First & Fisher: Celebrating 10 years of the High School Football America Rankings Algorithm

the top 100 teams in high school football in america
gamestrat high school football sideline instant replay

It’s hard to believe, but the high school football rankings algorithm, that I created after the 2012 season, turns ten years old this year!

For those of you that aren’t familiar with our rankings history, our first national rankings in 2012 were an opinion poll by yours truly.

The reason I created the algorithm for the 2013 season was because I thought there was a better way to rank teams nationally, regionally and on a statewide basis. Certainly, no system is perfect, but I feel the way I’ve improved the algorithm, through the years, it gives fans an accurate depiction of the best teams in the nation.

Again, no system is perfect. We do the rankings for the fans.

Today, I want to thank everyone, who has taken time over the past decade to check-out our high school football rankings that have grown from a Top 25 (2013-14), to a Top 50 (2015-16) to a Top 100 in 2017. And, since I’m never satisfied, that’s why, last year we expanded to a Top 300 with the help of our partner NFL Play Football.

What’s in-store for 2022? We’ll let you know that in the near future.

However, today I thought it would be fun to celebrate all of the teams that have appeared in our national rankings.

Since 2013, 567 different teams have been recognized. Florida leads the way 89 teams appearing in the national rankings. Texas is second with 78 teams, followed by California with 58 and Georgia with 47.

Teams-by-State that have appeared in the High School Football America national rankings since 2013

Alabama (13 teams) – Auburn, Central (Phenix City), Clay-Chalkville, Daphne, Hewitt-Trussville, Hoover, McGill-Toolen, Mountain Brook, Oxford, Pinson Valley, Spanish Fort, Spain Park, Thompson

Arizona (11 teams) – Chandler, Centennial, Chaparral, Hamilton, Highland, Mountain Pointe, Perry, Pinnacle, Saguaro, Salpointe Catholic, Queen Creek

Arkansas (7 teams) – Bentonville, Bryant, Conway, Fayetteville, Har-Ber North Little Rock, Pulaski Academy

California (58 teams) – Alemany, Bishop Amat, Bellarmine Prep, Buchanan (Clovis), Calabasas, Carlsbad, Catholic Catholic (San Diego), Central (Fresno), Central Catholic (Modesto), Chaminade, Corona Centennial, Corona del Mar, De La Salle, Damien, Edison (Huntington Beach), Etiwanda, Folsom, Grace Brethren (Simi Valley), Helix, Inglewood, JSerra, La Habra, Liberty (Bakersfield), Liberty (Brentwood), Lincoln (San Diego), Long Beach Poly, Los Alamitos, Loyola (Los Angeles), Mater Dei, Mater Dei Catholic, Mission Hills, Mission Viejo, Monterey Trail, Murrieta Valley, Narbonne, Norco, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), Oaks Christian, Orange Lutheran, Paraclete, Pittsburg, Rancho Cucamonga, Rocklin, San Clemente, Santa Margarita, Serra (Gardena), Serra (San Mateo), Servite, Sierra Canyon, St. Augustine, St. Francis (Mountain View), St. John Bosco, St. Mary’s (Stockton), Torrey Pines, Upland, Valencia, Villa Park, Vista Murrieta, Warren

Colorado (2 teams) – Cherry Creek, Valor Christian

Florida (89 teams) – American Heritage (Plantation), Apopka, Armwood, Bartram Trail, Berkeley Prep, Bloomingdale, Bolles School, Booker T. Washington (Miami), Braden River, Buchholz, Cardinal Gibbons, Columbia (Lake City), Carol City, Chaminade-Madonna, Champagnat Catholic, Clearwater Academy International, Cocoa, Columbus (Miami), Deerfield Beach, Dillard, Dr. Phillips, Dwyer, Edgewater, Edison (Miami), Escambia, Flagler Palm Coast, Flanagan, Florida St. University HS, Gainesville, Gaither, Gulliver Prep, Hillsborough, Homestead, IMG Academy, Immokalee, Jesuit, Jones (Orlando), Killian, Lake Gibson, Lake Mary, Lake Minneola, Lakeland, Lakewood, Lincoln (Tallahassee), Mainland, Manatee, Mandarin, Merritt Island, Miami Central, Miramar, Mitchell, Naples, Navarre, Niceville, North Ft. Myers, Northwestern (Miami), Oakleaf, Osceola, Oxbridge Academy, Palm Beach Central, Palmetto, Palmetto (Miami), Pine Forest, Plant, Plant City, Raines, Rickards, Riverside (formerly Robert E. Lee, Jacksonville), Riverview Sarasota, Rockledge, Seminole (Sanford), South Dade, Stranahan, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Tampa Bay Tech, Treasure Coast, Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville), University (Ft. Lauderdale), Vanguard, Venice, Vero Beach, Viera, Wakulla, Wekiva, Western, West Orange, Winter Park, Wiregrass Ranch

