Marty Pallman
The Mainland (Daytona Beach) Bucs have been the No. 1 team in the Prep Zone Football Power Poll since the opening week of the season.
But the Buchholz (Gainesville) Bobcats are hot on the trail for the top spot and continue to get closer and closer.
Buchholz dominated then-No. 11 Bartram Trail (St. Johns), 44-7, to clinch the District 3-6A title. The Bobcats (8-0) actually earned a majority of first-place votes for the first time this year, picking up seven of the 13 votes cast.
But Mainland, who is also 8-0 after blanking 2-6 Osceola (Kissimmee) 22-0, remain No. 1 as they outpointed Buchholz 253-251. The Bucs received the other six first-place votes, even though Mainland’s margin of victory earlier this season in a game against Bartram Trail was only by four points, 28-24.
Two more unbeaten teams, Hawthorne and St. Augustine, are tied for No. 3. The Hornets are also 8-0 after pounding North Marion (Citra), 54-8, and the Yellow Jackets moved to 7-0 with a 56-0 romp at Gainesville.
Another unbeaten in Bradford (Starke) rounds out the top five. The Tornadoes (8-0) pitched another shutout, blanking Lecanto 42-0. Bradford hosts Palatka for the District 6-2S title this Friday, then finishes their regular season at home next week against No. 15 Suwannee (Live Oak).
Williston, who is also 8-0 after winning 49-16 at previously unbeaten Hudson last week, leads off the second five.
DeLand is No. 7 as the Bulldogs clinched the District 9-4S title, handing then-No. 9 University (Orange City) their first loss of the season, 14-3.
University (7-1) drops only one spot and stays in the top ten at No. 10.
Raines (Jacksonville) drops two spots to eighth despite a 29-22 win over Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville). And Ponte Vedra moves up three spots to No. 9 as the Sharks won their seventh straight game 35-0 at Orange Park.
The only team in the second 10 from the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area is No. 15 Suwannee (Live Oak). The Bulldogs (6-1) were off last week after losing their first game of the season 38-13 at No. 12 Madison County the previous week.
Also receiving votes are Columbia (Lake City), Newberry and Fort White.Â
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 #10
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
Teams in bold are inside the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area.
1. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (3S) (6) (8-0) – 253
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (4S) (7) (8-0) – 251
3T. Hawthorne (1R) (8-0) – 226
3T. St. Augustine (3S) (7-0) – 226
5. Bradford (Starke) (2S) (8-0) – 198
6. Williston (1R) (8-0) – 175
7. DeLand (4S) (6-2) – 174
8. Raines (Jacksonville) (2M) (7-1) – 166
9. Ponte Vedra (4S) (7-1) – 143
10. University (Orange City) (4S) (7-1) – 127
11. South Sumter (Bushnell) (2S) (8-1) – 114
12. Madison County (1R) (5-1) – 112
13. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (5-3) – 99
14. Vanguard (Ocala) (3S) (6-2) – 95
15. Suwannee (Live Oak) (2S) (6-1) – 79
16. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (4M) (6-2) – 66
17. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (4S) (4-4) – 52
18. Providence (Jacksonville) (1M) (7-1) – 51
19. Riverside (Jacksonville) (2M) (7-2) – 35
20. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (4S) (6-3) – 32
Also receiving votes: Leesburg (3S) (8-1) – 20; Columbia (Lake City) (3S) (3-4) – 10; Bolles (Jacksonville) (2M) (4-4) – 9; Newberry (1R) (6-2) – 8; Fort White (1R) (7-1) – 4; Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (3M) (6-2) – 2; Middleburg (3S) (4-4) – 2; University Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (5-3) – 1.