Madison County edges Bolles (Jacksonville) for top spot in regional rankings after 2-0 start
GAINESVILLE — Two weeks into the 2020 high school football season and almost half the teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll have yet to start their season.
Nine teams still will not play their first game until this Friday or next Friday, September 25.
But Madison County is off and running once again, as the Cowboys are 2-0 and remain the top-ranked team in this week’s all-classification regional rankings.
The 3-time defending state champions had to work for their 18-13 win over #17 South Sumter (Bushnell) last week.
This was on the heels of an impressive 47-0 blowout of Jefferson County (Monticello) in the opening week on September 4, and that is enough to give the Cowboys five of the nine first-place votes and keep them in the #1 spot.
Madison County edged #2 Bolles (Jacksonville) by three points.
Bolles opened its season with an impressive 36-12 rout at then-#9 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) and received three first-place votes to remain second.
The Bulldogs travel to #19 St. Augustine this Friday night. St. Augustine moved into the poll this week following a 49-0 rout at Middleburg in their opener last week.
Bartram Trail stayed third after winning a wild back-and-forth opener, 50-40, at rival RV Creekside (St. Johns). The Bears are at Mandarin (Jacksonville) this week.
Two teams who have yet to start their seasons round out the top five.
Vanguard (Ocala) is fourth, while Trinity Catholic (Ocala), which opens this Friday at home against South Sumter, moves up a spot to #5.
Oakleaf (Orange Park), which received the final first-place vote, moves up five spots to lead off the second five after a 35-14 opening game win at Buchholz (Gainesville).
The competition gets a little tougher for the Knights (1-0) this Friday as they travel to Valdosta to take on Lowndes, the top-ranked team in Georgia and #9 team nationally according to MaxPreps.
Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) drops two spaces to 7th. The Generals open their 2020 season Friday against Ribault (Jacksonville).
Eighth-ranked North Marion (Citra), Fleming Island (Orange Park), and Columbia (Lake City) round out the top 10.
North Marion and Columbia will start their seasons on September 25.
Fleming Island opened its slate with a 29-7 triumph over Palatka, and the Golden Eagles are on the road at RV Fletcher (Neptune Beach) this week.
Baker County (Glen St. Mary) is new to the poll this week at 16th after the Wildcats won their first two games by a combined score of 82-6 over Orange Park and then #19T Bradford (Starke).
Ponte Vedra also moves into the rankings at #18 after opening the season with a 24-7 win at Nease (Ponte Vedra).
Dropping out from the preseason poll are University Christian (Jacksonville), which dropped its opener 33-12 at Clay (Green Cove Springs), along with Bradford and Lafayette (Mayo).
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 – 2020 FOOTBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification*, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Madison County (1A) (5) (2-0) – 171
2. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (3) (1-0) – 168
3. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (1-0) – 161
4. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (0-0) – 148
5. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (0-0) – 129
6. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (1) (1-0) – 127
7. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (0-0) – 123
8. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (0-0) – 116
9. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (1-0) – 107
10. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (0-0) – 103
11. DeLand (8A) (0-0) – 79
12. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (0-1) – 71
13. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (0-0) – 68
14. Dunnellon (5A) (0-0) – 59
15. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (0-0) – 48
16. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (2-0) – 39
17. South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (0-1) – 28
18. Ponte Vedra (6A) (1-0) – 26
19, St. Augustine (6A) (1-0) – 17
20. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (0-1) – 16
Also receiving votes: University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (0-1) – 12; Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (2-0) – 11; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (1-0) – 10; Hawthorne (1A) (2-0) – 9; Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (1-0) – 7; Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (0-0) – 5; Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (1-0) – 4; West Nassau (Callahan) (4A) (2-0) – 4; Bradford (Starke) (4A) (1-1) – 2; Branford (1A) (2-0) – 2; Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (0-1) – 2; Forest (Ocala) (7A) (0-0) – 2; Lake Minneola (6A) (0-0) – 1; Springstead (Spring Hill) (6A) (0-0) – 1.
*new classifications will be decided after the 9/18 FHSAA state series opt in/out date
