This week’s Power Rankings center around common opponents, which have determined the movement for several teams. Some team’s have dominated these common opponents, while others have struggled. That’s a tell tell sign of where teams fall on the pecking order of the power poll. Here’s our Top 10.
1. Trinity (3-0)– Trinity has put 40 points on three straight opponents to start the season. Last week was a 40-6 win over NFEI. Miles Burris went for 157 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Colin Hurley passed for 273 yards and 4 TDs. While Javon Nobles and Nick Williams both registered interceptions. Now they welcome Bolles, a team that they desperately want to defeat. Bolles has defeated Trinity two years in a row.
2. Bolles (2-1)– The Bulldogs fell to an undefeated Brunswick(3-0) team where the Pirates rushed for 191 yards. It’s two weeks in a row where Bolles has been exposed on defense and they are 1-1 in those two games. Questions surround junor quarterback DJ Moore on whether he will play this week vs Trinity, after apparently suffering an injury last game. Not a good time for all the questions surrounding a young Bolles team, as they face the best team in the area.
3. Ed White (2-1)– Ed White rolled in their 36-13 win over previously undefeated Englewood (2-1). The Commanders are rolling on offense as quarterback Isiah Teal tossed 2 touchdowns, and Ed White had 8 rushers tallying 248 yards. On defense, sophomore Josh Patterson picked off two passes and the Commanders had 7 sacks! They are a very deep team this year, which will be hard for any opponent to match. White faces Terry Parker (1-2) on the road, which is sure to be an emotional game considering the aftermath of their game last year which resulted in an Ed White forfeit and a lowering in playoff seed for the Commanders. They weren’t happy about that!
4. Jackson (3-0)– The Tigers had a tough one as predicted, but the measure of a good team is overcoming adversity. Playing their third road game in a row, Jackson got the 13-10 overtime win over Fletcher last week. Their defense is playing lights out, they registered 7 sacks incuding 3 from Grayson Howard who also led the team with 21 tackles. Terrance Holland is also on a terror this year with 112 yards and a TD in the game. Jackson welcomes Spruce Creek(1-2) to Main St in their first home game of the season.
5. University Christian (3-0) The hottest team right now in the area is undoubtedly University Christian. UC defeated Charlton County 33-0 last week. Orel Gray continues his amazing season rushing for 131 yards and a TD. Alan Woods and Ayden Skidmore both had picks in the game, while Desirrio Riles registered a sack. Christ’s Church is next up for UC, as they look to move to 4-0.
6. Creekside (3-0)-Creekside is putting together an extremely impressive first half of the season. Last week they got a huge win in Georgia over (2-2) Glynn County 21-20. They put up an area high 62 points on Nease (0-3), beating them 62-41, and in week 1, they shut-out (0-3) Viera 49-0. Now they have their toughest test of the season in Buchholz (2-0). The Bobcats had two weeks to prepare for this game, so that could bode well for Creekside as rust may set in. Or it could spell trouble for Creekside as the Bobcats would have had two weeks to game plan for this district 4S-3 matchup. Nicholas Williams has rushed for 501 yards and 10 touchdowns. While Wilson Edwards has passed for 221 yards and 5 TDs. They’ll need to score alot of points to win this one.
7. Fleming Island (3-0)– Fleming Island escaped Nease (0-3) with a 19-14 victory. Sam Singleton rushed for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, the Golden Eagles struggled on offense for the first time this year, amassing just 25 passing yards. This was a looming question. How would they look against a tough opponent after playing two games against teams with a combined record of (1-5). This former #2 ranked team fell five spots this week because of their common opponent. Creekside put up 62 points on Nease, Jackson dominated Nease in their week 1 matchup and Ed White overwhelmed Nease in their spring game. Right now, Fleming Island should be foucsed on rival Oakleaf (2-1) at home to prevent an upset.
8. Bradford (2-0)– Bradford was up 21-0 over Middleburg before a storm cancelled the game. The Tornadoes have been storming the field with a plethora of weapons this year. They have outscored their two opponents this year 56-0! Look for them to be 3-0 after this week versus Eastside (Gainesville).
9. Bartram (3-0) – Bartram Trail improved to 3-0 after traveling to Daytona for the second time in as many weeks defeating Mainland 17-3. The Bears are quietly undefeated and getting better performances from different units every week. Key plays by Riley Trujillo (TD), Sharif Denson (sack preventing potential points), and Connor Hemmingway (interception) paved the way for the victory. Now they face a Tallahassee Lincoln(3-0) team who is demolishing teams (71-6 over Godby, 78-0 over Palm Beach Lakes, and 33-0 over Gasden County). It’s going to be a very tough contest for the Bears tonight.
10. Mandarin (2-1)– The Mustangs jumped out on previously unbeaten Riverside(2-1) early and never looked back as Mandarin won the game 28-6. The defense really got after it registering 9 sacks on the night (Carmello Murphy 3 sacks). Kieren Jackson scored a receiving touchdown, and Tiant Wyche rushed for 2 TDs on 91 yards, as the Mustang offense continues to hit on all cylinders. Mandarin looks to improve to 3-1 as they face winless Atlantic Coast (0-3).
Outside Looking In:
Raines(2-1), Baker County (2-0), Bishop Kenny (3-0), Oakleaf (2-1), Union County (1-1)
