (Jacksonville) 2
3 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) 3, 2 Bolles (Jacksonville) 0
Oct 15
3 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) 3, 5 Raines (Jacksonville) 0 (Championship game)
5-4A at The Villages
Oct 12
5 Crystal River 3, 4 South Sumter (Bushnell) 0
6 Citrus (Inverness) 3, 3 The Villages 1
Oct 13
5 Crystal River 3, 1 Dunnellon 0
2 North Marion (Citra) 3, 6 Citrus (Inverness) 0
Oct 15
5 Crystal River 3, 2 North Marion (Citra) 1 (Championship game)
6-4A at Weeki Wachee
Oct 12
4 Weeki Wachee 3, 5 Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel) 0
2 Hudson 3, 7 Central (Brooksville) 0
6 Wesley Chapel 3, 3 Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) 0
Oct 13
4 Weeki Wachee 3, 1 Hernando (Brooksville) 0
6 Wesley Chapel 3, 2 Hudson 0
Oct 15
4 Weeki Wachee 3, 6 Wesley Chapel 1 (Championship game)
9-4A at Tavares
Oct 12
4 Tavares 3, 5 Mount Dora 0
7 Menendez (St. Augustine) 3, 2 Umatilla 0
6 Eustis 3, 3 Palatka 1
Oct 13
4 Tavares 3, 1 Atlantic (Port Orange) 1
7 Menendez (St. Augustine) 3, 6 Eustis 0
Oct 15
4 Tavares 3, 7 Menendez (St. Augustine) 0 (Championship game)
3-5A at Stanton (Jacksonville)
Oct 12
4 Middleburg 3, 5 Westside (Jacksonville) 0
2 Orange Park 3, 7 Paxon (Jacksonville) 0
6 Stanton (Jacksonville) 3, 3 Lee (Jacksonville) 0
Oct 13
1 Ridgeview (Orange Park) 3, 4 Middleburg 2
2 Orange Park 3, 6 Stanton (Jacksonville) 1
Oct 15
1 Ridgeview (Orange Park) 3, 2 Orange Park 0 (Championship game)
4-5A at St. Augustine
Oct 12
4 Ponte Vedra 3, 5 St. Augustine 0
Oct 13
4 Ponte Vedra 3, 1 Clay (Green Cove Springs) 0
2 Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) 3, 3 Terry Parker (Jacksonville) 0
Oct 15
4 Ponte Vedra 3, 2 Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) 0 (Championship game)
5-5A at Belleview
Oct 12
2 Vanguard (Ocala) 3, 3 Belleview 0
Oct 15
2 Vanguard (Ocala) 3, 1 Lake Weir (Ocala) 0 (Championship game)
6-5A at Leesburg
Oct 13
1 Lake Minneola 3, 4 Leesburg 0
3 Pine Ridge (Deltona) 3, 2 Deltona 1
Oct 15
3 Pine Ridge (Deltona) XX, 1 Lake Minneola XX (Championship game)
4-6A at Creekside (St. Johns)
Oct 12
4 First Coast (Jacksonville) 3, 5 Englewood (Jacksonville) 2
3 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 3, 6 Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) 1
Oct 13
1 Fleming Island (Orange Park) 3, 4 First Coast (Jacksonville) 0
2 Creekside (St. Johns) 3, 3 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 1
Oct. 15
2 Creekside (St. Johns) 3, 1 Fleming Island (Orange Park) 1 (Championship game)
5-6A at Gainesville
Oct 13
2 Forest (Ocala) 3, 3 Buchholz (Gainesville) 1
Oct 15
2 Forest (Ocala) 3, 1 Gainesville 0 (Championship game)
6-6A at New Smyrna Beach
Oct 13
3 South Lake (Groveland) 3, 2 Mainland (Daytona Beach) 0
Oct 15
1 New Smyrna Beach 3, 3 South Lake (Groveland) 0 (Championship game)
1-7A at Sandalwood (Jacksonville)
Oct 13
3 Mandarin (Jacksonville) 3, 2 Oakleaf (Orange Park) 1
Oct 15
3 Mandarin (Jacksonville) 3, 1 Sandalwood (Jacksonville) 0 (Championship game)
2-7A at Bartram Trail (St. Johns)
Oct 13
2 Nease (Ponte Vedra) 3, 3 Flagler Palm Coast 1
Oct 15
1 Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 3, 2 Nease (Ponte Vedra) 0 (Championship game)
4-7A at University (Orange City)
Oct 13
2 DeLand 3, 3 Spruce Creek (Port Orange) 0
Oct 14
2 DeLand 3, 1 University (Orange City) 0 (Championship game)
5-7A at East Ridge (Clermont)
Oct 13
3 East Ridge (Clermont) 3, 2 West Port (Ocala) 0
Oct 15
3 East Ridge (Clermont) 3, 1 Apopka 0
By Cam Parker
Twitter – @camparker25
On Friday night, Newberry dominated Hamilton County (Jasper) on Homecoming by a score of 54-23.
