Class 5A state champion Ponte Vedra finishes on top of the all-classification regional rankings
GAINESVILLE – The top-ranked team in The Prep Zone Power Poll also happens to be the only team to bring home a state title to the area.
Ponte Vedra moved up five spots following a 5-0 record during the postseason, which concluded with the Class 5A state title. The Sharks (25-6) swept previous No. 16 Vanguard (Ocala) in the championship game (25-23, 28-26, 25-18) to claim the No. 1 ranking in the final poll.
It was the 2nd state title in the past three seasons for Ponte Vedra, which lost to eventual state-runner up Santa Fe (Alachua) in last year’s Class 6A Regional Semifinal. The Sharks received six of the eight first-place votes.
Previous No. 1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) dropped to No. 2. The defending 5A state champion Celtics (23-7) lost to eventual state champion Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota) in the Class 3A state semifinals.
Trinity Catholic had wins against Santa Fe, Buchholz (Gainesville), Forest (Ocala), and Vanguard – all of whom finished in the top six of the final all-classification regional rankings. They received the other two first-place votes.
Prior to last season, it had been 42 years since Santa Fe volleyball had played in a state championship game. The Raiders have now done it back-to-back seasons.
Santa Fe moved up one spot to third after finishing as state runners-up for the 2nd consecutive season. The Raiders (21-10) lost to nationally-ranked Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) in the 4A state championship game.
Buchholz dropped two spots and fell to fourth. The Bobcats (22-6) lost at eventual 6A state champion Leon (Tallahassee) in the Region Final.
Forest dropped two spots and finished fifth. The Wildcats (22-7) also lost at Leon, falling in the 6A regional semifinals. They opened up the postseason with a sweep at previous No. 5 Fleming Island (Orange Park), which dropped three spots to eighth.
Another defending state champion from Marion County, Vanguard, finished sixth. The Knights (16-11) played most of the season without their best player (Alexa Schmidt) and caught fire when she came back, before falling to Ponte Vedra in the Class 5A state championship game.
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), Fleming Island, Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto), which lost in the Class 2A state championship game, and Lecanto, round out the top 10.
Class 1A state runner-up Newberry (18-13), which lost to 7-time defending state champion Sneads, moves into the final rankings at No. 16.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball teams (regardless of FHSAA Classification) across the 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, 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 – 2019 Volleyball Poll #11 (FINAL POLL)
(School, city, classification, first-place votes, final record, and total voting points)
1. Ponte Vedra (5A) (6) (25-6) – 157
2. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (2) (23-7) – 148
3. Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A) (21-10) – 140
4. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (22-6) – 135
5. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (22-7) – 127
6. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (16-11) – 126
7. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (19-11) – 90
8. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (16-6) – 82
9. Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) (2A) (24-4) – 81
10. Lecanto (5A) (25-4) – 73
11. Bell (1A) (27-2) – 69
12. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (19-9) – 67
13. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (21-6) – 61
14. Branford (1A) (22-6) – 54
15. Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) (2A) (23-7) – 44
16. Newberry (1A) (18-13) – 40
17. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (4A) (20-10) – 32
18. Yulee (4A) (22-5) – 26
19. Montverde Academy (4A) (15-11) – 25
20. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (17-11) – 24
Also receiving votes: Ridgeview (Orange Park) (5A) (18-6) – 22; First Academy-Leesburg (2A) (17-2) – 18; DeLand (7A) (16-7) – 17; Creekside (St Johns) (6A) (14-10) – 8; Menendez (St. Augustine) (4A) (16-8) – 7; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (6A) (20-5) – 4; Mandarin (Jacksonville) (7A) (20-6) – 2; New Smyrna Beach (6A) (15-12) – 1.
