- Raines (Jacksonville) is the preseason No. 1 in the 2026 high school football power poll after winning the 3A state title last December.
- Buchholz (Gainesville) ranks No. 2 and moved from 6A to 5A classification for the 2026 season after 7A was eliminated.
- Hawthorne won the 1A state championship and enters the season ranked No. 5 with a strong recent record of titles and appearances.
The high school football season always seems to go by fast, with the offseason seemingly feeling very long.
But it’s game week as the 2026 high school football season begins this week for teams in Florida, and for the Prep Zone Power Poll, the team at the top to start the season shouldn’t be a surprise.
Defending 3A state champion Raines (Jacksonville) knocked off Northwestern (Miami), 23-22, last December at Pitbull Stadium in Miami to take its fourth state football title in school history. The Vikings were a unanimous No. 1 team in last season’s final rankings, and they receive eight of the 11 first-place votes to pace the 2026 preseason poll. Raines opens their 2026 campaign this Friday night at No. 16 Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Right behind Raines at No. 2 is Buchholz (Gainesville). The Bobcats advanced to their fifth consecutive state semifinal appearance in 2025, and they received a first-place vote in the preseason rankings. Buchholz opens this week at eighth-ranked Vanguard (Ocala). The Bobcats move from 6A in 2025 to 5A this season after the 7A classification was eliminated.
Coming in third is last year’s 2A state runner-up Bolles (Jacksonville). The Bulldogs were beaten 52-28 by Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota) in the state title game, giving them their fifth state runner-up finish since 2016. Bolles’ last state title came in 2011 and starts its 2026 campaign on Friday at home against 13th-ranked Columbia (Lake City).
DeLand is at No. 4, followed by another defending state champion in Hawthorne. The Hornets won their third state title in four seasons with a 24-8 win over Blountstown at The Villages and have also appeared in six consecutive state championship games. Hawthorne now moves into 1A as the Rural Classification has also been eliminated.
The Hornets have a tough test to start the season this week at Bishop Moore (Orlando).
Two teams are tied for sixth in Mandarin (Jacksonville) and St. Augustine. Both teams lost in the regional finals last season, with Mandarin falling at Buchholz in Region 1-6A, and St. Augustine at home to Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach) in Region 1-4A.
Vanguard starts at No. 8 and faces Buchholz on Friday at Booster Stadium in Ocala. Bradford (Starke), under new head coach Ross Baker, is No. 9, and rounding out the top 10 is Nease (Ponte Vedra).
Among the Mainstreet Daily News area teams in the second 10 are 13th-ranked Columbia, No. 19 Chiefland and 20th-ranked Eastside (Gainesville). Fort White and Santa Fe (Alachua) are receiving votes.
Madison County and Eastside are new to the rankings from the final poll last season. Falling out from that final poll are The Villages, University Christian (Jacksonville) and South Lake (Groveland).
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 Be Well Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2026 FOOTBALL POLL #1 (PRESEASON POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, final 2025 record, and total voting points)
Teams in the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area are in bold
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A)(8) (14-0) – 214
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (5A) (1) (12-2) – 201
3. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (1) (13-2) – 194
4. DeLand (6A) (1) (12-1) – 176
5. Hawthorne (1A) (11-1) – 164
6T. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (5A) (11-2) – 153
6T. St. Augustine (4A) (11-2) – 153
8. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (9-3) – 114
9. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (11-2) – 113
10. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (9-3) – 112
11. Ponte Vedra (5A) (11-3) – 107
12. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (9-3) – 99
13. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (9-3) – 95
14. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-5) – 77
15. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (6A) (9-3) – 66
16. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (5A) (8-3) – 44
17. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (10-3) – 37
18. Madison County (1A) (6-6) – 33
19. Chiefland (1A) (11-2) – 29
20. Eastside (Gainesville) (3A) (9-3) – 24
Also receiving votes: University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (9-4) – 21, Middleburg (4A) (8-3) – 13; South Lake (Groveland) (5A) (11-2) – 11; Fort White (1A) (8-4) – 9; The Villages (3A) (9-2) – 7; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (4-7) – 6; West Nassau (SSAA) (12-2) (1-0) – 6; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (4-8) – 4; Ed White (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-3) – 4; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (6-5) – 4; Beachside (St. Johns (5A) (8-4) – 3; Dunnellon (3A) (8-6) – 3; Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (7-4) – 2; Palatka (2A) (6-7) – 1.