Thursday, 6:45 p.m. (PREGAME) – Girls High School Basketball, 7 p.m. (TIP)P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) at Providence (Jacksonville)
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Mike Ridaught (Color) for the first round of the girls high school basketball playoffs. Visiting P.K. Yonge is the No. 5 seed in 3A-Region 1 and the Stallions are the No. 4 seed.
Radio – 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville and 900 AM Ocala
‘Live’ audio online: http://us7.maindigitalstream.com/3354/
Raines (Jacksonville) a unanimous No. 1 heading into the state playoffs
GAINESVILLE – Raines (Jacksonville) remained a unanimous No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings.
The Class 4A Lady Vikings (26-1) received all nine first-place votes after winning the Class 4A-District 3 title with a 36-33 win against No. 4 Ribault (Jacksonville). They are currently ranked 15th overall in Florida by MaxPreps.
Raines, which will be the No. 1 seed in 4A-Region 1 and play No. 8 seed West Florida (Pensacola) on Thursday, hasn’t lost since a 61-56 loss to Lincoln (Tallahassee), ranked 5th in 6A, on November 26.
Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) remained second.
The Class 3A Green Wave (24-2) won the 3A-District 3 championship with a 47-31 win against previous No. 11 P.K. Yonge (Gainesville), which dropped one spot to 12th. As the No. 1 seed in 3A-Region 1, Father Lopez will play No. 8 seed Interlachen (20-5), which is receiving votes in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
Spruce Creek (Port Orange), which defeated Seminole (Sanford), 62-50, in the 7A-District 2 championship game, is still third. The Lady Hawks (22-5) are the top overall seed in Class 7A and will host Region 1 8-seed Colonial (Orlando) in the regional quarterfinals.
Fourth-ranked Ribault’s loss to Raines in the district championship put the Trojans (22-8) in as the No. 5 seed in 4A-Region 1, which means they will travel to No. 4 seed Marianna.
Middleburg moves up a spot to fifth.
The Broncos (18-6), ranked 30th overall by MaxPreps, won the Class 5A-District 3 championship with a 55-39 win against Terry Parker (Jacksonville) in the district championship game.
Class 1A Wildwood (24-2), 4A Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (18-9), 4A Bolles (Jacksonville) (18-9), 1A Hawthorne (25-2), and 7A Flagler Palm Coast (18-6) round out the top 10.
For the second consecutive week, no teams dropped out of the top 20.
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 weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2019-20 GIRLS BASKETBALL POLL #6
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 2/8, and total voting points)
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (9) (26-1) – 180
2. Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) (3A) (24-2) – 169
3. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (22-5) – 164
4. Ribault (Jacksonville) (4A) (22-8) – 149
5. Middleburg (5A) (18-6) – 138
6. Wildwood (1A) (24-2) – 132
7. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (18-9) – 130
8. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (18-9) – 107
9. Hawthorne (1A) (25-2) – 106
10. Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (18-6) – 101
11. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-4) – 98
12. P.K Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (17-8) – 79
13. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (21-7) – 60
14. St. Augustine (5A) (18-5) – 47
15T. Orange Park (5A) (20-7) – 45
15T. Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (15-8) – 45
17. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (7A) (16-11) – 34
18. Trenton (1A) (21-5) – 32
19. Atlantic (Port Orange) (4A) (17-8) – 18
20. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (13-11) – 17
Also receiving votes: Trinity Christian (Deltona) (2A) (17-6) – 8; Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (19-7) – 7; Hernando Christian Academy (2A) (23-1) – 6; Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (15-8) – 6; Interlachen (3A) (20-5) – 5; Nease (Ponte Vedra) (7A) (14-11) – 2; Madison County (1A) (20-6) – 2; Eustis (4A) (18-7) – 1; South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (20-8) – 1; North Marion (Citra) (4A) (19-8) – 1.
The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week for the week of January 20 is KATIE TAGLIAFERRO* of the St. John Lutheran (Ocala) girls’ basketball team.
