Major shakeup in regional all-classification rankings as five of the top 10 teams lose in week 4
GAINESVILLE — The Prep Zone Power Poll has seen a pretty consistent group of teams in the top five and top 10 so far in 2019.
But with all the teams back in action, Week 4 of the high school football season saw some teams at the top of the rankings suffer their first setback of the year.
This was not true for Columbia (Lake City), as they remain at the top of the poll this week once again.
But the Tigers had to work to get to 4-0 as they held off Pine Forest (Pensacola), 21-13. Columbia forced five turnovers to stay unbeaten and received eight of the nine first-place votes to stay at #1 heading into their bye week.
Moving up to #2 and receiving the other first-place vote this week is Bartram Trail (St. Johns).
The Bears (4-0) pounded defending 8A state champion then-#3 Mandarin (Jacksonville), 32-7, to stay unbeaten on the season and move up three spots from a week ago. Bartram Trail heads into its rivalry game with St. Augustine this Friday night.
Mandarin drops five spots to 8th with the loss. The Mustangs’ (2-1) challenging slate continues as they host #10 Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) on Friday.
North Marion (Citra) moves up to 3rd after taking the trip to Hardee (Wauchula) and coming back with a 25-14 win. The Colts (3-0) host winless Gainesville this week.
Madison County moves up two slots to #4 after defeating previously unbeaten 5A Suwannee (Live Oak), 55-28. The Cowboys (4-0) host undefeated 3A Florida High (Tallahassee) this week.
Dunnellon is the big mover this week, as the Tigers moved up five spots and into the top five at #5 after holding on to win at then-#2 Vanguard (Ocala), 23-20. The Tigers improved to 4-0 with the win in the Marion County rivalry. Vanguard (2-1) drops to 6th after the home loss.
Sandalwood (Jacksonville) also moves up five spots and into the top 10 at #7. The Saints (3-0) stayed unbeaten with a 44-19 win at Nease (Ponte Vedra).
Oakleaf (Orange Park) is also new to the top 10, moving up six slots to 9th.
The Knights (3-1) won two games last week, cruising past Ridgeview (Orange Park) and Gainesville. Oakleaf’s only loss so far is 21-10 to top-ranked Columbia.
Lee rounds out the top 10.
The Generals (2-1) finally played rival Raines (Jacksonville) last Saturday, with Lee coming away with a 15-7 win in a defensive slugfest. With the loss, Raines (1-2) drops out of the top 10, falling to No. 15.
Also dropping out of the top 10 is Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) and DeLand.
The Conquerors (1-3) dropped to 14th after a 31-17 loss to powerhouse American Heritage (Plantation), which is ranked 2nd in the Associated Press Class 5A state rankings. DeLand dropped a home game 24-13 to 8A #5 Seminole (Sanford).
New to the poll this week is Fleming Island (Orange Park) at No. 17, Ponte Vedra is 18th, and Bolles (Jacksonville) re-enters the rankings at #19.
Fleming Island improved to 3-0 after a 24-13 win over Fletcher (Neptune Beach), Ponte Vedra remained unbeaten at 3-0 after rallying for a 33-29 win at Palatka, and Bolles moves back into the rankings after knocking off then-#19 St. Augustine, 28-7.
St. Augustine drops out this week, as well as Spruce Creek (Port Orange) and South Sumter (Bushnell).
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 – 2019 FOOTBALL POLL #5
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, current record and total voting points)
1. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (8) (4-0) – 179
2. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (1) (4-0) – 170
3. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (3-0) – 162
4. Madison County (1A) (4-0) – 145
5. Dunnellon (5A) (4-0) – 140
6. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (2-1) – 123
7. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (3-0) – 107
8. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (8A) (2-1) – 106
9. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (3-1) – 100
10. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (2-1) – 98
11. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (3-0) – 91
12. DeLand (8A) (1-1) – 84
13. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (1-1) – 82
14. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (1-3) – 79
15. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (1-2) – 54
16. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (4-0) – 47
17. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (3-0) – 23
18. Ponte Vedra (6A) (3-0) – 20
19. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (2-1) – 18
20. The Villages (4A) (2-1) – 14
Also receiving votes: Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (8A) (1-1) – 10; Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (4-0) – 9; University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (2-1) – 7; South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (3-1) – 6; Atlantic (Port Orange) (5A) (3-0) – 5; Orange Park (5A) (2-1) – 4; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (2-1) – 2; Forest (Ocala) (7A) (2-1) – 1; Springstead (Spring Hill) (6A) (3-0) – 1.
