{"id":40,"date":"2026-08-04T04:47:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/?p=40"},"modified":"2026-08-04T04:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:47:17","slug":"heading-into-the-2026-season-the-best-high-school-football-team-in-every-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/?p=40","title":{"rendered":"Heading into the 2026 Season: The Best High School Football Team in Every State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the start of the high school football season right around the corner, summer workouts are winding down, and football fans across the country are turning their eyes toward the nation’s top programs. As they do every year, MaxPreps<\/strong> has released its highly anticipated rankings\u2014highlighting the #1 team in every U.S. state heading into the 2026 season<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California powerhouse St. John Bosco<\/strong> opens the year as the consensus #1 team in the entire nation, but elite programs in every corner of the country are ready to assert their dominance locally and nationally. Here is a breakdown of the top teams in key states across the nation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. California \u2014 St. John Bosco (Bellflower)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • National Rank:<\/strong> #1<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Why They’re #1:<\/strong> The Bellflower ‘Braves’ kick off the season atop the MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 for the third time in the last nine years. Since 2013, they have maintained a continuous spot in the national rankings\u2014the longest active streak of any high school program in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    2. Nevada \u2014 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • National Rank:<\/strong> #2<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Why They’re #1:<\/strong> Under head coach Brent Browner, the ‘Gaels’ boast an astonishing 62-4 record. On August 21, they face off directly against #1 St. John Bosco in what is widely considered the most anticipated matchup of the entire high school football season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      3. Florida \u2014 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • National Rank:<\/strong> #3<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Why They’re #1:<\/strong> Coming off seven consecutive state titles, the Raiders are once again stacked with division-one talent. Led by elite college prospects like Mark Matthews (Texas A&M commit), Julius Jones, and Jayden Carey, they enter the year as strong contenders for a national crown.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        4. Maryland \u2014 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • National Rank:<\/strong> #4<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Why They’re #1:<\/strong> Baltimore\u2019s ‘Panthers’ have finished in the MaxPreps Top 10 every year since 2017 (with only a single exception). After finishing as the #2 team in the nation last season, they return with a recharged roster hungry for the top spot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          5. Georgia \u2014 Buford<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • National Rank:<\/strong> #7<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Why They’re #1:<\/strong> In 2025, the Buford ‘Wolves’ made history by becoming the first team from Georgia to be crowned MaxPreps National Champions. Knocking them off their throne will be a monumental task for anyone in the Peach State.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            6. Texas \u2014 Duncanville<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • National Rank:<\/strong> #10<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Why They’re #1:<\/strong> High school football in Texas is practically a religion. A staggering 15 teams from the Lone Star State cracked the national top 100, led by the Duncanville ‘Panthers.’ With a suffocating defense and an explosive offense, they remain the gold standard in Texas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Top Teams in Other Key States:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Alabama \u2014 Thompson (Alabaster):<\/strong> Has captured six state championships since 2019. (National Rank: #25)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Arizona \u2014 Basha (Chandler):<\/strong> The defending Open Division state champions enter 2026 pursuing their third state title since 2022 behind star talents Jack Hildebrand and Noah Roberts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Alaska \u2014 Soldotna:<\/strong> Since Galen Brantley Jr. took over in 2007, the Wolverines hold a mind-boggling 176-10 record along with 15 state titles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Arkansas \u2014 Bryant:<\/strong> The only top-100 program in Arkansas since 2018, boasting an 87-5 record and seven state championships over that stretch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Illinois \u2014 Chicago Mt. Carmel:<\/strong> Winners of four consecutive state titles, the Caravan enter the 2026 season riding a 19-game winning streak.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Tennessee \u2014 Baylor (Chattanooga):<\/strong> Led by last season’s National Player of the Year, David Gabriel Georges, Baylor is aiming for its third state title in five years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Indiana \u2014 Brownsburg:<\/strong> Boasts a 27-1 record over the past two seasons while securing back-to-back Class 6A state titles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Kentucky \u2014 Trinity (Louisville):<\/strong> Three-time reigning Class 6A state champions who continue to dominate Kentucky high school football.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Louisiana \u2014 Edna Karr (New Orleans):<\/strong> Enters 2026 on a 28-game winning streak as undefeated Division I Select champions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Key Takeaways for the 2026 Season:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                According to MaxPreps data, 25 different states<\/strong> feature at least one program inside the national top 100 rankings. The states with the highest density of top-tier teams are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • Texas<\/strong> (15 teams)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Georgia<\/strong> (14 teams)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • California<\/strong> (13 teams)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Florida<\/strong> (10 teams)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  When the opening whistles blow in mid-August, all eyes will be on these 50 state-leading programs. Whether these powerhouses defend their titles or new challengers emerge, another unforgettable season of Friday Night Lights lies ahead!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  With the start of the high school football season right around the corner, summer workouts are winding down, and football fans across the country are turning their eyes toward the nation’s top programs. As they do every year, MaxPreps has released its highly anticipated rankings\u2014highlighting the #1 team in every U.S. state heading into the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41,"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions\/41"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.teamgb.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}