FHSAA rankings: Where Northeast Florida basketball & soccer teams stack up through Jan. 10

For teams like Providence boys basketball and Bartram Trail girls soccer, there's no need to fear the playoff cut.

For others, the tension is just getting started.

The Florida High School Athletic Association released its newest rankings for basketball and soccer this week, the latest edition of the numbers that will ultimately determine district seedings and at-large playoff berths for the 2022-2023 winter sports season.

For Classes 2A through 7A, district tournament champions automatically qualify for the postseason, while the other at-large berths — four per region per class — will come down to the power rankings.

The window for those rankings is closing fast. In boys and girls soccer, the regular season ends Jan. 21. Girls basketball continues until Jan. 28, but the final date that counts toward the rankings is Jan. 21. Boys basketball wraps up its regular season one week later.

Here's a closer look at the rankings and a few key storylines to watch.

Northeast Florida high school girls basketball stats leaders through January 10

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Boys basketball: Oakleaf faces battle in District 3-6A

No doubt about it: Providence, at No. 1 in Class 3A and No. 5 for the entire state, is Jacksonville's hoops king at the moment, while Ribault (Region 1-4A) and North Florida Educational (Region 1-2A) also top their respective regions. But a fascinating showdown looms in District 3-6A.

There, an impressive Oakleaf squad is leading the district, the Northeast Florida team that has put up the strongest threat against Providence so far by taking the Stallions to overtime at the Fortegra High School 9:12 Invitational. The Knights are also first place in Region 1-6A, with what promises to be their best season ever.

But hot on their heels are Nease, third in the region, and 2022 state runner-up Ponte Vedra, close behind in fourth. Nease's Bryson Utter and Ponte Vedra's Nathan Bunkosky are among the top all-around players in St. Johns County.

Orange Park, Fleming Island and fast-improving Fletcher are also on the rise, giving the district an outside chance of producing as many as four playoff qualifiers. Circle Oakleaf-Orange Park on Jan. 20 and Nease-Ponte Vedra on Feb. 3 as games to watch.

Girls basketball: No room for error in District 4-4A

Just how strong is District 4-4A? The district includes no fewer than five of the top-ranked teams in Region 1-4A — and it's not impossible for the region to supply all four of the at-large slots in the region.

The rock-solid defense of Bishop Kenny tops the pack with a 18-1 record, standing first in the region and fifth across the entire state. Oakleaf, at No. 10 in Class 6A, is the only other Northeast Florida school within the top 25 in the state ranking.

Not far away from the Crusaders, though, are four other contenders within the district. That list includes sharp-shooting rival Bolles, which will travel to the John A. Baldwin Athletic Center on Thursday night; Paxon, with an excellent guard trio of Ansley Hicks, Nina Kamma-Hill and Kennedy Waymer; and the new St. Johns County pair of Beachside and Tocoi Creek.

The race for second or third in the district, and the chance to avoid Bishop Kenny in the district tournament semifinals, could be crucial.

North Florida Educational, Oakleaf and Providence also lead their regional races, though Providence could slip in the subsequent rankings after Tuesday's 50-35 loss to Ponte Vedra.

Boys soccer: Terrific trio in District 1-7A

It's no secret that Mandarin, ranked No. 3 in Florida, is the reigning power of District 1-7A. But so intense is this district that it's not guaranteed that the Mustangs will emerge from the district tournament on top.

That's because of the St. Johns County duo of Creekside, which stands second in Region 1-7A, and Bartram Trail, close behind in fifth. The Bears, so far, are the only team to keep Mandarin out of the win column, holding them to a draw during December's Holiday Cup.

Based on the rankings, all three appear to be locks for the postseason, but they have several difficult games on deck that could change the district order. The district winner likely holds the inside track on a trip to the Class 7A final four.

Along with Mandarin, Harvest Community also holds first place in its region, ranking first in Region 1-2A.

Girls soccer: St. Johns County pair rising fast

No team sport showcases Northeast Florida's strength quite like girls soccer, which produced three local state champions last year and might do so again in 2023. Bartram Trail (Class 7A) and St. Johns Country Day (Class 2A) rank first and second in Florida, with Ponte Vedra tenth overall to head a strong Class 6A contingent.

But south of Jacksonville, two more programs are rising rapidly.

