Bolles (Jacksonville) rallies to beat St. Augustine, and once again edges Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) for top spot in regional rankings
GAINESVILLE — We have already reached the quarter point and are heading towards the halfway point of the 2021 high school football season.
The top five teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll remain almost the same as the cream continues to rise to the top.
Staying in the No. 1 spot for the second straight week are the Bolles (Jacksonville) Bulldogs, who are ranked No 3 in Class 4A.
Bolles (3-0) slipped past #8 St. Augustine 32-27 in a back-and-forth affair, scoring late to beat the Yellow Jackets (1-1). With the win, Bolles received four of the seven first-place votes so stay in the top spot and has a bit of a break this week as they travel to Fernandina Beach.
Right behind Bolles once again this week is Trinity Christian (Jacksonville).
The Conquerors (3-0) rolled past Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville), 55-8, and received the other three first-place votes. Trinity Christian, which is two points behind Bolles this week, faces a tough assignment this Friday as it hosts independent Clearwater Academy International (3-0).
Buchholz (Gainesville) remains 3rd.
The Bobcats (3-0) remained unbeaten as they pounded city rival Eastside (Gainesville), 42-7. They face a major test this week as defending 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale), which is once again ranked #1 in their classification, comes to Citizen’s Field in a game that will be broadcast on 106.9 FM “I Am Country” beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Vanguard (Ocala) moves up a spot to No. 4 as they stayed unbeaten with a 13-6 defensive slugfest over then-No. 18 Dunnellon. The Knights were scheduled to host Carol City (Miami), but that game has been called off. Vanguard travels to RV North Marion (Citra) next week.
Rounding out the top five are two Jacksonville area teams tied for 5th in Bartram Trail (St. Johns) and Riverside (Jacksonville).
The Bears (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season to 6A Lincoln (Tallahassee), losing a two-touchdown lead and dropping the game, 37-31. Bartram Trail travels to rival Mandarin (Jacksonville) this Friday.
Riverside (3-0) picked up another easy road win, 34-8, at Ribault (Jacksonville). The Generals are on the road again this week at 1-2 Orange Park.
Lake Minneola moves up a slot to 7th, rebounding from a loss to RV Fleming Island (Orange Park) in week two by destroying East Ridge (Clermont), 63-0, last Friday.
Rounding out the top 10 is St. Augustine, followed by No. 9 Hawthorne and 10th-ranked Columbia (Lake City).
Hawthorne’s game at No. 19 Suwannee (Live Oak) was rescheduled for Oct. 1 due to COVID-19, while Columbia rebounded from a 34-7 home loss to Bolles the previous week by knocking off then-No. 7 Oakleaf (Orange Park), 27-23, on the road.
With the win Columbia moves up four spots back into the top 10, while Oakleaf drops four positions just out of the top 10 at No. 11.
Moving into the poll this week is #15 Creekside (St. Johns). The Knights improved to 3-0 with a 26-0 blanking of then-No. 12 Fleming Island (Orange Park). With the loss the Golden Eagles drop to 1-2 and fall out of the poll.
Ed White (Jacksonville) is also new to the poll this week at 20th, despite not having played for the last two weeks. The Commanders (1-0) replace Dunnellon, which drops out after the loss at Vanguard.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball 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 – 2021 FOOTBALL POLL #4
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (4) (3-0) – 137
2. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (3) (3-0) – 135
3. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (3-0) – 125
4. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (3-0) – 113
5T. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (2-1) – 105
5T. Riverside (Jacksonville) (6A) (3-0) – 105
7. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (2-1) – 87
8. St. Augustine (6A) (1-1) – 82
9. Hawthorne (1A) (2-0) – 80
10. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (2-1) – 78
11. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (2-1) – 66
12. Madison County (1A) (1-1) – 63
13. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (3-0) – 55
14. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (2-0) – 43
15. Creekside (St. Johns) (8A) (3-0) – 39
16. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (2-1) – 38
17. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (2-1) – 32
18. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (1-1) – 29
19. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (2-0) – 18
20. Ed White (Jacksonville) (5A) (1-0) – 8
Also receiving votes: Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (1-2) – 7; North Marion (Citra) (5A) (2-0) – 7; University (Orange City) (7A) (2-0) – 5; Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (2-0) – 4; South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (3-0) – 3; Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (3-0) – 2; Wildwood (1A) (1-0) – 2; Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (3-0) – 1; Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (0-2) – 1.