From the first play of the game, Newberry took the lead and never looked back.
On the first play, quarterback Makai Johnson took the snap and scrambled right for 48 yards and the score.
The domination did not stop there.
On the ensuing drive, Newberry’s Carson Price blocked a Hamilton County punt and recovered in in the endzone for the second touchdown of the night.
On the following drive, Hamilton County corrected their mistakes and drove down the field on a 69-yard drive that ended with a Denandre Johnson 1-yard run for a touchdown.
However, Hamilton County did not have an answer for the high-powered Panther offense.
Newberry (5-1) would score touchdowns on three straight drives to end the first half and led 35-10 at the break.
Johnson accounted for two of those touchdowns with a 7-yard pass to Perry Sylvester and a 19-yard pass to Justen Crews.
Kobe Delima punched in the final score of the half with a 2-yard run. It was one of three total touchdowns Delima would have in the game.
After a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Hamilton County’s Jaquan Strawder to open the second half, the Panther offense went back to work with two straight touchdowns.
Crews scored his second touchdown of the night with a 51-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Johnson.
The next drive, a 51-yard run by Chris Jonas set up another Delima touchdown to make the score 48-17.
Strawder opened the fourth quarter by scoring his second long-distance touchdown of the night with a 73-yard run.
However, Newberry would ice the game with Delima’s third touchdown of the night as the Panthers won their fifth straight.
Johnson, who was also crowned homecoming king, led all scorers with three touchdown passes and one rushing score.
“It feels good,” he said. “We executed the game plan.”
Delima added three rushing touchdowns, while Crews was on the receiving end of two of Johnson’s passes.
“It means a lot,” Delima said. “We came down and executed in the second half. We were able to pull out the win.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Carson Price recovered a block punt for a touchdown and intercepted one pass.
Head Coach Ed Johnson was pleased with his team executed the game plan.
“Our goal was to stick with what we’ve been doing,” he said. “Run the ball to start off and find mismatches with our receivers. It feels good to pull out the win.”
Newberry will host Dixie County (4-1) next Friday, while Hamilton County (1-4) looks to get back on track at Chiefland.
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Friday, October 9, was Caden Hastings of the Bell football team.
Hastings accounted for 26 points as the Bulldogs defeated visiting St. Francis Catholic Academy (Gainesville), 52-36.
The senior quarterback rushed for 144 yards and scored four touchdowns as the ‘Dogs (2-3) never trailed in the game.
He scored on a 16-yard TD run with 10:40 to play in the second quarter for a 14-6 lead and he finished the half with a 7-yard scoring run with 12 seconds left in the second quarter for a 22-6 lead at the break.
Hastings added a 4-yard TD run, and the 2-point conversion run, with 5:26 to play in the third for a 30-22 lead just after the Wolves (0-6) had tied the game at 22-22.
His final score of the night came on a 6-yard run with 4:49 to play to put the game out of reach at 52-30.
Bell, which finished with over 300 yards rushing, will travel to Trenton next Friday, Oct. 16.
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.
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Thursday, October 8, was Kate Johnson of the Buchholz (Gainesville) volleyball team.
Johnson helped lead the visiting Bobcats to a 3-2 win over district rival Gainesville at The Purple Palace.
The junior led the team with 12 kills and was second with 18 digs as the Bobcats (6-13) swept the 2-game regular season series against the Hurricanes.
“This was our last game so I’m just proud of the way my team came together to pull it out,” said Johnson, who also had two aces.
It was a see-saw affair. Buchholz won the first set, 25-17, but GHS (11-6) rallied to tie it with a 25-23 win in the second set.
“GHS is a young team like us,” said Buchholz coach Bailey Coleman. “Their effort level was really good. You could tell they wanted it.”