*Tagliaferro had two triple-doubles and one double-double in leading the Saints to a 3-0 week. The sophomore posted her first triple-double of the season (30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals) to lead the Saints to a 56-39 victory at Ocala Christian on Jan. 23. The following night, she scored 31 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had 11 steals in a 51-32 win against Dunnellon. Tagliaferro finished the week with by shooting 48-of-59 (81.4%) from the free throw line.
Nominate an Athlete of the Week each week no later than Sunday at 6 p.m. Email your nominations to mike@ThePrepZone.com
Previous 2019-20 winners:
January 13 – Nasia Powell (Vanguard girls basketball)
The junior helped lead the Knights to a 2-0 week. Powell single-handily outscored city rival Forest (Ocala) in a 69-16 win on the road. She finished with 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out seven assists and had five steals, with only one turnover. Three nights later, Powell scored a game-high 22 points, with nine rebounds and five steals, in a 53-33 win against county rival North Marion (Citra).
January 6 – Jake Charske (Forest boys basketball)
The senior led the Wildcats to a 2-0 week and became the school’s all-time leader in career 3-pointers with 140 in a 67-46 win against rival Vanguard, 67-46. Charske entered the game against the Knights tied for first on FHS’s record list and then sank 6-of-8 from behind the arc en route to a career-high 29 points. Earlier in the week, he scored a game-high 22 points as Forest upset The Villages, 72-62.
December 23 & 30 – No award (Winter break)
December 16 – Kelli Cunningham (Countryside Christian School girls basketball)
In four games, Cunningham had a combined 87 points as the Minutemen went 3-1 during the week. She scored a game-high 18 points as CCS knocked off previously undefeated Oak Hall (Gainesville) by a score of 48-36. Cunningham started the week off with a game-high 27 points in a 53-17 win at Dixie County (Cross City). The junior had just joined the 1,000-point scoring club by scoring 29 points vs. Branford High school on Friday, December 13th.
December 9 – K’mari Williams (Dunnellon girls basketball)
Williams helped lead the Lady Tigers to a 2-1 week, including their first win of the season. The freshman led Dunnellon (1-5) to a 51-22 win at Cedar Key by scoring a game-high 30 points. She shot 46% from the floor and added six steals. She also scored a game-high 17 points and five steals in a loss to unbeaten Lake Weir (Ocala) and finished the week with a game-high 27 points in a 51-45 win at Santa Fe (Alachua).
December 2 – Dean Hogg (Keystone Heights boys soccer)
The junior forward helped lead the Indians to a 3-0 week by scoring 10 goals. Hogg started the week by single handedly outscoring St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville). He had a first-half hat trick and finished with five goals and two assists as the Indians broke open a 3-3 tie to win 8-3. The following night, he had the game-winning goal, finishing with two goals scored, in a 3-0 win against Crescent City. He ended the week with a hat trick and dishing out two assists in a 9-1 win against Interlachen.
November 25 – No award (Thanksgiving holiday)
November 18 – Sydney James (West Port girls basketball)
James helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 2-0 week. The senior scored 37 points in a season opening 65-48 win over The Rock (Gainesville). She added 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double, as well as six steals and two blocks. The Furman signee followed that up with 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and four assists in a 67-15 rout of Dunnellon.
November 11 – Wesley Hyde (West Port boys swimming)
Hyde ended his high school career with a gold medal. The senior swam an All-American time of 4:28.90, almost six seconds faster than his time in the prelims, to bring home the Class 4A state title in the 500 freestyle at the FHSAA Swimming & Diving Finals at Sailfish Waterpark and Aquatics Center in Stuart. He also swam a 1:54.54 to finish seventh in the 200 IM.
November 4 – Lain Shahboz (P.K. Yonge girls swimming)
The University of Florida signee won a second consecutive state title in the 100-backstroke and helped lead the Lady Blue Wave to a third-place finish, their highest finish in school history. She was the lead off for the Medley Relay team which finished fourth and the anchor for the 400 Free Relay, which finished third. She also placed 3rd in the 500 Free for the 2nd year.
