Friday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 (KICKOFF)
Newberry at Hawthorne
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 Alachua County showdown. The host Hornets, who have won back-to-back state titles, are riding a 26-game winning streak.
Newberry at Hawthorne – Football 2024 (Radio)
Newberry volleyball – 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 Newberry volleyball coach Hank Rone and members of the Panthers volleyball team.
Buchholz at Vanguard – Football 2024 (Radio)
Friday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football, 7:30 (KICKOFF)
Buchholz at Vanguard (Ocala)
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 Alachua County vs. Marion County showdown. Both teams advanced to the state semifinals last year (Vanguard in Class 3S & Buchholz in 4S).
High school football preview – 2024
Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (new Archer Road location). Their guests for this episode is Joshua Wilson of FloridaHSFootball.com and Newberry volleyball coach and football ‘color’ analyst Hank Rone to preview the upcoming high school football season.
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024 Football Poll #1 (PRESEASON POLL)
Defending state champion Mainland starts 2024 season on top of regional football poll
GAINESVILLE – After a long offseason and the Kickoff Classics, it’s time for the 2024 high school football season in Florida.
And a state champion from 2023 begins the new season on top of the preseason all-classification regional rankings.
Mainland (Daytona Beach) received nine of the 11 first-place votes to start the season at No. 1.
The Bucs, who were 14-1 a year ago, finished on top of the rankings to end 2023. Mainland kicked a field goal on the final play of the 3S championship game to edge St. Augustine, 21-19, for their first state title since 2003.
They do have to deal with a coaching change, as Travis Roland left Daytona Beach after the state championship run to take the Camden County (Georgia) coaching job. Roland’s cousin Jerrime Bell is now the Bucs new head coach after coming over from Atlantic (Port Orange).
Mainland is now in 5A, which includes St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) and Lakeland, both of whom have won multiple state titles in a row. STA set an FHSAA state record with their fifth straight title last December.
The Bucs’ schedule is pretty challenging, with games against defending state champion Cocoa, along with University (Orange City), a trip to No. 11 Raines (Jacksonville), and a home game against 7th-ranked DeLand.
Speaking of St. Augustine, the Yellow Jackets are right behind Mainland at No. 2.
They received a first-place vote as well, and Brian Braddock’s Yellow Jackets should be loaded again in 2024. The schedule is challenging, as St. Augustine, which opens the season at RV Palatka, travels to 5th-ranked Mandarin (Jacksonville), No. 15 Bartram Trail (St. Johns) and RV Columbia (Lake City), as well has a home game against 13th-ranked Bolles (Jacksonville).
Buchholz, a state semifinalist a year ago, starts 3rd. The Bobcats finished 13-1 in 2023 but came up just a point short in the 4S state semifinals, losing 21-20 to eventual state champion Lakeland.
Coach Mark Whittemore returns to lead the Bobcats after taking last season off, and Chuck Bell has moved back to his defensive coordinator position.
Buchholz, which defeated Spruce Creek (Port Orange), 7-2, in last week’s Kickoff Classic, also faces a tough schedule, starting with a trip to No. 12 Vanguard (Ocala) this Friday night. The Bobcats also travel to Vero Beach and they have a game in Georgia against Richmond Hill, along with home games against Manatee (Bradenton) and Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach).
Two-time defending 1R state champion Hawthorne is fourth. The Hornets knocked off Madison County, 22-13, last December in Tallahassee in the 1R state championship game. Hawthorne has won 25 straight games dating back to a loss to Madison County in the 2021 1A state title game.
Hawthorne must replace quarterback C.J. Ingram, who has decided to concentrate on basketball and recently committed to Florida. But the Hornets did get a possible replacement in Adrian Curtis, a transfer from Eastside (Gainesville).
Another state runner-up Mandarin, rounds out the top five. The Mustangs lost the 4M state title game to Columbus (Miami) last season, but will once again be loaded in 2024.
They received the final first-place vote.
Bradford (Starke), which finished as the 2S state runner-up to Cocoa in 2023, is ranked sixth to begin this season, followed by No. 7 DeLand, 8th-ranked Madison County, and South Sumter (Bushnell) and Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), who are tied for 9th.
Last year’s 1S state runner-up Trinity Catholic (Ocala), starts 2024 ranked 17th.
Newberry and University Christian (Jacksonville) are new to the poll from the final 2023 rankings. University and Lake Minneola drop out.
