For the first time since 2018, there’s a new No. 1 high school football team in the state of Alabama.
7A champ Central (Phenix City) finishes 2023 ranked No. 1 in the High School Football America Alabama Top 10 high school football rankings, powered by NFL Play Football. The Red Devils finished a perfect 13-0 to win their first title since 2018.
Central’s 21-19 win over Thompson in the 7A championship game, snapped the Warriors run of four straight state titles in Alabama’s largest classification.
6A champ Clay-Chalkville finishes No. 2 in the state after a thrilling 31-28 defeat of Saraland, which finishes No. 3 in our statewide rankings, created with our proprietary algorithm.
7A runner-up Thompson finishes No. 4, followed by Hewitt-Trussville at No. 5, Auburn at No. 6, Vestavia Hills at No. 7, Mary G. Montgomery at No. 8, Enterprise at No. 9 and 5A champ Gulf Shores at No. 10.
On the national scene, Central ended ’23 ranked No. 23 in the HSFA 300. Overall, the top seven teams finished the year in our national rankings.
High School Football America Alabama Top 10
| Ranking/Team | Record | Preseason State Ranking |
| No. 1 Central (Phenix City) | (13-0) | 2 |
| No. 2 Clay-Chalkville | (14-0) | 7 |
| No. 3 Saraland | (14-1) | 4 |
| No. 4 Thompson | (11-2) | 1 |
| No. 5 Hewitt-Trussville | (9-4) | 5 |
| No. 6 Auburn | (9-3) | 3 |
| No. 7 Vestavia Hills | (9-3) | 8 |
| No. 8 Mary G. Montgomery | (12-1) | NR |
| No. 9 Enterprise | (9-3) | NR |
| No. 10 Gulf Shores | (15-0) | NR |
Editor’s Note: The High School Football America national, regional and state rankings are developed using our proprietary algorithm.