October 28 – Austin Montini (Oak Hall boys cross country)
The junior won his second regional title with a time of 16:24.77. He helped lead the No. 3 Oak Hall boys to the team title, beating No. 5 ranked and defending state champion Mount Dora Christian Academy.
October 21 – Alexa Schmidt (Vanguard volleyball)
After missing 20 matches with a left ankle sprain and bone bruise, the Star-Banner’s 2018 co-player-of-the-year helped lead the defending Class 7A state champion Knights to a sweep of visiting Gateway (Kissimmee) in the FHSAA Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals. The senior outside hitter made her presence known with 15 kills and seven aces as Vanguard advanced to the regional semifinals.
October 14 – Cole Gonzales (Oak Hall football)
Gonzales helped lead the Eagles to a 49-14 win on Homecoming against visiting Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville). The sophomore quarterback threw for 218 yards, rushed for 103, and accounted for five touchdowns – including a pick-6.
October 7 – Elise Bauer (Forest girls swimming)
Bauer won two events to help Forest win the Mid-Florida Conference meet out of 17 teams. The University of Florida commit won the 200 free (1:57.24) and the 500 free (5:01.73).
September 30 – Taria Liles (Bell volleyball)
The junior helped lead the Class 1A No. 1-ranked Bulldogs to a 3-0 week with wins against Taylor (Pierson), Branford, and Union County. Liles finished the week with 55 kills, 59 digs, and five aces, as Bell improved to 21-1 overall.
September 23 – Trevor McGovern (P.K. Yonge boys swimming)
McGovern won two events at the Rob Ramirez City Championships in Gainesville to help lead the boys’ team to its first city title since 2007. The senior won the 50 free with a time of 21.79. He also won the 100 back with a time of 50.83.
September 16 – Jamarian Samuel (Trinity Catholic football)
Samuel had a monster game as the Celtics crushed defending 2A state champion North Florida Christian (Tallahassee), 42-13. The junior tailback started slow, with just 12 yards on his first five carries. However, by halftime, Samuel would finish with 17 carries for 262 yards and four touchdowns. It was his fourth straight game over 100 yards, which also put him over 1,000 yards at the halfway point of the season (1,078 yards) for the Celtics (5-0).
September 9 – Deiontae Simpkins (Lake Weir football)
Simpkins completed 10-of-14 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes blew past Belleview, 48-0, in the annual War for the Oar to win their first game of the season. The senior quarterback led his team to a TD on its opening drive thanks to three straight quarterback runs, finishing the night with 127 yards rushing and a score on only 12 carries.
September 2 – No award (Hurricane Dorian)
August 26 – Trevor Holtzendorf (Union County football)
The sophomore played a big role in Union County’s come-from-behind 15-12 win at Williston. Holtzendorf recorded 14 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Union County (2-0) didn’t allow a score in the second half.
August 19 – Quan Smith (Buchholz football)
Smith helped lead the Bobcats to a 21-20 win against Eastside by rushing for 190 yards. The junior had 108 yards in the first half. However, it was his late fourth quarter 46-yard run, right after Eastside’s TD but blocked extra point, that helped seal the win. Smith had a 44-yard TD run in the first half and had Buchholz’s only score of the second half on a 40-yard pass from quarterback Jack Hevesy.
Monday, Feb. 10 – Join Mike Ridaught & Marty Pallman from Sonic Drive-In on 39th Avenue in Gainesville as they talk high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville.
Their guests include Buchholz (Gainesville) girls soccer coach Ahmad Brown and members of the Lady Bobcats’ soccer team, which will play at top-seed Creekside (St. Johns) in the Class 6A-Region 1 Quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Friday, Feb. 11, was K.J. Bradley of the Eastside (Gainesville) boys’ basketball team.
The Rams lone senior starter scored a game-high 20 points as Eastside rolled past city rival Gainesville, 71-49, on Friday night at Santa Fe College.
Eastside has now won five in a row and six of the last seven games against Gainesville. WATCH THE REPLAY.
The first quarter period was pretty even as both teams traded baskets. Bradley hit a three and scored seven points but six Gainesville players scored baskets as the games was tied at 14-14 after the opening quarter.
