GAINESVILLE – Gainesville High opened the season with a win over a top 20 team and remained on top of the Prep Zone Power Poll.
The Class 6A Hurricanes (1-0) picked up four of the seven first-place votes following a 51-28 win over previous #20 Yulee. The ‘Canes built a 35-7 lead at the half as UF commit Chris Thompson had three TD catches and an interception return for a score – all in the first half.
Fletcher (Neptune Beach) picked up the other three first-place votes and remained second. The Class 8A Senators (11-3 last season) also got off to a great start in building a 35-0 lead at the half and cruised to a 52-0 win over Englewood (Jacksonville).
The top two teams will get tested this week as GHS hosts #3 Columbia (Lake City), a 50-0 winner against Baker County (Glen St. Mary), while Fletcher hosts #13 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville).
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball and baseball teams (regardless of classification) across 26 counties in north Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.
Madison County, which defeated Suwannee (Live Oak), 49-7, moved up one spot to fourth, while Mainland (Daytona Beach), which defeated previous #8 DeLand, 19-3, actually dropped one spot and fell to fifth.
Defending 4A state champion Bolles (Jacksonville) lost starting QB Colby Peters before the season opener to a sprain and partial ligament tear in his knee, but the Bulldogs (1-0) were still able to defeat Bayside (Palm Bay), 21-14. Peters is expected to return before the halfway mark for the 6th-ranked ‘Dogs.
First Coast (Jacksonville), which defeated Bolles in the Pre-season Kickoff Classic, is ranked seventh, while South Sumter (Bushnell), St. Augustine and Sandalwood (Jacksonville) round out this week’s top 10.
PREP ZONE POWER POLL – WEEK #2
(School, followed by first-place votes, classification overall record and total voting points)
1. Gainesville (4) (6A) (1-0) – 137
2. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (3) (8A) (1-0) – 134
3. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (1-0) – 115
4. Madison County (3A) (1-0) – 114
5. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (1-0) – 109
6. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – 105
7. First Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (1-0) – 99
8. South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (1-0) – 96
9T St. Augustine (6A) (1-0) – 78
9T Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (1-0) – 78
11. Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) – 64
12. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (1-0) – 59
13. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (1-0) – 58
14TNorth Marion (Citra) (5A) (1-0) – 41
14TWarner Christian (South Daytona) (2A) (1-0) – 41
16. Jefferson County (Monticello) (1A) (0-1) – 35
17. DeLand (8A) (0-1) – 29
18. Trenton (1A) (1-0) – 26
19. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (1-1) – 25
20. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (1-0) – 14
Also receiving votes – Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – 10, Eagle’s View (Jacksonville) (2A) (1-0) – 9, Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) (6A) (1-0) – 5, Ribault (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – 2 and Yulee (4A) (0-1) – 2.