We’re less than a month away from releasing the High School Football America Preseason Top 100. To get ready for this year’s first poll that is created with our proprietary algorithm, we thought it would be fun to look back at the best teams in the nation from 2013 through last season.
Why start in 2013? That was the first year that we used our algorithm to rank teams across the nation. In 2012, our Top 25 was an opinion-based poll.
Related: High School Football America expands national rankings to Top 100
For the purpose of this ranking, we create a Top 20 by awarding points based on where teams were ranked in our final national polls since 2013. For example, the No. 1 team receives 25 points, the No. 2 team receives 24 points and so forth.
The only teams that are eligible for this poll are teams that appear in at least two of our four final Top 25’s.
Overall, since 2013, 65 different teams have finished their seasons ranked in the High School Football America Top 25. However, out of those 65, only three teams — Allen (Texas), Bishop Gorman (Nevada) and St. John Bosco (California) — have appeared in all four season-ending polls. Allen won the 2013 and 2014 “mythical” national championships, while Bishop Gorman won it last year. Colquitt County (Georgia) was the 2015 national champ.
St. John Bosco, which hasn’t won our national title, but has two runner-up finishes (2013 and 2016), is the No. 1 team since the creation of our propriety algorithm that uses 15 criteria to rank teams across the United States. During that stretch, the Braves have won two California Open Divisions titles. Both times, Bosco beat De La Salle for the championship. Like St. John Bosco, the Spartans can claim two national runner-up finishes (2014 and 2015). DLS is ranked No. 4 over the last four years, according to our algorithm.
Two-time national champ Allen is No. 2 over the last four years, followed by eight-time Nevada state champ Gorman at No. 3. Allen is one of four Texas teams to be ranked in this Top 20. DeSoto, which has three Top 25 appearances since 2013 is No. 11, followed by Cedar Hill at No. 12 and Katy at No. 16. Cedar Hill and Katy have appeared in the final poll twice.
Rounding-out the Top 5 is St. Thomas Aquinas, one of five Sunshine State teams to exhibit consistency in the national rankings our the last four years. Miami Central, with three appearances in the Top 25, is ranked No. 8, followed by Booker T. Washington (2 appearances) at No. 9, IMG Academy (2 appearances) at No. 10 and Plantation’s American Heritage (2 appearances) at No. 19.
Aside from De La Salle, DeSoto and St. Thomas Aquinas, other three-time Top 25’ers are No. 6 Corona Centennial (California), No. 15 Hoover (Alabama) and No. 17 La Salle (Ohio).
2015 national champ Colquitt County (Georgia) is ranked No. 7.
High School Football Rankings since 2013
Team | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | Pts |
1. St. John Bosco (California) | 2 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 77 |
2. Allen (Texas) | 17 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 76 |
3. Bishop Gorman (Nevada) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 73 |
4. De La Salle (California) | NR | 2 | 2 | 9 | 65 |
5. St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) | 6 | 12 | 9 | NR | 51 |
6. Corona Centennial (California) | 10 | 5 | 13 | NR | 50 |
7. Colquitt County (Georgia) | NR | 1 | 4 | NR | 47 |
8. Miami Central (Florida) | NR | 22 | 7 | 4 | 45 |
9. Booker T. Washington (Florida) | NR | NR | 6 | 3 | 43 |
10. IMG Academy (Florida) | 3 | 7 | NR | NR | 42 |
11. DeSoto (Texas) | 12 | NR | 25 | 5 | 36 |
12. (tie) Cedar Hill (Texas) | NR | NR | 11 | 7 | 34 |
12. (tie) DeMatha (Maryland) | 5 | 13 | NR | NR | 34 |
12. (tie) St. Edward (Ohio) | NR | 6 | 12 | NR | 34 |
15. Hoover (Alabama) | 18 | NR | 19 | 10 | 31 |
16. Katy (Texas) | NR | 3 | NR | 22 | 27 |
17. (tied) La Salle (Ohio) | 21 | 15 | 20 | NR | 22 |
17. (tied) St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ) | 19 | NR | NR | 11 | 22 |
19. American Heritage (Plantation, FL) | 13 | NR | NR | 20 | 19 |
20. Starkville (Mississippi) | NR | 19 | 21 | NR | 12 |
Final High School Football America Top 25 teams (2013-2016)
Below are all of the teams from 23 different states that have finished in our Top 25 since 2013.
Alabama (2) – Clay-Chalkville (2014), Hoover (2016, 2014, 2013)
Arizona (2) – Saguaro (2016), Mountain Pointe (2013)
California (7) – Chaminade (2013), Corona Centennial (2016, 2015, 2014), De La Salle (2015, 2014, 2013), Folsom (2015), Mater Dei (2016), Mission Viejo (2015), St. John Bosco (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013)
Florida (6) – American Heritage-Plantation (2016, 2013), Booker T. Washington (2014, 2013), Dwyer (2013), IMG Academy (2015, 2016), Miami Central (2015, 2014, 2013), St. Thomas Aquinas (2016, 2015, 2014)
Georgia (5) – Buford (2014), Colquitt County (2015, 2014), Grayson (2016), Norcross (2013), Roswell (2016)
Illinois (1) – Loyola Academy (2015)
Indiana (2) – Ben Davis (2014), Center Grove (2015)
Kentucky (2) – Male (2015), Trinity (2016)
Louisiana (1) – Edna Karr (2016)
Maryland (2) – DeMatha (2016, 2015), Gilman (2015)
Michigan (2) – Brother Rice (2013), Cass Tech (2016)
Mississippi (2)- South Panola (2014), Starkville (2015, 2014)
Missouri (1) – Blue Springs (2013)
Nevada (1) – Bishop Gorman (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013)
New Jersey (4) – Don Bosco Prep (2015), Paramus Catholic (2016), St. Joseph Regional-Montvale (2016, 2013), St. Peter’s Prep (2014)
North Carolina (1) – Mallard Creek (2013)
Ohio (6) – Archbishop Moeller (2013), Colerain (2015), La Salle (2016, 2015, 2014), St. Edward (2015, 2014), St. Xavier (2016), Wayne-Huber Heights (2015)
Oklahoma (1) – Jenks (2013)
Pennsylvania (2) – Pittsburgh Central Catholic (2015), St. Joseph’s Prep (2016, 2013)
South Carolina (2) – Northwestern (2013), South Pointe (2016)
Tennessee (1) – Maryville (2014)
Texas (10) – Aledo (2013), Allen (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013), Cedar Hill (2014, 2013), DeSoto (2016, 2014, 2013), Euless Trinity (2015, 2014), Katy (2015, 2013) Lake Travis (2016), Southlake Carroll (2014), Skyline (2014), The Woodlands (2016)
Washington (2) – Bellevue (2013), Eastside Catholic (2015)