The two teams traded baskets early in the second period and the Hurricanes led 20-19. But Eastside went on a 17-0 run that changed the game for good.
The Rams carried a 36-22 lead into the halftime break. Bradley led Eastside with 11 points, while sophomore Tre’lyn Moore added 10 points and junior Jarvey Gainey chipped in with nine.
Both Bradley and Gainey scored seven points in the third period as Eastside continued to pull away. The Rams outscored the Hurricanes 38-18 in the middle two quarters and led 52-32 heading to the final period as they cruised to their seventh straight victory.
Besides Bradley’s 20 points, Gainey and Moore were also in double figures for Eastside with 16 points.
Eastside (17-7), which has won seven in a row and 12 of their last 14 games, are the number one seed in the District 5-4A tournament next week at Dunnellon.
The Rams wil play their regular season finale at home on Saturday night against Hamilton County (Jasper).
Gainesville, which was led in scoring by sophomore Alex McCray with 12 points and senior KZ Hutchinson with 10 points, closes its regular season at 13-12.
The Hurricanes open up District 2-6A tournament play this Tuesday at the Purple Palace against Leon (Tallahassee).
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.
New No. 1 as Paxon flip-flops with Andrew Jackson after Gateway Conference Tournament title
GAINESVILLE – You can add another tournament title for the new No. 1 team in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
Paxon (Jacksonville), which won the EC 16 Invitational at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville in December, moved up one spot from second to first after winning the Gateway Conference Tournament title.
The Golden Eagles (20-5), who are ranked 4th in Class 4A by MaxPreps, defeated current RV First Coast (Jacksonville) in the championship game, 69-38, and also defeated #4 Lee (Robert E. Lee), 53-50, in the semifinals.
They received six of the nine first-place votes.
Previous No. 1 Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) dropped to second.
The Tigers, who are ranked 4th in Class 3A, were upset by Terry Parker (Jacksonville) in the Gateway Conference Tournament quarterfinals but finished 3-1 since the last all-classification regional rankings were released.
Jackson (18-3) received one first-place vote.
The other two first-place votes went to Columbia (Lake City), which remained third in the rankings.
The Class 6A Tigers (21-2) haven’t lost in 2020 and have won 11 in a row heading into their showdown on Friday night with No. 17 Madison County (17-4).
Following 4th-ranked Lee and rounding out the top five is North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville). The Eagles (19-4) are ranked 2nd in Class 2A.
Class 4A Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (20-3), which moved up nine spots, is ranked sixth, followed by 3A Providence (Jacksonville) (16-8), 1A Wildwood (17-7), 4A The Villages (17-6), and 2A unbeaten Mount Dora Christian (24-0) in the top 10.
Class 4A Eastside (Gainesville) jumps into the rankings at No. 20 following the Rams’ (16-7) sixth straight win.
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 weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2019-20 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #4
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 2/4, and total voting points)
1. Paxon (Jacksonville) (4A) (6) (20-5) – 175
2. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (3A) (1) (18-3) – 171
3. Columbia (Lake City) (2) (6A) (21-2) – 162
4. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (5A) (19-4) – 153
5. North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-3) – 126
6. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (20-3) – 106
7. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (16-8) – 100
8. Wildwood (1A) (17-7) – 99
9. The Villages (4A) (17-6) – 98
10. Mount Dora Christian Academy (2A) (24-0) – 95
11. Palatka (4A) (17-6) – 90
12. Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (2A) (14-6) – 75
13. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (16-7) – 71
14. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (16-7) – 70
15. Hawthorne (1A) (18-3) – 65
16. Leesburg (5A) (14-7) – 50
17. Madison County (1A) (17-4) – 48
18. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (18-6) – 36
19. Hilliard (1A) (18-2) – 33
20. Eastside (Gainesville) (4A) (16-7) – 26
Also receiving votes: Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (13-10) – 16; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (15-8) – 10; Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (15-7) – 9; North Marion (Citra) (4A) (14-8) – 2; Orange Park (5A) (14-9) – 2; First Coast (Jacksonville) (6A) (14-9) – 1; St. Augustine (5A) (13-7) – 1.
