Mainland (Daytona Beach), Buchholz (Gainesville) still at the top
GAINESVILLE — Coming into this week, the top five of The Prep Zone Power Poll were all unbeaten.
And all five teams won again in week 8, but the sixth-ranked team suffered its first setback of the season. So while there weren’t a lot of changes in the top 10, there was a lot of movement in the second five.
Remaining at the top this week is Class 3S No. 1 Mainland (Daytona Beach), which improved to 7-0 as they blasted Deltona, 65-0.
The Bucs, who received nine of the 12 first-place votes, host Osceola (Kissimmee) tonight, followed by a trip to Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) next week and then a week 11 showdown against unbeaten Class 4M Lake Mary, which is ranked No. 1 in this week’s state rankings.
Buchholz (Gainesville) remained second.
The Bobcats, who are ranked No. 1 in Class 4S, are also 7-0 after a 38-3 romp at Oakleaf (Orange Park). They received the other three first-place votes heading into tonight’s 4S-District 3 title game at Citizens Field in Gainesville against No. 11 Bartram Trail (St. Johns).
Hawthorne stayed at No. 3 and is also 7-0 after a 28-0 blanking of Union County (Lake Butler).
The defending 1R state champion Hornets hit the road this week to play North Marion (Citra).
St. Augustine is 4th.
The Yellow Jackets (6-0), who had their bye last week, travel to Citizens Field on Friday to play Gainesville as they try to wrap up the District 4-3S championship.
One more unbeaten, Class 2S Bradford (Starke), rounds out the top five.
The Tornadoes (7-0) made the six-hour trip to South Florida and knocked off previously unbeaten True North Classical (Miami), 24-13. They are back at home on Friday against Lecanto.
Last week’s number six team, Suwannee (Live Oak), suffered its first defeat of 2023 as the Bulldogs lost 38-13 at then-No. 18 Madison County.
Class 2S Suwannee dropped nine spaces to 15th this week, while 1R Madison County moved up five spots to No. 13 with the big win.
Raines (Jacksonville) is now up to 6th.
The 2M Vikings (6-1) had no problem with rival Ribault (Jacksonville) in the Northwest Classic, winning 47-18 over the Trojans in a game that was played at First Coast High School in Jacksonville due to Ribault having a new school built.
Vanguard (Ocala) moved up a spot to 7th following a bye week. The 3S Knights (6-1) hit the road for a tough assignment this Friday at No. 16 South Sumter (Bushnell).
Undefeated Williston sits 8th.
The 1R Red Devils (7-0) were also off last week and face a tough test on the road again this week at undefeated 2S Hudson.
Another unbeaten team, 4S University (Orange City), moved up two spots to 9th after defeating Spruce Creek (Port Orange), 22-12. The Titans (7-0) put their unbeaten season on the line this week against No. 10 DeLand.
Class 4S DeLand (5-2) dropped three spots and rounds out the top 10 after a 49-42 shootout loss at Seminole (Sanford).
Lake Minneola (Minneola) is the only team new to the rankings this week, moving in at No. 20. The Hawks (5-3) replace University Christian (Jacksonville).
The Christians (4-3) were 17th a week ago but dropped out after a 14-0 setback to No. 14 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville).
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 – 2023 FOOTBALL POLL #9
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (3S) (9) (7-0) – 237
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (4S) (3) (7-0) – 226
3. Hawthorne (1R) (7-0) – 210
4. St. Augustine (3S) (6-0) – 205
5. Bradford (Starke) (2S) (7-0) – 184
6. Raines (Jacksonville) (2M) (6-1) – 161
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (3S) (6-1) – 157
8. Williston (1R) (7-0) – 146
9. University (Orange City) (4S) (7-0) – 143
10. DeLand (4S) (5-2) – 132
11. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (4S) (4-3) – 111
12. Ponte Vedra (4S) (6-1) – 101
13. Madison County (1R) (4-1) – 89
14. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (5-3) – 82
15. Suwannee (Live Oak) (2S) (6-1) – 78
16. South Sumter (Bushnell) (2S) (7-1) – 70
17. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (4M) (6-2) – 59
18. Providence (Jacksonville) (1M) (7-1) – 37
19. Riverside (Jacksonville) (2M) (6-2) – 22
20. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (4S) (5-3) – 17
Also receiving votes: Leesburg (3S) (7-1) – 16; Bolles (Jacksonville) (2M) (4-4) – 9; Columbia (Lake City) (3S) (3-4) – 8; Newberry (1R) (6-2) – 6; Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (2M) (5-2) – 5; Fort White (1R) (6-1) – 5; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (3M) (6-2) – 2; University Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (4-3) – 2.
