- Raines (Jacksonville) remains No. 1 in the Prep Zone Power Poll with nine first-place votes after a 21-7 road win over Oakleaf.
- Buchholz (Gainesville) holds No. 2 after a 34-28 OT victory over Vanguard and will face Gainesville this Friday.
- Hawthorne (1A) ranks No. 5 following a 28-25 OT win at Bishop Moore and hosts Newberry for their home opener this Friday.
Week one of high school football is in the books, and there were plenty of surprises for the schools in The Prep Zone Power Poll.
And while there was plenty of movement in the top 10, the top two teams survived tough road matchups and stay at the top again this week.
Raines (Jacksonville) struggled on offense, but the Vikings’ defense was more than enough for a 21-7 win at then-No. 16 Oakleaf (Orange Park). Raines receives nine of the 12 first-place votes this week to again stay at the top of the rankings. The Vikings open their home schedule this Friday against Baldwin.
Buchholz (Gainesville) stays at No. 2. The Bobcats went into overtime but were able to hold off eighth-ranked Vanguard (Ocala), 34-28, at Booster Stadium last week. Buchholz earns two first-place votes and takes on city rival Gainesville this week at Citizens Field.
DeLand moves up a spot to No. 3. The Bulldogs also worked hard but pulled out a 35-34 triumph over Lake Wales.
Mandarin (Jacksonville) moves up two spots to No. 4 after taking a long trip to South Florida and earning a 38-21 win over McArthur (Hollywood). The Mustangs remain on the road this week, but it’s a much shorter trip at Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville).
Hawthorne rounds out the top five. The Hornets were also tested on the road at 4A Bishop Moore (Orlando), but pulled out a 28-25 overtime win. Hawthorne has their home opener this Friday against Alachua County rival Newberry.
The second five is led by St. Augustine at No. 6. Columbia (Lake City) is up six spots to seventh after a surprising 20-19 win at then-No. 3 Bolles (Jacksonville). That win also earned the Tigers a first-place vote. Bolles fell to No. 9 this week after the home loss.
Despite the overtime loss to Buchholz, Vanguard stays put at No. 8. Finishing off the top 10 is Bradford (Starke), who won 65-0 over West Port (Ocala) in Ross Baker’s first game as the Tornadoes’ head coach. Bradford travels to rival RV (receiving votes) Baker County (Glen St. Mary) this week.
University Christian (Jacksonville) moves into the poll this week at No. 12 after a 31-29 win at No. 16 Ponte Vedra, who were 11th in the preseason poll.
Creekside (St. Johns) also moves in at No. 13 after upsetting then-No. 10 Nease (Ponte Vedra) 21-14. Nease drops to 15th with the loss.
Ed White (Jacksonville) is also new at 14th after knocking off No. 20 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 42-40 in overtime.
Among the Mainstreet Daily News area teams receiving votes are Fort White, Santa Fe (Alachua), Williston and Chiefland. Santa Fe won their opener 30-16 at rival Newberry, and Williston won the Levy County Cup, 30-12, at Chiefland in Cederrick Daniels’ first game as Red Devils head coach.
Oakleaf and Chiefland dropped out of the top 20 this week, along with Eastside, which dropped their opener 28-13 at RV Fort White.
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 #2
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
Teams in the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area are in bold
1. Raines (Jacksonville) (3A) (9) (1-0) – 237
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (5A) (2) (1-0) – 223
3. DeLand (6A) (1-0) – 206
4. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (5A) (1-0) – 205
5. Hawthorne (1A) (1-0) – 176
6. St. Augustine (4A) (1-0) – 175
7. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (1) (1-0) – 169
8. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (0-1) – 140
9. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (0-1) – 138
10. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (1-0) – 134
11. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (6A) (1-0) – 96
12. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (1-0) – 81
13. Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (1-0) – 64
14. Ed White (Jacksonville) (4A) (1-0) – 63
15. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (0-1) – 54
16. Ponte Vedra (5A) (0-1) – 51
17. Madison County (1A) (1-0) – 47
18. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (3A) (1-0) – 44
19. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (0-1) – 40
20. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (0-1) – 38
Also receiving votes: Oakleaf (Orange Park) (5A) (0-1) – 30; The Villages (3A) (1-0) – 19; Middleburg (4A) (1-0) – 15; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (1-0) – 9; Fort White (1A) (1-0) – 9; Williston (1A) (1-0) – 9; Beachside (St. Johns) (5A) (1-0) – 8; Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (1-0) – 6; Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (1-0) – 5; Dunnellon (3A) (1-0) – 3; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (1-0) – 3; West Nassau (SSAA) (1-0-1) – 3; Chiefland (1A) (0-1) – 2; Mount Dora Christian Academy (Independent) (1-0) – 2.