Raines still No. 1, Columbia up to 3rd in regional rankings
GAINESVILLE — We are already almost a month into the high school football season and the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll stay the same.
But the Columbia (Lake City) Tigers continue to move their way up the charts.
Raines (Jacksonville), which has been No. 1 all season, stayed on top once again this week. The Vikings (3-0) survived a defensive battle with a 21-12 win at No. 12 Ed White (Jacksonville). They received eight of the 11 first-place votes in the all-classification regional rankings.
Buchholz (Gainesville) remains right behind Raines. The Bobcats (3-0) remained second and earned two first-place votes after beating city rival Eastside (Gainesville), 49-7, for the 13th straight year.
Columbia moved up a spot to 3rd after holding off No. 18 Madison County, 27-13. The Tigers (3-0), who received the final first-place vote, are on the road at another undefeated team this week in Ribault (Jacksonville).
St. Augustine is 4th, followed by Mandarin (Jacksonville) in the top five.
The Yellow Jackets (3-0) once again handled St. Johns County rival Menendez (St. Augustine), 38-7, while the 5th-ranked Mustangs (2-0), who were off last week, face a tough road test this Friday at 17th-ranked Nease (Ponte Vedra).
DeLand leads off the second five at No. 6, followed by Hawthorne at No. 7 and Bolles (Jacksonville) at No. 8. Bradford (Starke) and Spruce Creek (Port Orange) round out the top 10.
Leaping into the poll this week are 15th-ranked Bartram Trail (St. Johns), No. 16 Oakleaf (Orange Park), and No. 20 The Villages Charter School.
Bishop Kenny, which lost its first game of the season last week at Bartram Trail, dropped out from last week’s poll, while Mainland (Daytona Beach) and Ponte Vedra both dropped out from a week ago.
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 Be Well Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2026 FOOTBALL POLL #4
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (8) (3-0) – 217
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (5A) (2) (3-0) – 205
3. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (1) (3-0) – 186
4. St. Augustine (4A) (3-0) – 180
5. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (5A) (2-0) – 179
6. DeLand (6A) (1-1) – 164
7. Hawthorne (1A) (3-0) – 149
8. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (1-1) – 137
9. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (3-0) – 132
10. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (6A) (2-0) – 113
11. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (1-2) – 100
12. Ed White (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-1) – 83
13. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (2-1) – 72
14. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (2-1) – 56
15. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (3-0) – 51
16. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (5A) (2-1) – 46
17. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (1-2) – 33
18. Madison County (1A) (2-1) – 30
19. Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (2-1) – 25
20. The Villages Charter School (3A) (2-0) – 21
Also receiving votes: Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (5A) (2-1) – 16; Fort White (1A) (2-0) – 16; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (2-0) – 14; West Nassau (Callahan) (SSAA) (2-0-1) – 13; Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (3-0) – 10; Dunnellon (3A) (3-0) – 9; Middleburg (4A) (2-1) – 8; East Ridge (Clermont) (6A) (3-0) – 7; Yulee (4A) (3-0) – 7; Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (2-1) – 6; Flagler Palm Coast (6A) (3-0) – 4; Forest (Ocala) (5A) (3-0) – 3; Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (1-1) – 3; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (2-1) – 2; New Smyrna Beach (4A) (2-0) – 1.