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 #1 (PRESEASON POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, final 2023 record, and total voting points)
1. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5A) (9) (14-1) – 209
2. St. Augustine (4A) (1) (13-1) – 188
3. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (13-1) – 181
4. Hawthorne (Rural) (13-0) – 175
5. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (1) (11-4) – 171
6. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (14-1) – 148
7. DeLand (7A) (11-3) – 119
8. Madison County (Rural) (10-2) – 113
9T. South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (11-2) – 108
9T. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-4) – 108
11. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (10-2) – 98
12. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (11-3) – 96
13. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (8-6) – 89
14. Williston (Rural) (11-1) – 83
15. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (8-5) – 79
16. Riverside (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-3) – 48
17. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (1A) (6-8) – 46
18. Newberry (Rural) (9-3) – 40
19. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (5-6) – 31
20. Ponte Vedra (5A) (8-4) – 29
Also receiving votes: Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (9-4) – 28; University (Orange City) (7A) (10-2) – 22; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (8-4) – 21; Episcopal (Jacksonville) (1A) (5-6) – 18; Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (6-5) -17; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (4-6) – 16; Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (7-4) – 9; Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (8-4) – 7; Dunnellon (3A) (8-4) – 5; Fort White (Rural) (9-2) – 5; Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (6-4) – 3; Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (7-4) – 2; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (3-7) -1; Palatka (2A) (7-4) – 1.
Trenton softball – 2024
Tuesday, June 18, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. Their guests for this episode include Trenton softball coach Clint Anderson and members of the FHSAA Class 1A state champion Tigers.
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024 Baseball Poll #5 (FINAL POLL)
State champion St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) finishes No. 1
GAINESVILLE – The St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) Spartans had come so close to winning the FHSAA Class 2A state baseball title, losing two of the last three years in the state championship game.
But in 2024 the Spartans were back playing for the state title.
This time they took care of business, and in thrilling fashion.
SJCD (25-6) defeated North Florida Christian (Tallahassee), 8-6, on a walk off in the Region 1-2A final, then walked off against Northside Christian (St. Petersburg), 5-4, in the state semifinal game at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
Then just for fun, they walked off again for the state title, edging Miami Christian, 4-3, for their first baseball state title.
The championship earned the Spartans eight of the nine first-place votes to finish as the number one team in the final all-classification regional rankings for 2024.
St. Johns Country Day, who was ranked 2nd in the previous poll taking before the regional playoffs, passed Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) for the top spot in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
The Conquerors (24-7) were ranked number one most of the season, but dropped to 2nd after losing to Westminster Christian (Miami), 6-4, in the 3A state semifinals in Fort Myers.
Trinity Christian received the other first-place vote.
Class 6A state runner-up Buchholz (Gainesville) finished 3rd.
The Bobcats (24-9) earned their first state semifinal trip by beating New Smyrna Beach, Pace, and Hagerty (Oviedo) at home to win Region 1-6A.
Buchholz pounded Bloomingdale (Valrico), 12-0, in the state semifinals in Fort Myers, but allowed 14 hits and dropped the state title game, 10-3, to Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens).
Finishing fourth is Bolles (Jacksonville).
The Bulldogs (21-8) lost in the Region 1-3A semifinal, 6-4, at Trinity Christian.
Rounding out the top five is 1A state semifinalist Lafayette (Mayo).
The Hornets (23-3) defeated Madison County, 1-0, and RV Union County (Lake Butler), 4-0, to advance to the 1A state semifinals. The Hornets were eliminated by eventual 1A state champion Jay, 4-2, in Fort Myers.
Spruce Creek (Port Orange) leads off the second five, followed by Creekside (St. Johns), Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), Newberry, and Clay (Green Cove Springs) in the top 10.
Creekside was knocked off in a 7A region final, Newberry was upset at home by Trenton in the Region 4-1A final, and Clay was beaten by Lincoln (Tallahassee) in a 5A region final.
Spruce Creek and Bishop Kenny lost in the second round of the 7A and 4A playoffs, respectively.
Among the second 10 is No. 16 Columbia (Lake City) and No. 17T Trenton, which moves into the rankings for the first time this season.
Despite only finishing with a 13-12 record, Trenton won at Chiefland and Newberry to win Region 4-1A. The Tigers advanced to Fort Myers but were beaten by eventual state runner-up Bozeman (Panama City).
Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville), which was receiving votes previously, moved all the way to No. 11 after advancing to the Region 1-3A final, where they were eliminated, 8-6, by Trinity Christian.
Hernando (Brooksville), which lost at Merritt Island in the Region 2-4A Final, also moved into the rankings as the Leopards (19-10) are tied for 19th with Montverde Academy (14-10).
Dropping out from the previous poll were Forest (Ocala), Providence (Jacksonville), and Episcopal (Jacksonville).