Friday, Feb. 7 – Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Zach Cohen (Color) for this city showdown from Santa Fe College.
The Trophy Shop Athlete of the Week for the week of January 13 is NASIA POWELL* of the Vanguard (Ocala) girls’ basketball team.
*The junior helped lead the Knights to a 2-0 week. Powell single-handily outscored city rival Forest (Ocala) in a 69-16 win on the road. She finished with 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out seven assists and had five steals, with only one turnover. Three nights later, Powell scored a game-high 22 points, with nine rebounds and five steals, in a 53-33 win against county rival North Marion (Citra).
Nominate an Athlete of the Week each week no later than Sunday at 6 p.m. Email your nominations to mike@ThePrepZone.com
Previous 2019-20 winners:
January 6 – Jake Charske (Forest boys basketball)
The senior led the Wildcats to a 2-0 week and became the school’s all-time leader in career 3-pointers with 140 in a 67-46 win against rival Vanguard, 67-46. Charske entered the game against the Knights tied for first on FHS’s record list and then sank 6-of-8 from behind the arc en route to a career-high 29 points. Earlier in the week, he scored a game-high 22 points as Forest upset The Villages, 72-62.
December 23 & 30 – No award (Winter break)
December 16 – Kelli Cunningham (Countryside Christian School girls basketball)
In four games, Cunningham had a combined 87 points as the Minutemen went 3-1 during the week. She scored a game-high 18 points as CCS knocked off previously undefeated Oak Hall (Gainesville) by a score of 48-36. Cunningham started the week off with a game-high 27 points in a 53-17 win at Dixie County (Cross City). The junior had just joined the 1,000-point scoring club by scoring 29 points vs. Branford High school on Friday, December 13th.
December 9 – K’mari Williams (Dunnellon girls basketball)
Williams helped lead the Lady Tigers to a 2-1 week, including their first win of the season. The freshman led Dunnellon (1-5) to a 51-22 win at Cedar Key by scoring a game-high 30 points. She shot 46% from the floor and added six steals. She also scored a game-high 17 points and five steals in a loss to unbeaten Lake Weir (Ocala) and finished the week with a game-high 27 points in a 51-45 win at Santa Fe (Alachua).
December 2 – Dean Hogg (Keystone Heights boys soccer)
The junior forward helped lead the Indians to a 3-0 week by scoring 10 goals. Hogg started the week by single handedly outscoring St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville). He had a first-half hat trick and finished with five goals and two assists as the Indians broke open a 3-3 tie to win 8-3. The following night, he had the game-winning goal, finishing with two goals scored, in a 3-0 win against Crescent City. He ended the week with a hat trick and dishing out two assists in a 9-1 win against Interlachen.
November 25 – No award (Thanksgiving holiday)
November 18 – Sydney James (West Port girls basketball)
James helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 2-0 week. The senior scored 37 points in a season opening 65-48 win over The Rock (Gainesville). She added 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double, as well as six steals and two blocks. The Furman signee followed that up with 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and four assists in a 67-15 rout of Dunnellon.
November 11 – Wesley Hyde (West Port boys swimming)
Hyde ended his high school career with a gold medal. The senior swam an All-American time of 4:28.90, almost six seconds faster than his time in the prelims, to bring home the Class 4A state title in the 500 freestyle at the FHSAA Swimming & Diving Finals at Sailfish Waterpark and Aquatics Center in Stuart. He also swam a 1:54.54 to finish seventh in the 200 IM.
November 4 – Lain Shahboz (P.K. Yonge girls swimming)
The University of Florida signee won a second consecutive state title in the 100-backstroke and helped lead the Lady Blue Wave to a third-place finish, their highest finish in school history. She was the lead off for the Medley Relay team which finished fourth and the anchor for the 400 Free Relay, which finished third. She also placed 3rd in the 500 Free for the 2nd year.
October 28 – Austin Montini (Oak Hall boys cross country)
The junior won his second regional title with a time of 16:24.77. He helped lead the No. 3 Oak Hall boys to the team title, beating No. 5 ranked and defending state champion Mount Dora Christian Academy.
