352-339-1230
Class 5A No. 1 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) still on top of the all-classification regional rankings
GAINESVILLE – Not much has changed in The Prep Zone Power Poll heading into the high school football postseason.
In fact, most of the teams in the top 10 are starting to peak at the right time.
Undefeated Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) opens up the FHSAA Football playoffs ranked No. 1 in Class 5A of the final Associated Press state rankings. The Conquerors (10-0) received all nine first-place votes to remain on top of this week’s all-classification regional rankings.
Columbia (Lake City), whose only loss was at Trinity Christian by just one point the last Friday of September, remained No. 2. The Tigers (9-1) open up the Class 7A state playoffs against current No. 12 Fletcher in one of just a couple of match-ups involving ranked teams in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
Another undefeated team, Vanguard (Ocala), is still third. The Knights (10-0) are ranked third in Class 6A.
Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) is still one spot ahead of Raines (Jacksonville). They are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Generals narrowly handed the defending 4A state champion Vikings (9-1) their only loss, 16-15, in the season opener. Lee’s (8-1) only loss was at No. 2 Columbia, 42-37, in mid-September.
Defending 1A state champion Madison County, which received a bye in the first round of the state playoffs, is still sixth, while Class 5A North Marion (Citra) remained seventh.
Previous No. 8 Mandarin (Jacksonville) lost to Fletcher (Neptune Beach), 27-20 in overtime, dropping the Class 8A Mustangs (6-4) five spots to 13th while the 7A Senators (7-3) moved up one spot to 12th.
Menendez (St. Augustine) (8-2) moved up two spots from 10th to 8th, while Class 1A Hawthorne (10-0) remained ninth.
Class 5A Ponte Vedra rounds out the top 10.
Another 5A school, Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville), moves into the top 20 at No. 20. The Sharks (9-1) have won nine games in a row since dropping their season opener by three at Ridgeview (Orange Park).
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 and it is powered by Strive Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2018 FOOTBALL POLL #12
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, record, total voting points, and playoff opponent)
1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (5A) (9) (10-0) – 180; vs. Suwannee (Live Oak) in Region 1-5A quarterfinal
2. Columbia (Lake City) (7A) (9-1) – 171; vs. #12 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) in Region 1-7A quarterfinal
3. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (10-0) – 162; vs. Sebring in Region 2-6A quarterfinal
4. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (7A) (8-1) – 151; at Hagerty (Oviedo) in Region 1-7A quarterfinal
5. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-1) – 146; vs. Rutherford (Panama City)/Marianna winner in Region 1-4A semifinal (11/16)
6. Madison County (1A) (9-1) – 134; vs. Lafayette (Mayo)/Union County (Lake Butler) winner in Region 3-1A semifinal (11/16)
7. North Marion (Citra) (5A) (8-2) – 126; vs. #8 Menendez (St. Augustine) in Region 2-5A quarterfinal
8. Menendez (St. Augustine) (5A) (8-2) – 107; at #7 North Marion (Citra) in Region 2-5A quarterfinal
9. Hawthorne (1A) (10-0) – 101; vs. Crescent City/Fort Meade winner in Region 4-1A semifinal (11/16)
10. Ponte Vedra (5A) (8-2) – 97; at Godby (Tallahassee) in Region 1-5A quarterfinal
11. DeLand (8A) (8-2) – 87; at #13 Mandarin (Jacksonville) in Region 1-8A quarterfinal
12. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (7-3) – 76; at #2 Columbia (Lake City) in Region 1-7A quarterfinal
13. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (8A) (6-4) – 69; vs. #11 DeLand in Region 1-8A quarterfinal
14. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (7-3) – 60; vs. Edgewater (Orlando) in Region 1-7A quarterfinal
15. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (7-3) – 58; vs. Northwestern (Miami) in Region 4-6A quarterfinal
16. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (7-3) – 46; at Winter Park in Region 1-8A quarterfinal
17. Baldwin (3A) (9-1) – 36; vs. Taylor County (Perry) in Region 1-3A quarterfinal
18. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (7-3) – 15; SEASON OVER
19. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (7-3) – 14; SEASON OVER
20. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (9-1) – 13; vs. RV Eastside (Gainesville) in Region 2-5A quarterfinal
Also receiving votes: The Villages (4A) (10-0) – 9; St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) (3A) (9-0) – 8; Bolles (Jacksonville) (5A) (6-4) – 6; Gainesville (6A) (7-3) – 6; Eastside (Gainesville) (5A) (7-3) – 3; Fort White (3A) (8-2) – 3; University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (6-4) – 2; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (7A) (6-4) – 2; West Nassau (Callahan) (4A) (8-2) – 1; P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (4A) (9-1) – 1.
