High school football: Look how the rankings are trending as playoffs approach

Due to the vast differences in classifications of Gainesville-area high school football teams, it's hard to accurately rank programs in a head-to-head manner. It's difficult to assess the area's talents when many teams never play each other or even have like opponents.

However, what we can do is analyze how teams are trending and rank them that way.

A look back: What we learned in Week 10 of high school football action

Vote: Who gets your vote for football top player for Week 10?

1. Bradford (9-0)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 9 in the state; def. Palatka 35-14

HEAR ME OUT: Of Bradford's nine wins, perhaps its biggest came Friday night in Palatka.  The Panthers had suffered one loss and had a high-powered offense that was sure to test the Tornadoes' defense, which had only given up one touchdown in eight games. And while the Panthers did become the first team to score more than once against the Tornadoes, Bradford still proved to be too talented — even without many of its starters. Bradford running back Manny Covey suffered a season-ending injury on Oct. 21, making way for junior Willie Pollard to step in and have a breakout performance against Palatka. And Pollard did just that as he carried 29 times for 219 yards — more than the entire Palatka offense combined. Bradford's ability to beat a talented team like Palatka, despite all of its injuries, proves the Tornadoes are not only talented, but deep, too — which is dangerous heading into the postseason.

2. Buchholz (7-1)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 21 in the state; def. Fleming Island 43-35

HEAR ME OUT: The Bobcats returned to the win column on Thursday night as they survived a high-scoring affair with district foe Fleming Island. However, while Buchholz's offense was firing on all cylinders and put up 578 yards of total offense against the Golden Eagles, the defense struggled. Fleming Island was able to tally more than 300 rushing yards, while also adding 170 yards through the air. Nonetheless, getting a win in Buchholz's district is no easy feat and the Bobcats know that.

3. Williston (9-0)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 71 in the state; def. Hamilton County 48-0

HEAR ME OUT: The Red Devils continued to roll on Friday night as they pitched their sixth shutout of the season. Not only did Williston's defense do its job in keeping the Trojans off the scoreboard and helping the Red Devils win the turnover battle, but Williston's offense held up its end. Williston senior running back Kyree Edwards had another three-touchdown night as he averaged 17.7 yards on six carries. Edwards now has 25 touchdowns on the season, which ranks him in the top-five in touchdowns in the state. But what makes Williston so good is its depth on offense. Edwards' trio of touchdowns were paired with three other rushers crossing the goal line on Friday night.

4. Hawthorne (7-0)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 40 in the state; did not play

HEAR ME OUT: Coming off a respectable win against North Marion on Oct. 14, the Hornets were off last week, which might come in handy as Hawthorne prepares for what could be a deep postseason run. As is such every season, the Hornets' strength is controlling the line of scrimmage with guys  such as Mozell Williams, Stanley Cooks and Darian Owens working on both sides of the ball. Pair that with the surrounding athleticism of quarterback CJ Ingram, running back Brian James, receiver Ga'Mon Randall, athlete Darian Smith-Williams, defensive end Jailen Ruth and linebacker Tyrique Robinson, and you've got a stout squad that is hungry for a state championship run.

5. Chiefland (7-1)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 20 in the state; def. Fort White 41-14

HEAR ME OUT: After dropping its first game of the season to Florida High on Oct. 21, Chiefland rebounded nicely   against a team that has shown spurts of potential all season. Chiefland quarterback Michael Tovine had a successful outing as he went 7-for-10 for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Dakota Fisher added to his impressive senior campaign with 136 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. Defensively, Donovan Minichello, Junior Brown and Jon Adams continue to piece together big seasons as they've helped Chiefland tally 53 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 13 sacks and 16 turnovers on the season.

6. Lake City Columbia (6-3)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 112 in the state; def. Ridgeview 45-0

7. Newberry (6-2)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 165 in the state; def. Dixie County 30-0

8. Eastside (6-2)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 160 in the state; def. Santa Fe 28-7

9. Union County (5-2)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 82 in the state; did not play

10. Oak Hall (7-1)

LAST WEEK: Ranked No. 3 in SSAC; lost to Central Florida Christian Academy 50-6

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville area high school football: See top 10 teams after Week 10