Beachside, in its debut year, is on top of District 4-4A and ranks second in Region 1-4A. Tocoi Creek, now in year two, stands close behind in fourth in the region. Both have coaches with playoff experience (Ron Messick at Beachside, Jay Shepherd at Tocoi Creek) and young attackers who have shown they can get goals (Peyton Thomas for Beachside, Kalli Robinson for Tocoi Creek).

Watch for likely contest with an established Bishop Kenny team for the district top seed in the coming weeks.

Full rankings for all Northeast Florida teams are available on Jacksonville.com.

Here's how teams stand across Northeast Florida in the basketball and soccer rankings through Tuesday's update. Ordinal rankings within teams' respective regions are in parentheses.

BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

DISTRICT 1-7A

Sandalwood (12), Creekside (14), Mandarin (15), Bartram Trail (17), Flagler Palm Coast (19), Atlantic Coast (22)

DISTRICT 3-6A

Oakleaf (1), Nease (3), Ponte Vedra (4), Orange Park (10), Fleming Island (11), Fletcher (14), First Coast (20)

DISTRICT 2-5A

Columbia (3), Tallahassee Rickards (6), Middleburg (18), Clay (16), Ridgeview (20), Baker County (21)

DISTRICT 3-5A

Riverside (5), Westside (8), White (15), Stanton (22), Englewood (23), Parker (24)

DISTRICT 4-5A

Daytona Beach Mainland (1), St. Augustine (7), Deltona (9), Pine Ridge (14), Daytona Beach Seabreeze (17), Menendez (19)

DISTRICT 3-4A

Ribault (1), Jackson (5), Yulee (9), West Nassau (17), Fernandina Beach (18), Raines (19)

DISTRICT 4-4A

Bishop Kenny (2), Paxon (4), Bolles (6), Tocoi Creek (11), Wolfson (12), Beachside (16)

DISTRICT 5-4A

Alachua Santa Fe (3), Palatka (8), North Marion (10), Gainesville Eastside (11), Keystone Heights (15), Suwannee (18)

DISTRICT 2-3A

Interlachen (7), P.K. Yonge (8), Ocala Trinity Catholic (18), Bradford (20)

DISTRICT 3-3A

Providence (1), Episcopal (5), Bishop Snyder (12), Trinity Christian (13), Baldwin (14)

DISTRICT 2-2A

North Florida Educational (1), Harvest Community (7), Seacoast Christian (12), Temple Christian (11), Eagle's View (16), Parsons Christian (23), Beaches Chapel (24), Covenant School (27)

DISTRICT 3-2A

Impact Christian (2), St. Joseph (3), University Christian (4), Christ's Church (15), St. Johns Country Day (13), First Coast Christian (17), Florida Deaf (22)

DISTRICT 5-1A

Hilliard (2), Madison County (5), Hamilton County (6), Branford (7), Mayo Lafayette (10)

DISTRICT 6-1A

Newberry (1), Hawthorne (3), Fort White (4), Union County (8), Bell (9)

GIRLS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

DISTRICT 1-7A

Bartram Trail (10), Creekside (11), Mandarin (12), Sandalwood (14), Flagler Palm Coast (19)

DISTRICT 3-6A

Oakleaf (1), Nease (2), Ponte Vedra (7), Orange Park (9), Fleming Island (17), First Coast (23), Fletcher (25)

DISTRICT 2-5A

Ridgeview (3), Tallahassee Rickards (6), Baker County (11), Columbia (15), Middleburg (18), Clay (21)

DISTRICT 3-5A

White (12), Stanton (13), Riverside (17), Parker (19), Westside (23), Englewood (24)

DISTRICT 4-5A

Daytona Beach Mainland (1), St. Augustine (5), Menendez (7), Deltona (14), Daytona Beach Seabreeze (16), Pine Ridge (20)

DISTRICT 3-4A

Jackson (3), Ribault (5), Raines (9), Fernandina Beach (10), West Nassau (13), Yulee (17)

DISTRICT 4-4A

Bishop Kenny (1), Bolles (4), Paxon (6), Tocoi Creek (7), Beachside (8), Wolfson (20)

DISTRICT 5-4A

Keystone Heights (9), Palatka (13), North Marion (16), Gainesville Eastside (17), Suwannee (19), Alachua Santa Fe (22)

