Bartram Trail (St. Johns) solidifies lead in all-classification regional rankings after rebounding from first loss with impressive win over rival last week
GAINESVILLE — The march towards the FHSAA football state playoffs continues for teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
And the team at the top remains the same as Bartram Trail (St. Johns) bounced back from its first loss of the season to pick up a big win over a St. Johns County rival.
The Bears (4-1), who lost their first game of the season the previous week to Max Preps nationally-ranked #20 American Heritage (Plantation), rebounded last week to roll past then-#11 Ponte Vedra, 33-17, and handed the Sharks their first loss of the 2020 season.
With last Friday’s win, Class 8A Bartram Trail received eight of the nine first-place votes and solidified its hold on the #1 ranking for the third straight week in the all-classification regional rankings.
Vanguard (Ocala) remains 2nd after rolling past then-RV West Port (Ocala), 43-6. The 5A Knights (2-0) return to action this Friday at home against winless North Marion (Citra).
Class 4A Bolles (Jacksonville) switches spots with 3-time defending 1A state champion Madison County and moves up to #3. The Bulldogs (4-1) had no trouble with #18 Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 24-7.
Next up for the ‘Dogs this Friday is a showdown at #5 Baker County (Glen St. Mary), which moves up two spots to round out the top five.
The Class 5A Wildcats (5-0), who will put their undefeated record on the line this week against Bolles, had no problem with Terry Parker (Jacksonville) last week with a 42-14 win on the road.
Madison County received the other first-place vote despite falling one spot to 4th. The Cowboys (5-1) slipped past Columbia (Lake City) and face another road game coming up this Friday at 6A Auburndale.
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) leads off the second five.
The 3A Conquerors (3-1) rolled past 8A Mandarin (Jacksonville), 33-7, but have a much tougher test this week as they hit the road to South Florida to face American Heritage (Plantation).
Class 6A Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) is 7th with 8A DeLand at #8. Both teams were off last week.
Class 7A Fleming Island (Orange Park) falls four spots but remains in the top 10 at #9 after the Golden Eagles (4-1) lost a 15-point fourth quarter lead and suffered their first regular season loss in almost two years, 29-22, in overtime at #10 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Oakleaf (3-2) moves up three spots to round out the top 10 after the upset win over Fleming Island.
Class 3A Trinity Catholic (Ocala) drops 11 spots from a tie for 7th previously. However, the Celtics (2-2) still remain in the rankings this week.
Baldwin, which is ranked 19th, and #20 Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) are new to the poll this week.
The Class 3A Indians (5-0) stayed unbeaten with a 22-12 win over Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville), while the No. 20 Sharks (3-0) edged rival Hernando (Brooksville), 34-28.
Dropping out from last week were #18 Flagler Palm Coast and #20 Columbia.
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 #6
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (8) (4-1) – 179
2. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (2-0) – 164
3. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (4-1) – 153
4. Madison County (1A) (1) (5-1) – 150
5. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (5-0) – 137
6. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (3-1) – 116
7. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (3-0) – 114
8. DeLand (8A) (2-0) – 103
9. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (4-1) – 100
10. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (3-2) – 99
11. Dunnellon (5A) (3-0) – 98
12. The Villages (4A) (3-0) – 93
13. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (4-0) – 64
14T. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (3-2) – 59
14T. Ponte Vedra (6A) (4-1) – 59
16. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (4-0) – 57
17. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (4-1) – 53
18. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (2-2) – 36
19. Baldwin (3A) (5-0) – 18
20. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (3-0) – 8
Also receiving votes: Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (2-1) – 6; Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (3-1) – 5; Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (0-3) – 4; Hilliard (1A) (5-0) – 4; St. Augustine (6A) (2-2) – 3; Forest (Ocala) (7A) (1-1) – 2; Keystone Heights (4A) (3-1) – 2; Wildwood (1A) (5-0) – 2; Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (4-1) – 1; Lake Minneola (6A) (2-1) – 1.
