Regular followers of the High School Football America national rankings know that one of my least favorite things is also one of our most popular things.
What am I talking about? Our preseason rankings.
While everyone anxiously awaits the unveiling of our Preseason 100 that is created with my proprietary algorithm, I’m a bit ambivalent, as I point out every year. My algorithm is designed to analyze teams for their on-field performance, however, fans love to know where their favorite team stacks up heading into the season. Trust me, the Preseason 100 isn’t an exact science, although I do use the algorithm to produce the preseason national rankings.
So with just five days until we reveal this year’s Preseason 100, I thought we’d look back to 2017 to see how we did. The raw statistic is that 62 of the teams that began the 2017 season in our Preseason 100, finished the season in the final Top 100.
Below is where we started 2017 and where those teams ended the season:
2017 Preseason 100
Preseason Rank, Team, State | Record | Final |
#1 St. John Bosco (California) | (11-3) | 13 |
#2 Mater Dei (California) | (15-0) | 1 |
#3 Allen (Texas) | (16-0) | 2 |
#4 Bishop Gorman (Nevada) | (13-2) | 9 |
#5 IMG Academy (Florida) | (8-0) | 3 |
#6 DeSoto (Texas) | (10-2) | NR |
#7 St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, New Jersey) | (8-4) | 41 |
#8 Hoover (Alabama) | (11-3) | 42 |
#9 St. Peter’s Prep (New Jersey) | (9-3) | 32 |
#10 Corona Centennial (California) | (10-2) | 33 |
#11 Chandler (Arizona) | (13-2) | 21 |
#12 John Curtis (Louisiana) | (11-2) | 77 |
#13 DeMatha (Maryland) | (6-5) | NR |
#14 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) | (11-3) | 35 |
#15 Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) | (10-2) | 12 |
#16 Grayson (Georgia) | (10-2) | 77 |
#17 Carmel (Indiana) | (8-5) | NR |
#18 St. Xavier (Ohio) | (11-2) | 59 |
#19 Katy (Texas) | (12-1) | 38 |
#20 Warren Central (Indiana) | (7-4) | NR |
#21 De La Salle (California) | (11-2) | 14 |
#22 St. Ignatius (Ohio) | (11-2) | 57 |
#23 Loyola Academy (Illinois) | (13-2) | NR |
#24 South Pointe (South Carolina) | (15-0) | 5 |
#25 East (Utah) | (10-3) | 5 |
#26 Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey) | (2-8) | NR |
#27 St. Edward (Ohio) | (10-2) | 60 |
#28 Narbonne (California) | (12-3) | 54 |
#29 Colquitt County (Georgia) | (10-4) | 63 |
#30 Paramus Catholic (New Jersey) | (5-6) | NR |
#31 St. John’s College HS (Washington, DC) | (10-2) | 16 |
#32 Brentwood Academy (Tennessee) | (12-0) | 11 |
#33 Cocoa (Florida) | (11-2) | 88 |
#34 Highland Park (Texas) | (15-1) | 51 |
#35 Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Florida) | (9-4) | NR |
#36 Lake Travis (Texas) | (13-3) | 15 |
#37 Denton Ryan (Texas) | (14-1) | 89 |
#38 Saguaro (Arizona) | (11-2) | 68 |
#39 Union (Oklahoma) | (12-1) | 36 |
#40 American Heritage (Plantation, Florida | (13-0) | 6 |
#41 Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) | (7-4) | NR |
#42 Mountain Pointe (Arizona) | (10-3) | NR |
#43 La Salle (Ohio) | (10-3) | NR |
#44 Armwood (Florida) | (14-1) | 26 |
#45 Dutch Fork (South Carolina) | (13-1) | 18 |
#46 Cedar Hill (Texas) | (4-6) | NR |
#47 Mission Viejo (California) | (12-1) | 37 |
#48 Center Grove (Indiana) | (6-6) | NR |
#49 Carol City (Florida) | (8-4) | 93 |
#50 Ben Davis (Indiana) | (14-0) | 7 |
#51 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) | (13-0) | 8 |
#52 Trinity (Kentucky) | (15-0) | 4 |
#53 Aledo (Texas) | (15-1) | 80 |
#54 Long Beach Poly (California) | (9-3) | NR |
#55 Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) | (12-2) | 20 |
#56 Cass Tech (Michigan) | (11-3) | NR |
#57 The Woodlands (Texas) | (7-2) | NR |
#58 Fort Dorchester (South Carolina) | (13-1) | 43 |
#59 Cibolo Steele (Texas) | (9-5) | NR |
#60 Evangel Christian (Louisiana) | (8-2) | NR |
#61 Liberty (Nevada) | (11-2) | 66 |
#62 Wake Forest (North Carolina) | (15-0) | 34 |
#63 Miami Central (Florida) | (9-3) | 30 |
#64 Bishop Sullivan (Virginia) | (6-5) | NR |
#65 Bingham (Utha) | (13-1) | 28 |
#66 St. Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania) | (13-1) | 19 |
#67 Chaminade-Madonna (Florida) | (11-2) | 66 |
#68 Manvel (Texas) | (14-1) | 73 |
#69 Jenks (Oklahoma) | (7-5) | NR |
#70 Oxford (Mississippi) | (8-4) | NR |
#71 Lamar (Houston, Texas) | (9-2) | NR |
#72 Central (Phenix City, Alabama) | (11-1) | 69 |
#73 Valor Christian (Colorado) | (11-1) | NR |
#74 Cartersville (Georgia) | (11-1) | 100 |
#75 DePaul Catholic (New Jersey) | (8-3) | 29 |
#76 Klein Collins (Texas) | (11-1) | 86 |
#77 Serra (Gardena, California) | (6-5) | NR |
#78 Landry-Walker (Louisiana) | (8-4) | NR |
#79 Pickerington Central (Ohio) | (14-1) | 27 |
#80 Westlake (Texas) | (14-1) | 52 |
#81 Valdosta (Geogia) | (4-7) | NR |
#82 East St. Louis (Iliinois) | (11-2) | NR |
#83 Northwestern (Miami, Florida) | (12-3) | 24 |
#84 Buford (Georgia) | (10-2) | 99 |
#85 Norman North (Oklahoma) | (7-4) | NR |
#86 Harrison (Georgia) | (9-4) | NR |
#87 Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pennsylvania) | (10-3) | NR |
#88 Good Counsel (Maryland) | (8-3) | 96 |
#89 Roswell (Georgia) | (3-8) | NR |
#90 Pine-Richland (Pennsylvania) | (16-0) | 10 |
#91 Hewitt-Trussville (Alabama) | (11-1) | NR |
#92 Parkway (Louisiana) | (5-6) | NR |
#93 North Shore (Texas) | (9-4) | NR |
#94 Plant (Florida) | (12-2) | 87 |
#95 Chaminade (California) | (9-2) | NR |
#96 Denton Guyer (Texas) | (7-4) | NR |
#97 Pulaski Academy (Arkansas) | (14-0) | 53 |
#98 Booker T. Washington (Miami, Florida) | (4-6) | NR |
#99 Kahuku (Hawaii) | (11-2) | 91 |
#100 Kirkwood (Missouri) | (8-2) | NR |