Defending state champion Raines (Jacksonville) preseason No. 1
GAINESVILLE — The high school football season always seems to go by fast, with the offseason seemingly feeling very long.
But it’s game week as the 2026 high school football season begins this week for teams in Florida, and for The Prep Zone Power Poll, the team at the top to start the season shouldn’t be a surprise.
Defending FHSAA Class 3A state champion Raines (Jacksonville) knocked off Northwestern (Miami), 23-22, last December at Pitbull Stadium in Miami to take their fourth state football title in school history. The Vikings were a unanimous No. 1 team in last season’s final rankings, and they received eight of the 11 first-place votes to pace the 2026 preseason all-classification rankings.
Right behind Raines, which plays at No. 16 Oakleaf (Orange Park) in Friday’s season opener, is Buchholz (Gainesville) at No. 2.
The Bobcats, who move from 6A to 5A this season with the 7A classification being eliminated, advanced to their fifth consecutive state semifinal appearance in 2025. They received one first-place vote in the preseason rankings. Buchholz opens up this week at 8th-ranked Vanguard (Ocala).
Coming in 3rd is last year’s 2A state runner-up Bolles (Jacksonville).
The Bulldogs were beaten 52-28 by Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota) in the state title game, giving them their fifth state runner-up finish since 2016. Bolles, whose last state title came in 2011, starts its 2026 campaign on Friday at home against 13th-ranked Columbia (Lake City).
DeLand is 4th, followed by another defending state champion, Hawthorne, at No. 5.
The Hornets, who won their third state title in four seasons with a 24-8 win over Blountstown at The Villages, has appeared in six consecutive state championship games. Hawthorne now moves into 1A as the Rural Classification has also been eliminated. The Hornets have a tough test to start the season this week at Bishop Moore (Orlando).
Two teams are tied for sixth in Mandarin (Jacksonville) and St. Augustine.
Both these teams lost in regional finals last season, Mandarin at Buchholz in Region 1-6A, and St. Augustine at home to Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach) in Region 1-4A.
Vanguard, which hosts Buchholz on Friday at Booster Stadium in Ocala, is No. 8, followed by Bradford (Starke), under new head coach Ross Baker, at No. 9, while Nease (Ponte Vedra) rounds out the top 10.
Madison County and Eastside are new to the rankings from the final poll last season. Falling out from that final poll are The Villages, University Christian (Jacksonville), and South Lake (Groveland).
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball teams (regardless of 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 Be Well Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2026 FOOTBALL POLL #1 (PRESEASON POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, final 2025 record, and total voting points)
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A)(8) (14-0) – 214
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (5A) (1) (12-2) – 201
3. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (1) (13-2) – 194
4. DeLand (6A) (1) (12-1) – 176
5. Hawthorne (1A) (11-1) – `164
6T. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (5A) (11-2) – 153
6T. St. Augustine (4A) (11-2) – 153
8. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (9-3) – 114
9. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (11-2) – 113
10. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (9-3) – 112
11. Ponte Vedra (5A) (11-3) – 107
12. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (9-3) – 99
13. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (9-3) – 95
14. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-5) – 77
15. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (6A) (9-3) – 66
16. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (5A) (8-3) – 44
17. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (10-3) – 37
18. Madison County (1A) (6-6) – 33
19. Chiefland (1A) (11-2) – 29
20. Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (9-3) – 24
Also receiving votes: University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-4) – 21, Middleburg (4A) (8-3) – 13; South Lake (Groveland) (5A) (11-2) – 11; Fort White (1A) (8-4) – 9; The Villages Charter School (3A) (9-2) – 7; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (4-7) – 6; West Nassau (Callahan) (SSAA) (12-2) (1-0) – 6; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (4-8) – 4; Ed White (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-3) – 4; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (6-5) – 4; Beachside (St. Johns (5A) (8-4) – 3; Dunnellon (3A) (8-6) – 3; Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (7-4) – 2; Palatka (2A) (6-7) – 1.
