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Leesburg remains No. 1 in all-classification regional rankings but Creekside (St. Johns) closing in
GAINESVILLE – Defending 6A state champion Leesburg remained on top of The Prep Zone Power Poll but by a slimmer margin.
The Yellow Jackets are off to a 5-1 start following a 2-0 week which included a 56-53 win at No. 9 Gainesville this past Friday night.
They received five of the seven first-place votes and 138 total voting points.
However, Class 8A Creekside (St. Johns) moved up one spot to second following a 3-0 week which included a 65-41 win against previous No. 4 Vanguard (Ocala), which dropped to seventh following a 2-1 week.
The Knights of Creekside (5-0) received the other two first-place votes and 132 voting points.
Class 4A Providence (Jacksonville), which lost to 8A state semifinalist Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton), 71-62, at the Windermere Prep Shootout, but won at #19 Bolles (Jacksonville), 69-49, dropped one spot to third.
Raines (Jacksonville) moved up one spot to fourth. The 5A Vikings (6-0) won at previous #19 First Coast (Jacksonville), 71-67 (OT), and also won at previous #20 Terry Parker (Jacksonville).
Rounding out the top five is Eastside (Gainesville). The Class 6A Rams (5-0) defeated previously unbeaten 8A Tampa Bay Tech, 70-49, at the Mighty Ike Shootout at Williston, and cruised past district foe Belleview, 65-34.
The Villages is ranked sixth, followed by Vanguard, Palatka, Gainesville and Wildwood in the top 10.
Newcomers to the rankings include No. 16 Father Lopez (Daytona Beach), and Jacksonville schools Bolles (Jacksonville) and North Florida Educational Institute (4-2) at 19th and 20th, respectively.
Flagler Palm Coast, First Coast (Jacksonville) and Terry Parker (Jacksonville) fell out of the rankings.
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. It is powered by Strive Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2017-18 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 12/9, and total voting points)
1. Leesburg (6A) (5) (5-1) – 138
2. Creekside (St. Johns) (8A) (2) (5-0) – 132
3. Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (3-1) – 125
4. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (6-0) – 122
5. Eastside (Gainesville) (6A) (5-0) – 107
6. The Villages (5A) (4-1) – 102
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (7A) (3-1) – 97
8. Palatka (6A) (5-0) – 86
9. Gainesville (7A) (3-2) – 83
10. Wildwood (1A) (4-1) – 72
11. Hawthorne (1A) (3-1) – 60
12. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (6A) (5-1) – 56
13. Nature Coast (Brooksville) (6A) (5-0) – 54
14. Atlantic (Port Orange) (7A) (4-0) – 47
15. P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (4A) (4-3) – 41
16. Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) (7A) (5-1) – 39
17. Ribault (Jacksonville) (6A) (1-2) – 32
18. Deltona (7A) (3-1) – 17
19. Bolles (Jacksonville) (5A) (6-1) – 16
20. North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (2A) (4-2) – 8
Also receiving votes: Flagler Palm Coast (9A) (3-1) – 7; Englewood (Jacksonville) (7A) (3-2) – 5; DeLand (9A) (3-2) – 5; Hamilton County (Jasper) (1A) (4-1) – 4; First Coast (Jacksonville) (8A) (3-1) – 3; Bell (1A) (5-0) – 3; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (8A) (4-0) – 3; First Academy-Leesburg (Ind.) (6-0) – 3; Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (5A) (2-1) – 2; Mandarin (Jacksonville) (9A) (5-1) – 1.