Buchholz took a 2-1 lead with a 25-22 win, but the ‘Canes rallied again with a 25-19 win to even the match at 2-2.
The Bobcats won the decisive set 15-7.
“We showed some character by finishing the match,” Coleman said. “I was proud of how we responded after our tough tournament (Tournament of Champions: Southeast) this past weekend.”
Buchholz will face unbeaten Forest (Ocala) on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the Class 6A-District 5 semifinals.
The winner will clinch a spot in the FHSAA state playoffs and also face Gainesville for the district title on Thursday. The district champion and district runner-up advance to regionals.
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.
Bartram Trail (St. Johns) keeps top spot in regional all-classification rankings despite first loss of 2020 season
GAINESVILLE — For the second week in a row, the top two football teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll were knocked off last week.
But despite their first setback of the season, the Bartram Trail (St. Johns) Bears stayed on top of the rankings for the second straight week.
Bartram Trail (3-1) lost 35-10 to American Heritage (Plantation), which is ranked sixth in Florida regardless of classification and 21st nationally by Max Preps.
Despite the loss, the Bears received four of the nine first-place votes to stay as the #1 team again this week. They face another tough test this week against St. Johns County rival #11 Ponte Vedra, which enters the game undefeated at 4-0.
Last week’s #2 team, Trinity Catholic (Ocala), also went down to defeat for the first time in 2020 last Friday night.
The Celtics (2-1) dropped a home game to then-RV The Villages, 27-25. The loss drops Trinity Catholic down a tie for 7th this week with undefeated Baker County (Glen St. Mary).
With the victory The Villages (3-0) moves into the poll for the first time this season at #12.
Vanguard (Ocala) moves up to 2nd after finally winning their 2020 opener 20-14 at then-#18 Forest (Ocala) last week.
The Knights face another undefeated Marion County team in RV West Port (Ocala) this Friday. West Port improved to 2-0 by winning at then-#19 North Marion (Citra) 24-13 last week.
Madison County remains third but picks up four first-place votes as well.
The Cowboys (4-1), who were the #1 team in the first three polls of the season, rebounded from their first loss of the season at Florida High (Tallahassee) the previous week to ease past Bradford (Starke) 14-0 last week to stay in the #3 position.
Bolles (Jacksonville) also moved up one spot to 4th this week after blasting Palatka 49-0. The Bulldogs (3-1) rebounded from a loss to #13T Creekside (St. Johns) the previous week to get back in the win column with a running clock victory.
Bolles faces another tough test this Friday as they host Trinity Catholic in a top 10 showdown.
Rounding out the top five is Fleming Island (Orange Park).
The Golden Eagles (4-0) staged a major comeback with 20 fourth-quarter points to rally past then-#10 Creekside, 26-23, and stay undefeated.
The brutal slate continues for Fleming Island this week as they will be on the road against another Clay County rival, #13T Oakleaf (Orange Park), which dropped seven spots from the previous poll after dropping a 25-12 decision to Camden County (GA).
The rest of the top 10 is Baker County and Trinity Catholic in a tie for 7th, followed by DeLand, which remains 9th after improving to 2-0 by holding off Spruce Creek (Port Orange) 30-24, and No. 10 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville).
Along with The Villages, Sandalwood (Jacksonville) is new to the poll at #19.
Forest and North Marion both drop out from a week ago.
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 #5
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (4) (3-1) – 165
2. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (1-0) – 159
3. Madison County (1A) (4) (4-1) – 155
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (3-1) – 151
5. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (1) (4-0) – 150
6. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (3-0) – 110
7T. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (4-0) – 106
7T. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (2-1) – 106
9. DeLand (8A) (2-0) – 104
10. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (2-1) – 102
11. Ponte Vedra (6A) (4-0) – 99
12. The Villages (4A) (3-0) – 69
13T. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (2-2) – 64
13T. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (2-2) – 64
15. Dunnellon (5A) (2-0) – 63
16. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (3-1) – 62
17. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (3-0) – 50
18. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (2-1) – 34
19. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (3-0) – 20
20. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (0-2) – 18
Also receiving votes: Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (2-1) – 8; Baldwin (3A) (4-0) – 6; Wildwood (1A) (4-0) – 6; Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (2-0) – 5; Forest (Ocala) (7A) (1-1) – 4; Hawthorne (1A) (3-0) – 4; Hilliard (1A) (5-0) -3; West Port (Ocala) (8A) (2-0) – 2.