- Providence (Jacksonville) won the 2A state basketball title with a 51-43 victory, earning their fourth state championship and first since 2015.
- The Villages finished as 3A state runner-up, losing the title game after edging Andrew Jackson in the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
- Williston, ranked No. 8, reached the state semifinals for the third time in four years but lost the Rural State Championship in overtime to Crossroad Academy.
- Newberry ranked No. 9, advanced to its first region final before falling to Andrew Thomas, while Mainland and Tocoi Creek tied for 10th in the final poll.
The 2025-2026 high school boys basketball season is in the books, and while many Prep Zone Power Poll teams advanced to the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, there was only one team that finished with a state title.
That team was the Providence (Jacksonville) Stallions, who rolled through the competition in Class 2A, with their only win less than double digits being the state championship game, where they defeated Miami Country Day 51-43. It’s Providence’s fourth state title in school history, and first since 2015.
Providence (29-3), who won their five playoff games by an average of 28 points per game, finished as the unanimous No. 1 team, receiving all nine first-place votes.
At No. 2 is 3A state runner-up The Villages. The Buffalo (24-8) finished as the state runner-up after advancing to their third state semifinal in four years. For the second year in a row, The Villages edged then-No. 1 Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) by two points, this time 54-52 in the state semifinal at UNF Arena. But for the second year in a row, the Buffalo dropped the state title game to nationally-ranked Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale), this time by a running clock. The Villages moves up from No. 8 in the previous poll.
Andrew Jackson finished at No. 3. The Tigers (28-2) advanced to their seventh state semifinal in eight years. But despite having basically a home game in Jacksonville against The Villages, Andrew Jackson came up two points short as their frustration at winning a state title continued. The Tigers dropped from the No. 1 spot in the previous poll.
Class 1A state semifinalist Impact Christian (Jacksonville) is at No. 4. The Lions (27-5) rolled through Region 1-1A playoffs to advance to the state semifinals for the sixth time in nine years. But like Andrew Jackson, Impact’s frustration at the state championship continues as they were beaten 54-45 in the state semifinal game by Victory Christian (Lakeland).
Another state semifinalist, Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), rounds out the top five. The Crusaders (26-4) advanced to their first state semifinal since 2015 with wins over Ribault (Jacksonville), Pensacola, and Godby (Tallahassee) by double digits to win Region 1-4A. Despite also basically playing a home game at UNF Arena, Bishop Kenny dropped their state semifinals game 64-47 to No. 7 Atlantic (Port Orange).
Class 5A state runner-up Fleming Island (Orange Park) starts off the second five. The Golden Eagles (23-9) also rolled through three regional games and pounded Jesuit (Tampa), 86-58, to advance to their first state championship game appearance. Fleming Island was always in the game but came up four points short in the state title game, 52-48, to Pembroke Pines Charter.
Class 4A state runner-up Atlantic finishes at No. 7. The Sharks (23-10), who were unranked in the previous poll, took the Region 2-4A title with wins over Bishop Moore (Orlando), Palm Bay (Melbourne), and Eastside (Gainesville) to advance to their first state title game appearance. They then knocked off Bishop Kenny before being beaten in the 4A state title game by Suncoast (Riviera Beach).
Another state runner-up, Williston, is at No. 8. The Red Devils (21-8) won at 17th-ranked Wildwood in the district championship and then won again at Wildwood in the Rural-Region 3 Final to advance to the state semifinals for the third time in four years. Williston, who won state titles in 2023 and 2024, edged No. 13 Trenton, 60-52, in the state semifinals before losing a heartbreaker in the Rural State Championship Game, 61-56, in overtime to Crossroad Academy (Quincy).
Rounding out the top 10 is ninth-ranked Newberry and two teams tied for 10th, Mainland (Daytona Beach) and Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine).
Newberry (21-4) advanced to its first region final, where they were beaten by Andrew Thomas (Jacksonville), 75-60.
Mainland was upset in the opening round of the 6A playoffs by No. 18 Forest (Ocala), and Tocoi Creek was beaten in the Region 1-6A semifinals in triple overtime by Lake Howell (Winter Park).
Among the Mainstreet Daily News area teams in the second 10 are 13th-ranked Trenton, No. 15 Buchholz (Gainesville), 19th-ranked Columbia (Lake City) and Eastside at No. 20. Buchholz, Columbia and Eastside all were eliminated in region finals on the road.
Bradford (Starke) is receiving votes.
Lecanto (24-7) moves into the final poll at No. 14 after advancing to its first state semifinal appearance, winning Region 2-5A.
Also moving into the rankings are Atlantic, Columbia and Eastside, while Nease, New Smyrna Beach, Bradford and Eustis drop out of the previous poll.
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 by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Be Well Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2025-26 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #5 (FINAL POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, final 2025-26 record, and total voting points)
Teams in the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area are in bold
1. Providence (Jacksonville) (2A) (9) (29-3) – 180
2. The Villages (3A) (24-8) – 168
3. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (3A) (28-2) – 160
4. Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (1A) (27-5) – 148
5. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (26-4) – 132
6. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (5A) (23-9) – 131
7. Atlantic (Port Orange) (4A) (23-10) – 111
8. Williston (Rural) (21-8) – 102
9. Newberry (3A) (21-4) – 101
10T. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (22-4) – 90
10T. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (23-5) – 90
12. North Marion (Citra) (4A) (22-4) – 70
13. Trenton (Rural) (25-5) – 68
14. Lecanto (5A) (24-7) – 58
15. Buchholz (Gainesville (6A) (21-8) – 54
16. Ponte Vedra (5A) (20-8) – 40
17. Wildwood (Rural) (21-3) – 39
18. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (18-9) – 37
19. Columbia (Lake City) (5A) (17-12) – 32
20. Eastside (Gainesville) (4A) (17-9) – 30
Also receiving votes: Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (20-7) – 23; New Smyrna Beach (5A) (22-6) – 12; Bradford (Starke) (3A) (18-6) – 6; Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) (5A) (21-8) – 4; Pine Ridge (Deltona) (5A) (14-15) – 3; Eustis (4A) (18-7) – 1.