So, it was upset Friday last week as several teams in the Top 10 were upset. Riverside, Creekside, and Ed White all fell, literally turning the power rankings upside down. So how do we sort all of this out? Well, I decided to go back to my playing days for a solution. Throw the records out the window and rely on the talent, coaching, and who you beat to decide who are better teams. Yes there will be some teams who will feel slighted because they have a better record, or they beat a team in the Top 10. But, at week 8 this is all about body of work. If you are undefeated but haven’t played anyone, then you can’t be in the Top 10 at this point. It was certainly a dust up from all the upsets last week, including Menendez taking down Parker in double overtime. So let’s see who made this week’s Power Rankings after the dusts settles.
- Bolles (6-0)- Bolles game against Clearwater Academy was cancelled last week due to the weather. It was a much needed rest for the Bulldogs, giving them a chance to regroup and rest for the final few games of the regular season. Undefeated regular season is the first goal, and a big matchup with Buchholz (5-1) looms next.
2. Trinity Christian (6-1) – The Conquerors rebounded nicely with a great win over American Heritage (2-3). Their win shot them back up the power rankings to #2, as alot of teams in front of them got seemed to get stage fright from the attention. Trinity has FSU (5-1) today a team they defeated handily in the playoffs last year.
3. Columbia (5-2)- The Tigers only losses have come to Trinity and Bolles, and their big upset win over Riverside( 6-1) put them in the driver seat not only in the power rankings, but for the district championship. Only Orange Park (2-4) stands in their way.
4. Riverside (6-1)- It was a gut wrenching loss for Riverside last week to Columbia. They trailed at halftime, yet built an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter thanks to quarterback Daniel Plummer III who was inserted in the third quarter. However that lead was not good enough, as the Generals lost the game and the lead in the district. They’ll still have a good shot of making the playoffs from the RPI rankings if they handle business the rest of the way. Their game against Trinity will help their RPI rankings both if they win or lose because of Trinity’s record.
5. Bartram Trail (5-1)- The Bears are back and rolling on all cylinders. Back in the Top 5 after sitting at #6 last week. They defeated Ponte Vedra last week and now set their sights on Creekside for the St John’s County Championship tonight.
6. St. Augustine(4-2)- No one is talking about St. Augustine, but they are quietly a team that’s putting together impressive wins and losses. Their only two losses were Bolles and Bartram, and both games they played very close. A very nice win over Nease last week showed they are deserving of a Top 10 ranking.
7. Raines (4-2)- Raines just keeps winning, as their only two losses were to Trinity and Clearwater. They are a team that swallows every public school in the city with no hiccups, and that’s impressive to do week to week. They are a team no one wants to play in the city after defeating Sandalwood. They’ll play a team from outside the city this week in Yulee (3-3).
8. Oakleaf (4-2)– The Knights have a great opportunity in front of them. They can win their district with a gauntlet of teams ahead of them. After defeating Sandalwood two weeks ago, they had a bye week to rest. Now it’s time to go to work, they control their own destiny and it begins tonight with a hot Mandarin team.
9. Atlantic Coast (3-3)- Atlantic Coast is the Dr. Jekyl and Mr Hyde of Northeast Florida. They prescribed a big upset last week, taking down unbeaten Creekside. Yet they’ve fallen to teams like Fletcher. If they can keep it consistent, they have the ability to beat anyone.
10. Mandarin (3-4)- What an upset win last week over Ed White. It’s the type of win that gives confidence to a team who was already playing well. They defeated Baker Co, suffered a close loss to Creekside, and completely dismantled White. Now they must keep the momentum with their district matchup against Oakleaf next.
Outside Looking In: Creekside (6-1), Nease (5-2), Baker County ( 5-2), Ed White (4-1), Union County (6-0),
