Marty Pallman
The 2021 high school football season is already four weeks in, and one thing has become certain about The Prep Zone Power Poll.
The two best teams right now are two Jacksonville powerhouses, Trinity Christian and Bolles. But the choice of which of those two teams is better at this point in the season is pretty unclear.
Trinity Christian, which was ranked No. 1 in the first two polls this season, moves back to the top spot in the all-classification regional rankings after rallying past previously undefeated Clearwater Academy International in a 53-50 overtime shootout.
The win for the Conquerors (4-0) was the 300th in the career of Coach Verlon Dorminey, who has also won eight state titles at the school on Jacksonville’s Westside.
Trinity Christian, which is ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, picks up four of the seven first-place votes and moves back to the top spot. But the Conquerors face another tough matchup on the road this week at No. 8 Columbia (Lake City).
Bolles, which is ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, drops a spot to 2nd despite an easy 49-14 road win at Fernandina Beach.
The Bulldogs (4-0), who received the other three first-place votes but are two points behind Trinity Christian overall, host No. 13 University Christian (Jacksonville) tonight.
The debate over who is better between Trinity Christian and Bolles should be decided when the two teams meet at Skinner-Barco Stadium next Friday, October 1.
Buchholz (Gainesville), which is off this week, remains at No. 3.
The Bobcats (3-1) stayed put after a tough 16-7 loss to the No. 1 team in Class 4A, Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale), which is also the defending state champion in 4A.
Riverside (Jacksonville), which is ranked third in Class 6A, moves up a spot to fourth.
The Generals (4-0) stayed unbeaten with a 41-9 romp at Orange Park and hosts Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) tonight.
Vanguard (Ocala) drops a slot to No. 5 as their game against Carol City (Miami) was cancelled due to COVID-19. The Class 6A Knights (3-0) return to action this week at county rival North Marion (Citra).
Bartram Trail (St. Johns) leads off the second five at No. 6.
The Bears (3-1) rebounded from a tough loss the previous week to Lincoln (Tallahassee) by winning their District 1-8A opener, 23-8, at Mandarin (Jacksonville).
Bartram Trail faces another big test this week as they travel to No. 7 St. Augustine in the annual St. Johns County rivalry game.
St. Augustine (2-1) moves up a spot to seventh after a 54-37 win in a slugfest at Middleburg in their District 4-6A opener.
Following No. 8 Columbia is unbeaten Spruce Creek (Port Orange) at No. 9.
The Hawks (4-0) move up four spots and into the top 10 after a 48-0 romp at Lake Howell (Winter Park) in their District 4-7A opener. Spruce Creek faces a big road test this week at 19th-ranked Flagler Palm Coast.
Creekside (St. Johns) rounds out the top 10. The Knights improved to 4-0 with a 20-16 District 1-8A win at Sandalwood (Jacksonville) and make a big move up five spots.
Among the second 10, Ed White (Jacksonville) makes the biggest move of the week. The Commanders (2-0) move up six spots after a 40-24 win over then-No. 19 Suwannee (Live Oak), who drops out of the poll.
Mainland (Daytona Beach) moves back in after crushing then-No. 7 Lake Minneola (Minneola) 35-6. The Bucs (1-2) move into a tie for 17th with Lake Minneola (2-2).
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.
Click here to listen to Will Levenson and Zack Cohen call the Stephenson’s Septic Tank Services Game of the Week featuring West Port (Ocala) at Hawthorne on Mainstreet Daily News as 0-4 West Port Wolf Pack takes on the 3-0 Hawthorne Hornets. Pre-game begins at 7:15 p.m., with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Over at 106.9 I Am Country, Mike Ridaught and Cameron Parker will call the game between the 0-3 Santa Fe (Alachua) Raiders taking on the 3-1 Gainesville Hurricanes at Citizen’s Field. Game time is at 7:30 p.m.Â
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2021 FOOTBALL POLL #5
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (4) (4-0) – 137
2. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (3) (4-0) – 135
3. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (3-1) – 121
4. Riverside (Jacksonville) (6A) (4-0) – 115
5. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (3-0) – 113
6. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (8A) (3-1) – 106
7. St. Augustine (6A) (2-1) – 97
8. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (3-1) – 85
9. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (4-0) – 80
10. Creekside (St. Johns) (8A) (4-0) – 73
11. Hawthorne (1A) (3-0) – 72
12. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (3-1) – 52
13. University Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (3-1) – 46
14. Ed White (Jacksonville) (5A) (2-0) – 38
15. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (2-2) – 33
16. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (2-1) – 22
17T. Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (2-2) – 21
17T. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (1-2) – 21
19. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (2-1) – 18
20. Madison County (1A) (2-2) – 17
Also receiving votes: University (Orange City) (7A) (3-0) – 15; Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (3-0) – 13; Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (2-1) – 9; Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (5A) (4-0) – 7; Wildwood (1A) (2-0) – 5; The Villages (4A) (3-0) – 4; Gainesville (6A) (3-1) – 3; Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (2-1) – 1.