High School Football Power Rankings Week #8: To Be The Man, Beat The Man!

Week 8 came and went, along with half of week #9 as well. And what we saw were teams who are getting better and stronger as the season gets close to its regular season’s end. Key match-ups revealed who is really “the man” in Northeast Florida, and that’s because those teams matched-up against the best this past week. When you’re “the man” in high school football, it’s not all about the cupcakes you beat… noo it’s about beating the best. These teams have beaten the best head to head. Check out who moved up after beating top opponents in our area from Week #8 and half of Week #9. Plus, we preview games for Friday 10/18/19.

Rankings By: Andre’ Ellis

1.Bartram Trail (7-0)

With their undefeated record Bartram continues to strut their stuff like Rick Flair as “the man”. They absolutely put it on Nease last week. Today they have their toughest test of the season in a game versus Oakleaf. If Bartram wins and Sandalwood looses to Mandarin, The Bears will be District champions.

2. Trinity (4-5)

Trinity bounced back nicely after a blowout loss to Colquitt County (GA) with an impressive win at home versus Lee last night. It was hard to judge how good Trinity was late in the season compared to local teams in Northeast Florida because they had not played them. However, the Conquerors showed that they are the best 3-4 team that you don’t wanna play.

3. Lee (5-3)

The Generals had a tough tasks. Play Columbia then Lee back to back. Not really fair for a team who also had to play away from home on a Thursday. Nonetheless, a gigantic win over Columbia saw them appear on the Rankings since earlier this season. Their clearly getting stronger as the season goes on and are one game away from becoming district champions.

4. Columbia (6-1)

The same could be said for Columbia. Having to play at Madison County, then coming to Jacksonville to play Lee in consecutive weeks was a tall order. However, an overtime loss to Lee won’t deter them from their mission. Get in the playoffs! They still sit #2 in Class 6A Region 1.

5. Raines (5-2)

The Vikings are on a roll after a win over Ribault in the Northwest Classic and a blowout of Yulee last night. With their win, they became district 5A-4 champs. But they arn’t finished, they have a date with Trinity and then Bartram to prove they are still the best in Duval!

6. Mandarin (4-3)

What a win by the Mustangs last week. Going on the road at Oakleaf and going up by double digits. They staved off a comeback by the Knights late, and are still in the hunt for a district title. Now they must root for Oakleaf to beat Bartram today, and beat a desperate Sandalwood team on the road to keep their district title chances alive. It’s the only way they make the playoffs.

7. Oakleaf (5-2)

It was a devastating loss for Oakleaf on all levels. Not only did the lose the game, but they lost their leader and best player Chantz Williams for the remainder of the season with a broken arm. Talk about a tough break, losing arguably the best player in Northeast Florida. It’s going to be impossible to replace Williams, so the team must find ways to pick up the slack. That means more blitzing, and stunting to get pressure and stop the run. They’ll need all of that to stop Bartram tonight and keep their district title hopes alive. Otherwise, currently ranked 11 in the Class 8A rankings isn’t going to get them into the playoffs.

8. Fleming Island (6-0)

Still undefeated is Fleming Island, but it wasn’t without a struggle. First Coast took them to the brink and only a last second field goal lifted the Golden Eagles to victory. They have to play better if they want to be considered “the man” at 6-0. Especially against district foe Buchholz. Yet they say good teams find ways to win, and Fleming is a good team.

9. West Nassau (6-1)

The Warriors can’t sleep on Baker County. It’s a down year for the Wildcats, but West Nassau is ranked atop the region in the Class 4A playoff rankings. It was a cake walk against Fernandina Beach last week, which is indicative of a good team. They’re a good team with nice wins on the schedule, including giving Baldwin their only loss. They look to keep it that way tonight.

10. Baldwin (7-1)

Rounding out our top 10 is Baldwin, after a hickup to West Nassau they’ve continued to win and last week was impressive. Fort White is down this year, but still a talented program. The players are gaining confidence, and you can tell that they believe they belong atop the Class 3A playoff rankings. They currently sit 2nd, and have a big test versus University Christian today.

Best of the Rest: University Christian (6-1), Ponte Vedra (6-1) , Bolles (5-1) , Westside (7-1), Episcopal (8-1), Sandalwood (3-3), Terry Parker (5-2)

Makeda Lawton’s Top 10