Marty Pallman
Week 3 of the high school football season had the top-ranked team in The Prep Zone Power Poll, Mainland (Daytona Beach), hit the road for their biggest test so far of the 2023 season.Â
And the Bucs passed with flying colors and, with the win, extended their lead in the regional ranking.
Mainland (3-0) rallied late to win 28-24 at then-No. 3 Bartram Trail (St. Johns). The win gives the Bucs 11 of the 13 first-place votes as they are No. 1 for the third straight week.
With the loss, Bartram Trail (2-1) drops only two spots to round out the top five this week.
Buchholz (Gainesville) remains at No. 2. The Bobcats (3-0) rolled past city rival Eastside (Gainesville), 35-0, for their 10th straight win against the Rams. Buchholz picks up a first-place vote as they will stay at Citizens Field for their District 3-4S opener against RV (receiving votes) Creekside (St. Johns).
Hawthorne (3-0) moves up a spot to No. 3. The Hornets had no problem staying unbeaten as they pounded Terry Parker (Jacksonville), 46-6. Hawthorne faces a tougher assignment this Friday as they host unbeaten No. 11 South Sumter (Bushnell).
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) rebounded from a loss at nationally ranked American Heritage (Plantation) in week 2 to blank North Florida Educational Institute
(Jacksonville), 43-0. The Conquerors (2-1) gain the final first-place vote as they travel to 0-3 Bolles (Jacksonville) this week.
Bartram Trail rounds out the top five after a close loss at home to No. 1 Mainland. The Bears take a week off before traveling to St. Johns County rival No. 8 St. Augustine on Sept. 22.
Bradford (Starke) starts off the second five. The Tornadoes are unbeaten at 3-0 after a 32-7 win at Middleburg last Friday. Bradford returns home to face Eastside this week.
Vanguard (Ocala) remains at No. 7 after slipping past Marion County rival Dunnellon, 28-21. Vanguard (3-0) hosts another unbeaten team this week in RV Leesburg, who is also 3-0.
St. Augustine stays at No. 8 after holding off Brunswick (GA), 45-35, at the Border War Classic at Glynn Academy. The Yellow Jackets (2-0) warm up for the Bartram Trail showdown next week by hosting Menendez (St. Augustine).
Raines (Jacksonville) and Mandarin (Jacksonville) round out the top 10. The Vikings improved to 2-0 by handling Sandalwood (Jacksonville), 26-7, while the Mustangs stayed unbeaten at 3-0 with a 50-20 romp at then unbeaten RV Riverside (Jacksonville).
The Mainstreet Daily News teams in the second 10 include Suwannee (Live Oak), who is 13th, No. 16 Williston, and 19th-ranked Union County (Lake Butler).
Suwannee moves up a space thanks to a 33-18 win at Chiefland. Williston (3-0) moves up three spots from the previous poll after pounding Land O’Lakes, 43-7.
Union County drops two spots but stays ranked after a heartbreaking 31-28 overtime loss at Walton (DeFuniak Springs).
Receiving votes are Columbia (Lake City) and Fort White.
Moving into the poll this week are 17th-ranked University (Orange City), No. 18 Fleming Island (Orange Park), and Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), who is 20th. University is 3-0 while Fleming Island and Bishop Kenny are 2-0 in the young season.
Dropping out from last week is Creekside, who falls to 1-2 after a loss to Richmond Hill (GA) at the Border War Classic. Also falling out is Bolles, who drops to 0-3 for the first time since 1967 as they also lost at the Border War to Coffee (GA), 17-9, and Columbia, who is 0-2 as they dropped a 35-21 decision at No. 15 DeLand.
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 #4
(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) (11) (3-0) – 258
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (4S) (1) (3-0) – 241
3. Hawthorne (1R) (3-0) – 209
4. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (1) (2-1) – 207
5. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (4S) (2-1) – 199
6. Bradford (Starke) (2S) (3-0) – 187
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (3S) (3-0) – 178
8. St. Augustine (3S) (2-0) – 169
9. Raines (Jacksonville) (2M) (2-0) – 157
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (4M) (3-0) – 154
10T. South Sumter (Bushnell) (2S) (3-0) – 131
12. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1M) (2-1) – 104
13. Suwannee (Live Oak) (2S) (2-0) – 95
14. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (1S) (1-1) – 94
15. DeLand (4S) (2-1) – 85
16. Williston (1R) (3-0) – 63
17. University (Orange City) (4S) (3-0) – 35
18. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (4S) (2-0) – 32
19. Union County (Lake Butler) (1R) (1-1) – 28
20. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (2M) (2-0) – 24
Also receiving votes: Creekside (St. Johns) (4S) (1-3) – 14; Madison County (1R) (1-0) – 13; Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (4M) (3-0) – 8; Leesburg (3S) (3-0) – 8; Bolles (Jacksonville) (2M) (0-3) – 7; Columbia (Lake City) (3S) (0-2) – 7; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (4S) (1-0) – 6; Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (4S) (3-0) – 5; Lake Minneola (Minneola) (4S) (1-2) – 3; Ponte Vedra (4S) (1-1) – 3; Dunnellon (2S) (1-1) – 2; Fort White (1R) (2-0) – 2; Baldwin (2S) (2-1) – 1; Palatka (2S) (3-0) – 1.