October 21 – Alexa Schmidt (Vanguard volleyball)
After missing 20 matches with a left ankle sprain and bone bruise, the Star-Banner’s 2018 co-player-of-the-year helped lead the defending Class 7A state champion Knights to a sweep of visiting Gateway (Kissimmee) in the FHSAA Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals. The senior outside hitter made her presence known with 15 kills and seven aces as Vanguard advanced to the regional semifinals.
October 14 – Cole Gonzales (Oak Hall football)
Gonzales helped lead the Eagles to a 49-14 win on Homecoming against visiting Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville). The sophomore quarterback threw for 218 yards, rushed for 103, and accounted for five touchdowns – including a pick-6.
October 7 – Elise Bauer (Forest girls swimming)
Bauer won two events to help Forest win the Mid-Florida Conference meet out of 17 teams. The University of Florida commit won the 200 free (1:57.24) and the 500 free (5:01.73).
September 30 – Taria Liles (Bell volleyball)
The junior helped lead the Class 1A No. 1-ranked Bulldogs to a 3-0 week with wins against Taylor (Pierson), Branford, and Union County. Liles finished the week with 55 kills, 59 digs, and five aces, as Bell improved to 21-1 overall.
September 23 – Trevor McGovern (P.K. Yonge boys swimming)
McGovern won two events at the Rob Ramirez City Championships in Gainesville to help lead the boys’ team to its first city title since 2007. The senior won the 50 free with a time of 21.79. He also won the 100 back with a time of 50.83.
September 16 – Jamarian Samuel (Trinity Catholic football)
Samuel had a monster game as the Celtics crushed defending 2A state champion North Florida Christian (Tallahassee), 42-13. The junior tailback started slow, with just 12 yards on his first five carries. However, by halftime, Samuel would finish with 17 carries for 262 yards and four touchdowns. It was his fourth straight game over 100 yards, which also put him over 1,000 yards at the halfway point of the season (1,078 yards) for the Celtics (5-0).
September 9 – Deiontae Simpkins (Lake Weir football)
Simpkins completed 10-of-14 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes blew past Belleview, 48-0, in the annual War for the Oar to win their first game of the season. The senior quarterback led his team to a TD on its opening drive thanks to three straight quarterback runs, finishing the night with 127 yards rushing and a score on only 12 carries.
September 2 – No award (Hurricane Dorian)
August 26 – Trevor Holtzendorf (Union County football)
The sophomore played a big role in Union County’s come-from-behind 15-12 win at Williston. Holtzendorf recorded 14 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Union County (2-0) didn’t allow a score in the second half.
August 19 – Quan Smith (Buchholz football)
Smith helped lead the Bobcats to a 21-20 win against Eastside by rushing for 190 yards. The junior had 108 yards in the first half. However, it was his late fourth quarter 46-yard run, right after Eastside’s TD but blocked extra point, that helped seal the win. Smith had a 44-yard TD run in the first half and had Buchholz’s only score of the second half on a 40-yard pass from quarterback Jack Hevesy.
The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Tuesday, Feb. 4, was K.J. Bradley of the Eastside (Gainesville) boys’ basketball team.
The senior scored 17 points as the Rams defeated visiting Newberry, 66-33. Junior Jarvy Gainey added 16 as Eastside doubled up the Panthers (10-13) to win their sixth in a row.
The Rams (16-7) will close out the regular season on Friday night against Gainesville at Santa Fe College.
Eastside will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s Class 4A-District 5 tournament at Dunnellon. The Rams will play in the district semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 12, vs. the winner of Tuesday’s game between No. 4 seed Bradford (Starke) & No. 5 seed Keystone Heights.
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.
Tuesday, 7 p.m. (PREGAME) – Boys High School Basketball, 7:30 p.m. (TIP)
Gainesville at P.K. Yonge (Gainesville)
Join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Tyler TenBieg (Color) for this city showdown.
Radio – 92.1 FM & 1230 AM Gainesville and 900 AM Ocala