DISTRICT 2-3A

P.K. Yonge (2), Ocala Trinity Catholic (5), Bradford (7)

DISTRICT 3-3A

Providence (1), Trinity Christian (6), Episcopal (10), Bishop Snyder (13), Baldwin (14)

DISTRICT 2-2A

North Florida Educational (1), Covenant School (4), Eagle's View (13), Beaches Chapel (15), Harvest Community (16)

DISTRICT 3-2A

St. Johns Country Day (2), St. Joseph (5), University Christian (7), Florida Deaf (9), First Coast Christian (11)

DISTRICT 5-1A

Hilliard (3), Madison County (4), Mayo Lafayette (6), Branford (7), Hamilton County (9)

DISTRICT 6-1A

Hawthorne (1), Newberry (2), Fort White (5), Bell (8), Union County (10)

BOYS SOCCER RANKINGS

DISTRICT 1-7A

Mandarin (1), Creekside (2), Bartram Trail (5), Atlantic Coast (13), Sandalwood (20)

DISTRICT 3-6A

Ponte Vedra (4), Fleming Island (6), Nease (7), Oakleaf (12), Fletcher (19), First Coast (21)

DISTRICT 2-5A

Columbia (6), Tallahassee Rickards (10), Clay (9), Ridgeview (11), Tallahassee Lincoln (18), Middleburg (22)

DISTRICT 3-5A

Menendez (4), Englewood (7), St. Augustine (14), Orange Park (15), Parker (19), Riverside (21)

DISTRICT 2-4A

Alachua Santa Fe (9), Suwannee (8), Gainesville Eastside (12), Baker County (16), Palatka (18)

DISTRICT 3-4A

Yulee (4), Stanton (11), Fernandina Beach (14), Ribault (20), West Nassau (21), Raines (24)

DISTRICT 4-4A

Bishop Kenny (2), Tocoi Creek (6), Beachside (10), Westside (17), White (22), Paxon (23)

DISTRICT 3-3A

Wolfson (2), Bolles (4), Providence (5), Bishop Snyder (10), Episcopal (16), Jackson (21)

DISTRICT 4-3A

Williston (3), Ocala Trinity Catholic (6), P.K. Yonge (13), Keystone Heights (14), Fort White (18), Newberry (20), Interlachen (24)

DISTRICT 3-2A

Harvest Community (1), St. Joseph (3), Christ's Church (8), St. Johns Country Day (10), University Christian (23)

GIRLS SOCCER RANKINGS

DISTRICT 1-7A

Bartram Trail (1), Creekside (5), Mandarin (10), Atlantic Coast (12), Sandalwood (21)

DISTRICT 3-6A

Ponte Vedra (1), Fletcher (4), Fleming Island (5), Nease (10), Oakleaf (12), First Coast (22)

DISTRICT 2-5A

Tallahassee Lincoln (1), Clay (2), Columbia (11), Ridgeview (12), Tallahassee Rickards (13), Middleburg (21)

DISTRICT 3-5A

St. Augustine (9), Orange Park (10), Riverside (14), Menendez (17), Englewood (20), Parker (23)

DISTRICT 2-4A

Alachua Santa Fe (8), Suwannee (12), Gainesville Eastside (14), Palatka (15), Baker County (18)

DISTRICT 3-4A

Stanton (6), Fernandina Beach (7), West Nassau (10), Yulee (13), Raines (23)

DISTRICT 4-4A

Beachside (2), Tocoi Creek (4), Bishop Kenny (5), Paxon (9), White (19), Westside (22)

DISTRICT 3-3A

Providence (4), Bolles (5), Episcopal (11), Trinity Christian (12), Wolfson (14), Bishop Snyder (17), Baldwin (22), Jackson (26)

DISTRICT 4-3A

P.K. Yonge (1), Keystone Heights (7), Williston (13), Newberry (15), Ocala Trinity Catholic (20), Fort White (21), Interlachen (25)

DISTRICT 3-2A

St. Johns Country Day (1), University Christian (3), Christ's Church (6), St. Joseph (7), Bunnell First Baptist Christian (15)

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Northeast Florida high school basketball, soccer FHSAA rankings, January 10