- Raines Vikings remain No. 1 in the Prep Zone Power Poll after defeating fourth-ranked Mandarin, 31-13, on Sept. 18.
- Buchholz holds the No. 2 spot by one point over third-ranked Columbia, with both teams undefeated at 5-0 this season.
- Santa Fe moved into the top 20 at 18th after beating previously unbeaten Fort White, 41-28.
The Raines (Jacksonville) Vikings made sure they stayed the top-ranked team in the Prep Zone Power Poll after hammering then fourth-ranked Mandarin (Jacksonville), 31-13, in what was considered the game of the year in Northeast Florida on Sept. 18.
But the battle for second place tightened between Buchholz and Columbia (Lake City).
The Vikings (5-0) took care of business as they pulled away at home against Mandarin. They received nine of the 11 first-place votes but face another tough test this week as Raines hosts Venice, who is ranked 12th in Florida and 42nd nationally by MaxPreps.
Buchholz remains at No. 2 and picked up one first-place vote, but only a point ahead of third-ranked Columbia. The Bobcats is unbeaten at 5-0 as they travelled south to Tampa and rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat Jesuit, 20-17. Jesuit was 14th in 4A and 53rd overall statewide by MaxPreps.
Columbia came back from a double-digit deficit to knock off 14th-ranked Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), 27-20, on the road. The Tigers (5-0) host Riverside (Jacksonville) this week in a District 3-4A matchup. Columbia earned the final first-place vote this week.
St. Augustine remains at No. 4. The Yellow Jackets (5-0) had to rally to beat Evans (Orlando), who is ranked ninth in 5A and No. 35 statewide.
Rounding out the top five is DeLand. The Bulldogs pounded Deltona, 43-0, to break out of a tie with Hawthorne for sixth last week.
Hawthorne remains at No. 6 after pounding Bayshore (Bradenton), 50-15, on the road.
Mandarin drops to No. 7 after the loss at Raines, while Bolles (Jacksonville) is eighth, followed by No. 9 Bradford (Starke) and Ed White (Jacksonville) to round out the top 10 this week.
The Ed White Commanders (3-1) picked up a huge win as they went into Georgia and knocked off powerhouse Camden County, 48-44.
Santa Fe (Alachua) moves into the top 20 at 18th this week after winning 41-28 at previously unbeaten and then-20th ranked Fort White. The Raiders (4-0) are the only Mainstreet Daily News area team in the second 10. Suwannee (Live Oak) and Fort White are receiving votes.
Besides Santa Fe, also moving into the poll this week are No. 15 (tied) Bartram Trail (St. Johns) and 20th-ranked Dunnellon. The Bears dropped out after a loss the previous week at No. 13 Fletcher (Neptune Beach), but move back in this week, replacing Creekside (St. Johns), who Bartram Trail beat last week 10-9.
Also dropping out of the top 20 were Oakleaf (Orange Park) and 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 #6
(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) (5-0) – 218
2. Buchholz (Gainesville) (5A) (1) (5-0) – 203
3. Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (1) (5-0) – 202
4. St. Augustine (4A) (5-0) – 178
5. DeLand (6A) (3-1) – 171
6. Hawthorne (1A) (5-0) – 164
7. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (5A) (3-1) – 156
8. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (3-1) – 141
9. Bradford (Starke) (2A) (5-0) – 126
10. Ed White (Jacksonville) (4A) (3-1) – 116
11. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (2-2) – 112
12. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (6A) (4-1) – 85
13. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (5A) (4-1) – 82
14. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (2-3) – 77
15T. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (4-1) – 39
15T. The Villages (3A) (4-0) – 39
17. Madison County (1A) (3-2) – 38
18. Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (4-0) – 34
19. University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (3-2) – 25
20. Dunnellon (3A) (5-0) – 19
Also receiving votes: Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (3A) (4-1) – 18; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (5A) (2-2) – 18; Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (1-2) – 12; West Nassau (Callahan) (SSAA) (4-0-1) – 11; Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (3-2) – 9; Forest (Ocala) (5A) (5-0) – 5; Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (5-0) – 5; Fort White (1A) (3-1) – 3; Interlachen (SSAA) (4-1) – 1; Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (1-3) – 1; South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (4-1) – 1.