Major shakeup in all-classification regional poll as Bartram Trail (St. Johns) takes over top spot with three top five teams losing last week
GAINESVILLE — Week eight of the high school football season saw plenty of shakeup in The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville as three of the top five teams lost last week.
And for the first time since the preseason rankings, there is a new top-ranked team.
Columbia (Lake City), which moved into the top spot after a 38-7 trouncing of then-#1 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) back in week one, dropped its first game of the season last week, and it was a big one.
The Tigers lost a 27-21 heartbreaker in overtime in a District 2-6A matchup at #5 Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville). The loss dropped Columbia (6-1) out of the top spot in the all-classification regional rankings for the first time since week 1, as they drop to 3rd in this week’s poll.
The new #1 team is Bartram Trail (St. Johns).
The Bears (7-0) are one of only three undefeated teams left in the power poll, along with #8 Fleming Island (Orange Park) and 19th-ranked Citrus (Inverness).
Bartram Trail received all nine first-place votes after a 52-22 trouncing of Nease (Ponte Vedra). The Bears can clinch the District 1-8A title with a win this Friday at #9T Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Moving up three spots to #2 is North Marion (Citra). The Colts (6-1) blasted Lake Weir (Ocala), 48-7, last week and move up to their highest ranking so far in 2019.
Following Columbia this week at #4 is Madison County. The Cowboys (6-2) ended a two-game losing streak by going on the road and waxing previously undefeated then-#3 Dunnellon, 47-35.
Dunnellon (6-1) drops to 6th after the loss to Madison County.
Rounding out the top five is Robert E. Lee. The Generals (5-2) bounced back from a upset loss at RV Ribault (Jacksonville) the previous week and picked up a huge win over Columbia.
Lee is now in line to win District 2-6A, and moved up to the #2 spot in the RPI rankings in Region 1-6A with the victory over the Tigers. The Generals move up five spots from the previous poll.
Vanguard (Ocala) is 7th after a 56-6 District 6-5A win at Belleview.
The Knights (4-2) beat North Marion and lost to Dunnellon in district play and are hanging on to the 8th and final spot in Region 2-6A as of this week.
Fleming Island moves up to 8th and stays unbeaten but had to get a last-second field goal to hold off District 2-7A rival First Coast (Jacksonville), 17-14. The Golden Eagles (6-0) host Buchholz (Gainesville) in another district game this Friday.
Oakleaf was the third top-five team from the previous poll to lose, as the previously 4th-ranked Knights (5-2) dropped a District 1-8A game, 34-33, to #18 Mandarin (Jacksonville). Oakleaf is now in a tie for 9th with Flagler Palm Coast.
The Bulldogs (6-1) also dropped their first game of 2019, falling 34-9 to the 2nd-ranked team in 8A Seminole (Sanford). Flagler Palm Coast drops three spots from the previous rankings.
Mainland (Daytona Beach) moves back into the poll at #20 this week.
The Villages and Lafayette (Mayo) drop out from a week ago.
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 #9
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record and total voting points)
1. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (9) (7-0) – 180
2. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (6-1) – 160
3. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (6-1) – 156
4. Madison County (1A) (6-2) – 150
5. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (6A) (5-2) – 137
6. Dunnellon (5A) (6-1) – 126
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (5A) (4-2) – 124
8. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (6-0) – 112
9T. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (6-1) – 96
9T. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (5-2) – 96
11. Ponte Vedra (6A) (6-1) – 93
12. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (5-1) – 83
13. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (4-2) – 73
14. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (6-1) – 62
15. DeLand (8A) (4-2) – 57
16. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (3-5) – 45
17. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (6-1) – 30
18. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (8A) (4-3) – 29
19. Citrus (Inverness) (5A) (8-0) – 19
20. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (3-3) – 16
Also receiving votes: South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (5-2) – 8; Baldwin (3A) (7-1) – 7; Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (8A) (4-2) – 7; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (4-3) – 5; Springstead (Spring Hill) (6A) (7-0) – 5; The Villages (4A) (5-2) – 4; Newberry (1A) (7-1) – 3; Westside (Jacksonville) (5A) (6-1) – 3; Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (5A) (4-2) – 2; Keystone Heights (4A) (5-1) – 1; Ribault (Jacksonville) (5A) (2-4) – 1.