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 by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2024 BASEBALL POLL #5 (FINAL POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, final 2024 record, and total voting points)
1. St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) (2A) (8) (25-6) – 179
2. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (1) (24-7) – 170
3. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (24-9) – 164
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (3A) (21-8) – 139
5. Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (23-3) – 128
6. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (19-10) – 120
7. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (19-11) – 114
8. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (20-9) – 108
9. Newberry (1A) (22-6) – 105
10. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (18-10) – 87
11. Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (3A) (20-9) – 79
12. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (4A) (19-7) – 71
13. St. Joseph’s Academy (St. Augustine) (2A) (20-9) – 61
14. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (21-6) – 47
15. Mount Dora Christian Academy (2A) (20-9) – 38
16. Columbia (Lake City) (5A) (15-13) – 33
17T. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (18-8) – 30
17T. Trenton (1A) (13-12) – 30
19T. Hernando (Brooksville) (4A) (19-10) – 22
19T. Montverde Academy (3A) (14-10) – 22
Also receiving votes: Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (19-9) – 20; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (18-11) – 18; University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (18-10) – 18; Forest (Ocala) (6A) (17-9) – 17; Keystone Heights (3A) (20-9) – 12; Umatilla (3A) (19-9) – 10; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (16-12) – 9; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (17-10) – 8; Englewood (Jacksonville) (5A) (15-10) – 7; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (16-14) – 6; The Villages (4A) (17-12) – 6; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (16-13) – 4; Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (13-12) – 4; Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (15-14) – 2; Oak Hall (Gainesville) (2A) (13-6) – 1; Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (18-10) – 1.
The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2024 Softball Poll #6 (FINAL POLL)

State champions Eustis, Montverde Academy finish on top of regional rankings
GAINESVILLE — High school softball made its mark in North Central Florida in 2024.
The area had three state champions, two state runners-up, & two other state semifinalists.
FHSAA Class 4A state champion Eustis edged Class 3A state champion Montverde Academy as the top overall team in The Prep Zone Power Poll, which ranks the top 20 teams across 26 counties in Florida.
Eustis (26-2), which defeated previous No. 11 Baker County (Glen St. Mary), 1-0, in the 4A state championship game, received six of the nine first-place votes.
The Eagles (28-4), who defeated defending state champion Calvary Christian (Clearwater), 2-1, in 8 innings in the 3A state championship game, received the other three first-place votes.
Eustis, which won its first state title in 2021, lost at Montverde Academy, 7-6, on April 19 after the Eagles scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the walk-off win.
The Panthers, who proceeded to win their final nine games of the season following the loss, edged the Eagles, 177-173, in total voting points.
Trenton moved up six spots and finished third in the all-classification regional rankings.
The Tigers (23-2) won the Class 1A state title with a 6-5 win in eight innings against previous No. 14 Branford. They also defeated Holmes County (Bonifay) on a walk-off, 3-2, in the state semifinals.
It was the third state title for Trenton since 2019.
Baldwin is ranked fourth.
The Indians (29-2), who lost to defending state champion Calvary Christian (Clearwater), 6-3, in 10 innings in the 3A state semifinals, tumbled three spots from the No. 1 ranking it had held since a 10-0 start in March.
Their only other loss was to current No. 15 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Gainesville High rounds out the top five.
The Hurricanes (24-5) made a run all the way to the Class 5A state championship game before falling to defending state champion Parrish Community in extra innings.
It was their first state championship game appearance since winning the 7A state title eight years ago.
Class 4A state runner-up Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (21-6) is ranked sixth, followed by 3A regional finalist Episcopal (Jacksonville) (25-4), 2A state runner-up University Christian (Jacksonville) (19-8), 1A state runner-up Branford (24-7), and 7A regional semifinalist Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (20-4) in the top 10.
Middleburg, which lost at home to GHS in the 5A-District 2 championship game and again in the second round of the 5A state playoffs, leads off the second 10 at No. 11.
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 by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2024 SOFTBALL POLL #6 (FINAL POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, final record, total voting points)
1. Eustis (4A) (6) (26-2) – 177
2. Montverde Academy (3A) (3) (28-4) – 173
3. Trenton (1A) (23-2) – 152
4. Baldwin (3A) (29-2) – 148
5. Gainesville (5A) (24-5) – 145
6. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (21-6) – 123
7. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (25-4) – 120
8. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-8) – 117
9. Branford (1A) (24-7) – 106
10. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (20-4) – 96
11. Middleburg (5A) (22-5) – 94
12. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (21-6) – 92
13. Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (23-5) – 82
14. Fort White (1A) (13-6) – 63
15. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (18-9) – 41
16T. Crystal River (3A) (22-6) – 40
16T. West Nassau (Callahan) (3A) (17-9) – 40
18. Williston (1A) (16-11) – 34
19. Deltona (5A) (18-6) – 23
20. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (19-8) – 16
Also receiving votes: Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (19-8) – 3; Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (16-11) – 3; Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (20-8) – 2.
Gainesville softball – 2024
Thursday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. Their guests for this episode include Gainesville softball coach Chris Chronister and members of the FHSAA Class 5A state runner-up Hurricanes.