Power Poll: Ranking Gainesville area's top 10 high school football teams after Week 5
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 in that way.
Putting together this week's rankings wasn't easy.
What you might've missed in Week 5: Gainesville area high school football: Breaking down what we learned in Week 5
Who had the best performance in Week 5? High school football: Who gets your vote for football Freak of the Week after Week 4?
For some teams, the margin of victory was slimmer than anticipated in Week 5, while other teams blew by their competition with lopsided scores.
But after a long hard look, here's what the Gainesville Sun's high school football power poll looks like after five weeks of action.
1. Buchholz (4-0)
LAST WEEK: No. 1; def. Ocala Vanguard 24-21.
HEAR ME OUT: I can't say I expected Buchholz's matchup with the Vanguard Knights to come down to the wire the way it did. However, that's not to say that Buchholz didn't play well, but rather that Vanguard made a strong case for its program last Friday night. As both coaches said following Friday's barnburner in Ocala, the Bobcats and Knights are both loaded with talent. When you put that much talent on one field, sometimes you end up with a ball game that comes down to a 37-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play. By the numbers, Buchholz didn't have its best game offensively, but success converting key fourth downs and being able to lean on the Bobcats' defense, which tallied a pair of interceptions, kept BHS' perfect season alive.
2. Bradford (4-0)
LAST WEEK: No. 2; def. Munroe 21-7.
HEAR ME OUT: My, how the tables have turned in Starke. The expectations for Bradford were lofty last fall, only for the Tornadoes to start 1-3 through their opening four games. Now, with first-year head coach Jamie Rodgers at the helm, Bradford is off to a 4-0 start with the Tornadoes' most recent victim being Munroe, which lost 21-7. Bradford's win over Munroe was the slimmest of margins that the Tornadoes have posted all season, as well as the first game of the season that saw their defense give up a score. Through five weeks, Bradford has outscored its opponents 105-7. Don't be shocked if that number stays lopsided as the season unfolds.
3. Hawthorne (4-0)
LAST WEEK: No. 5; def. P.K. Yonge 46-6.
HEAR ME OUT: Speaking of lofty expectations, the Hawthorne Hornets know a thing or two about those. After falling in the Class 1A state title game last fall, Hawthorne knew the expectation was to return to Tallahassee and finish off the job this fall. So far, the Hornets are well on their way to doing that. Despite dealing with injuries, Hawthorne looked very sound in all three phases of the game on Friday night as the Hornets topped P.K. Yonge 46-6. While Hawthorne's offense rushed for more than 200 yards, its defense forced two turnovers and got a boost from its special teams, which added a pair of touchdowns. The room for error against the Hornets is so slim — and that's what makes them so good.
4. Union County (3-1)
LAST WEEK: No. 6; def. Newberry 45-0.
HEAR ME OUT: Those boys in Lake Butler are often forgotten about. But I'm here to tell you that you definitely should keep an eye on the Union County Fightin' Tigers this season. Union County's success shouldn't come as a shock considering the Tigers went 13-1 last season with their lone loss coming in the region final, but again, they get overlooked. The Newberry Panthers won't be forgetting about Union County any time soon after being blanked 45-0 on Friday night. Heading into Friday's matchup, Newberry averaged more than 44 points per game. So Union County pitching a shutout is worth noting. Meanwhile, Union County totaled 420 yards of offense, with senior running back Rayvon Durant carrying the ball 26 times for 302 yards. The Tigers have been playing like they're in a video game.
5. Williston (4-0)
LAST WEEK: No. 2; def. Fort White 56-28.
HEAR ME OUT: Dropping a team three spots after a 28-point win? I get it. It was hard for me to do. I'm high on this Williston team, but I thought those ranked above put together bigger wins last week. Nonetheless, the direction the Red Devils are heading should have those in Class 1R worried. Having Shooby Coleman and Kyree Edwards in the backfield is dangerous. In Williston's win over Fort White, Coleman passed for 159 yards and a touchdown, while Edwards rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Williston defense, which hadn't given up a score heading into Friday, gave up its first 28 points to a Fort White offense that has really been peaking as of late. Don't mistake Williston's drop in this week's poll for anything but just that — a drop in this week's poll. The Red Devils could be a team we see playing late into November.
6. Chiefland (4-0)
LAST WEEK: No. 4; did not play
7. Oak Hall (4-0)
LAST WEEK: No. 7; def. Eagle's View 35-0
8. Columbia (2-3)
LAST WEEK: No. 7; lost to Trinity Christian Academy 43-40
9. Lafayette (4-1)
LAST WEEK: Unranked; def. Zarephath Academy 34-14
10. Eastside (2-1)
LAST WEEK: No. 10, did not play
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: High school football: See top 10 Gainesville area teams after Week 5