Georgia (47 teams) – Allatoona, Archer, Bainbridge, Benectine, Blessed Trinity, Brookwood, Buford, Calhoun, Camden County, Cartersville, Carver (Columbus), Cedar Grove, Cherokee, Collins Hill, Colquitt County, Creekside, Dacula, East Coweta, Grayson, Harrison, Hillgrove, Jefferson, Langston Hughes, Lee County, Lowndes, Marietta, Marist, McEachern, Mill Creek, Milton, Norcross, North Cobb, North Gwinnett, North Paulding, Northside (Warner Robins), Parkview, Peach County, Rome, Roswell, Troup County, Valdosta, Walton, Ware County, Warner Robins, West Forsyth, Westlake (Atlanta), Woodward

Hawaii (4 teams) – Kahuku, Mililani, Punahou, St. Louis

Illinois (19 teams) – Brother Rice, Cary-Grove, East St. Louis, Lincoln-Way East, Glenbard West, Joliet Catholic, Lockport, Loyola Academy, Maine South, Mount Carmel (Chicago), Naperville Central, Nazareth Academy, Neuqua Valley, Phillips Academy, Prairie Ridge, Simeon, St. Ignatius Prep, St. Rita, Wheaton North

Indiana (12 teams) – Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Carmel, Cathedral, Center Grove, Lawrence Central, Merrillville, New Palestine, Roncalli, Warren Central, Westfield

Kentucky (4 teams) – Covington Catholic, Male, St. Xavier, Trinity

Louisiana (26 teams) – Acadiana, Alexandria, Archbishop Rummel, Catholic (Baton Rouge), Brother Martin, Carencro, C.E. Byrd, De La Salle, Destrehan, Evangel Christian, John Curtis, Lafayette Christian Academy, Landry-Walker, Madison Prep Academy, Natchitoches Central, Neville, Parkway, Ponchatoula, Ruston, St. Charles Catholic, St. Thomas More, University Lab (Baton Rouge), Warren Easton, Westgate, West Monroe, Zachary

Maryland (10 teams) – Archbishop Spalding, Calvert Hall, DeMatha, Gilman, Good Counsel, Loyola Blakefield, McDonogh, Mount St. Joseph, St. Frances Academy, Wise

Massachusetts (1 team) – Catholic Memorial

Michigan (17 teams) – Adams, Belleville, Brother Rice, Cass Tech, Chippewa Valley, Churchill, Clarkston, Davison, De La Salle Collegiate, Detroit Catholic Central, Detroit Martin Luther King, DeWitt, Mona Shores, Muskegon, Saline, Utica Eisenhower, West Bloomfield

Mississippi (15 teams) – Brandon, Clinton, Greenville Christian, Hattiesburg, Horn Lake, Jackson Prep, Madison Central, Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Oak Grove, Oxford, Pearl, South Panola, Starkville, Tupelo, West Point

Missouri (11 teams) – Blue Springs, Blue Springs South, Cardinal Ritter, Christian Brothers College HS, De Smet, Kirkwood, Raymore-Peculiar, Rockhurst, Trinity Catholic, Vianney, Webb City

