Top 10 shakeup in regional all-classification rankings as high school football season heads into opening round of playoffs
GAINESVILLE — It’s finally playoff time for the football teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
But first there were some surprises for some of the top 10 teams in the final week of the regular season.
Not for the Bartram Trail (St. Johns), which finished the regular season as the unanimous #1 team.
The Bears finished the regular season 8-1 by rallying past Raines (Jacksonville), 42-26. The win was the fifth in a row for the Bears, whose only loss this season came to nationally-ranked American Heritage (Plantation).
Bartram Trail received all nine first-place votes once again. The Bears have a bye this week before opening play in the 8A regional quarterfinals on November 20 against #4 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Oakleaf (6-3), which knocked off previously undefeated then-#5 Clay (Green Cove Springs), 41-14, in the final regular season game, was awarded a win in their play-in game by forfeit over Nease (Ponte Vedra) this week, and now moves on to play the top-ranked Bears in the 8A playoffs next week.
Moving up to #2 is Trinity Christian (Jacksonville). The Conquerors (7-1) closed out the regular season with their seventh straight win, 29-6 at Ribault (Jacksonville).
Trinity Christian opens up play in the Region 1-3A quarterfinals this week at #16 Baldwin (8-0). Trinity’s only loss this season came in the opening week to #7 Bolles (Jacksonville).
Dunnellon also moves up a spot to #3 after the Tigers finished off an unbeaten regular season with a 35-0 pasting of West Port (Ocala). Dunnellon (6-0) plays at Eastside (Gainesville) in a 5A-Region 2 play-in game moved to Saturday afternoon due to Tropical Strom Eta.
Rounding out the top five is Vanguard (Ocala).
The Knights (5-1), whose only loss came on the final play of the game at Dunnellon, closed out the regular season with a 30-0 blanking of Belleview. Vanguard hits the road to open the postseason this week at Crystal River.
The big mover this week is Mainland (Daytona Beach).
The Bucs (6-1) knocked off then-#2 Bolles 7-3 last Thursday at Daytona Stadium and are up five spots to lead off the second five at #6. Mainland hits the road to open up play in the 6A-Region 1 playoffs against Gainesville at Santa Fe High School in Alachua.
With the loss, Bolles drops five spaces to 7th. The Bulldogs (6-2) look to rebound as they open in the postseason in 4A at #14T The Villages.
Robert E. Lee was off last week and moves up to #8. The Generals (5-1) host Fort Walton Beach in their Region 1-6A playoff opener.
Rounding out the top 10 is Madison County at #9 and Buchholz (Gainesville) is 10th.
The Cowboys (7-2) host Dixie County (Cross City) in a 1A playoff opener, and Buchholz, which is up two spots and into the top 10 for the first time this season, hosts RV Creekside (St. Johns). The Bobcats won at Creekside 49-27 just two weeks ago.
Both Clay and Baker County (Glen St. Mary) fell out of the top 10 from a week ago. The Blue Devils (7-1) suffered their first loss of the season at Oakleaf and fell from 5th to 11th, while Baker County (7-2) dropped from #6 all the way to #13 after losing late at home to then-#16 Suwannee (Live Oak).
With the win Suwannee (7-2) moved up to #12.
There is only one new addition to the poll this week and that is #20 St. Augustine. The Yellow Jackets (6-2), who won at Palatka 51-8, replace Creekside, which was 20th 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 #10
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (9) (8-1) – 180
2. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (7-1) – 170
3. Dunnellon (5A) (6-0) – 160
4. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (6-3) – 142
5. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (5-1) – 135
6. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (6-1) – 128
7. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (6-2) – 126
8. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (5-1) – 104
9. Madison County (1A) (7-2) – 197
10. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (6-1) – 95
11. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (7-1) – 85
12. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (7-2) – 72
13. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (7-2) – 68
14T. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (6-2) – 61
14T. The Villages (4A) (6-0) – 61
16. Baldwin (3A) (8-0) – 45
17. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (6-1) – 40
18. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (7-0) – 34
19. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (6-1) – 25
20. St. Augustine (6A) (6-2) – 24
Also receiving votes: Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (4-3) – 12; Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (5-3) – 11; Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (4-3) – 8; Newberry (1A) (7-1) – 5; Hawthorne (1A) (6-2) – 3; Hilliard (1A) (7-0) – 3; DeLand (8A) (3-2) – 1.
