With Election Day coming up next week the presidential race is coming down to the wire.
But there’s another poll that’s as close as the race to the White House. It’s the race to see who is at the top of the all-classification regional football rankings.
After Raines (Jacksonville) was on top the last three weeks by just a couple of votes, Nease (Ponte Vedra) catches the Vikings this week as both teams are now tied for the top spot in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
The Panthers improved to 7-0 and clinched the District 3-6A title with a 48-15 romp at Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine). Nease has two games left in the regular season, this Friday at RV Beachside (St. Johns) and then next Thursday with a makeup game against RV (received votes) Bartram Trail (St. Johns).
The Panthers pick up six of the 11 first-place votes. They are tied in total points but are one first-place vote ahead of Raines this week.
The Vikings (8-0) had no problem on the road, winning 47-0 at Yulee to clinch the District 3-3A title. Raines picks up the other five first-place votes and closes its regular season on Thursday at home against Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville).
St. Augustine (7-1) remains third. The Yellow Jackets cruised past Ridgeview (Orange Park), 63-7, to win the District 3-4A championship and travel to No. 10 Mandarin (Jacksonville) on Halloween to conclude their regular season.
Bolles (Jacksonville) stays at No. 4. The Bulldogs (8-1) have won eight games in a row since an opening week loss to Raines, and wrapped up their regular season and the District 4-2A title with a 35-0 blanking of Wolfson (Jacksonville) last Friday.
Rounding out the top five again this week is Buchholz (Gainesville). The Bobcats (6-3) won another classic matchup with Bartram Trail, triumphing 38-37 in overtime on the road. Buchholz returns home to Citizens Field for another tough matchup on Halloween against undefeated Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach).
Bradford (Starke) and Vanguard (Ocala) lead off the second five as the two teams are tied for sixth. The Tornadoes (8-1) also wrapped up their regular season slate as they blanked Santa Fe (Alachua), 44-0.
Vanguard (8-1) clinched the District 5-4A championship by pounding Gainesville, 47-3. The Knights finish their regular season at Forest (Ocala) on Friday.
University (Orange City) is eighth, Hawthorne ninth and Mandarin (Jacksonville) is No. 10 as there are no changes in the top 10 this week. Mandarin (7-2) followed its defense to the District 2-6A title as the Mustangs won 18-7 at No. 19 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Among the Mainstreet Daily News area teams in the second 10 are Newberry, who is just outside the top 10 at No. 11, No. 12 Union County (Lake Butler) and 17th-ranked Chiefland.
Newberry improved to 7-2 as the Panthers won 28-14 at Williston. Union County stayed unbeaten, improving to 8-0 with a 38-7 romp at Hudson. Union County travels to Chiefland this Friday in a matchup between two teams that are a combined 15-1.
Other teams receiving votes in the Mainstreet Daily News area are Eastside (Gainesville), Columbia (Lake City) and Suwannee (Live Oak).
New Smyrna Beach (7-2) moves into the poll this week at No. 20. The Barracudas replace Baker County (Glen St. Mary), who was at No. 15 a week ago but dropped out after a loss to Wakulla (Crawfordville).
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 – 2024 FOOTBALL POLL #11
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
Teams in bold are inside the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area
1T. Nease (Ponte Vedra (6A) (6) (7-0) – 214
1T. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (5) (8-0) – 214
3. St. Augustine (5A) (7-1) – 193
4. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (8-1) – 181
5. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (6-3) – 171
6T. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (8-1) – 155
6T. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (8-1) – 155
8. University (Orange City) (7A) (8-1) – 144
9. Hawthorne (Rural) (6-1) – 130
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (6A) (7-2) – 128
11. Newberry (2A) (7-2) – 98
12. Union County (Lake Butler) (Rural) (8-0) – 73
13. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (5-3) – 71
14. Ponte Vedra (5A) (7-2) – 66
15. Madison County (Rural) (5-3) – 63
16. Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (7-1) – 51
17. Chiefland (Rural) (7-1) – 33
18. Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (7-1) – 32
19. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (6-3) – 24
20. New Smyrna Beach (4A) (7-1) – 19
Also receiving votes: Dunnellon (3A) (6-3) – 15; Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (6-2) – 13; Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (6-3) – 13; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (7-2) – 12; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (4-5) – 8; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (6-3) – 7; Mount Dora (3A) (8-1) – 7; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (3-5) – 5; Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (6-3) – 5; Taylor County (Perry) (2A) (6-2) – 5; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (5-3) – 2; Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (3-5) – 2; Palatka (2A) (6-3) – 1.