Nevada (2 teams) – Bishop Gorman, Liberty

New Jersey (14 teams) – Bergen Catholic, Delbarton, DePaul Catholic, Don Bosco Prep, Paramus Catholic, Pope John XXIII, Piscataway, Red Bank Catholic, Seton Hall Prep, St. Augustine, St. Joseph (Hammonton), St. Joseph Regional (Montvale), St. Peter’s Prep, Williamstown

New York (2 teams) – Cardinal Hayes, Iona Prep

North Carolina (16 teams) – Butler, Cardinal Gibbons, Chambers (formerly Vance), Charlotte Catholic, Dudley, East Forsyth, Grimsley, Harding, Hough, Leesville Road, Mallard Creek, Myers Park, Richmond, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Weddington

Ohio (26 teams) – Archbishop Hoban, Archbishop Moeller, Avon, Benedictine, Colerain, Canton McKinley, Chardon, Elder, Lakota West, La Salle, Marysville, Massillon Perry, Massillon Washington, Medina, Mentor, Pickerington Central, Pickerington North, Springfield, St. Edward, St. Ignatius, St. Xavier, Toledo Central Catholic, Trotwood-Madison, Upper Arlington, Wayne (Huber Heights), Winton Woods

Oklahoma (6 teams) – Bixby, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Norman North, Owasso, Union

Pennsylvania (19 teams) – Archbishop Wood, Cathedral Prep, Central York, Coatesville, Governor Mifflin, Harrisburg, Imhotep Charter, La Salle College HS, Manheim Central, McDowell, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Parkland, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford, Pine-Richland, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Southern Columbia, St. Joseph’s Prep

South Carolina (11 teams) – Byrnes, Dorman, Dutch Fork, Fort Dorchester, Gaffney, Myrtle Beach, Northwestern, Spartanburg, South Pointe, Spring Valley, T.L. Hanna

Tennessee (19 teams) – Alcoa, Blackman, Brentwood Academy, Briarcrest Christian, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Ensworth, Farragut, Houston, Lausanne Collegiate, Lipscomb Academy, Maryville, McCallie, Memphis University, Montgomery Bell Academy, Oakland, Pearl-Cohn, Ravenwood, Summit, Whitehaven

Texas (78 teams) – Aledo, Allen, A&M Consolidated, Argyle, Arlington Martin, Atascocita, Bridgeland, Calallen, Carthage, Cedar Hill, Cedar Park, C.E. King, China Springs, Cibolo Steele, College Station, Colleyville Heritage, Coppell, Cy-Fair, Cypress Ranch, Dallas Jesuit, Denton Guyer, Denton Ryan, DeSoto, Dickinson, Duncanville, Ennis, Euless Trinity, Flower Mound, Fort Bend Hightower, Fort Bend Marshall, Foster, Garland, Highland Park, John Tyler, Judson, Katy, Katy Paetow, Katy Tompkins, Klein Collins, Lake Travis, Lamar (Houston), Lancaster, Lone Star (Frisco), Lewisville, Little Elm, Longview, Lovejoy, Lubbock-Cooper, Lufkin, Manvel, Mansfield, Mansfield Summit, Marcus (Flower Mound), Midland Legacy (former Midland Lee), Midway, North Shore, Pearland Dawson, Permian, Prosper, Ridge Point, Richmond Foster, Rockwall, Rockwall-Heath, San Antonio Brennan, Shadow Creek, Skyline, Southlake Carroll, South Oak Cliff, Spring, Stephenville, The Woodlands, Tomball, Tomball Memorial, Veterans Memorial (Corpus Christi), West Brook, Westfield, Westlake, Wichita Falls Ridge

Utah (9 teams) – American Fork, Bingham, Corner Canyon, East, Herriman, Lehi, Lone Peak, Orem, Skyridge

Virginia (11 teams) – Bishop Sullivan, Colonial Forge, Highland Springs, Life Christian Academy, Manchester, Ocean Lakes, Oscar Smith, South County, Stone Bridge, Varina, Westfield

Washington (5 teams) – Bellevue, Camas, Eastside Catholic, Graham-Kaposwin, O’Dea

Washington DC (2 teams) – Gonzaga, St. John’s College HS

West Virginia (1 team) – Martinsburg

No More Fumbles

Play Football

nfl play football

About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.