Greatest High School Football Teams of All Time

There's nothing "mythical" about how good these teams were.

Greatest High School Football Teams of All Time

Katy High School in Texas won its lone national title in 2015.

High school football doesn't have an official national championship, but a "mythical" national championship has been awarded to high school football teams since 1910, when the National Sports News Service named Oak Park (Illinois) High School the first national champ.

In those 100-plus years, an unofficial system was created to identify, with some accuracy, the top football teams in the country. That system got a big boost with USA Today's National Top 25, which began in 1982 and makes it easier to track high school football's best teams every season.

But which teams are the best of the best? These are the greatest high school football national championship teams of all time.

50. 1960 Lawrence High School

Lawrence High's Ronnie Hopkins — Ronnie Hopkins starred on the 1960 Lawrence High team.

Location: Lawrence, Kansas

Record: 9-0

Head coach: Al Woolard

Key players: RB Charles Bowden, OL/DL Brian Schweda, ATH Ronnie Hopkins

Bottom Line: 1960 Lawrence High School

The only high school football team from Kansas to win a mythical national championship, Lawrence High ended 1960 on a 47-game winning streak.

One player on the team, offensive lineman/defensive lineman Brian Schweda, went on to star at the University of Kansas and played three seasons in the NFL.

Lawrence head coach Al Woolard coached the Lions from 1950 to 1968 and won 10 state championships, including five consecutive from 1956 to 1960. He retired as the winningest high school football coach in the nation in 1969. Woolard died in 1998.

49. 1927 Waco High School

Location: Waco, Texas

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Paul Tyson

Key players: OL/DL Charles Leyendecker, E Madison Pruitt

Bottom Line: 1927 Waco High School

Waco High's 1927 national championship team went 14-0 with 11 shutouts, including a 124-0 win over Jefferson Davis High in the first round of the state playoffs. That was actually one of two times that season Waco scored over 100 points. They also beat Marlin 107-0.

In an era where there was an actual national championship game, Waco defeated Cleveland Cathedral Latin 44-12 for the title.

This was one of four state titles head coach Paul Tyson won between 1921 and 1941. Tyson, who died in 1950, was so well-known for his offensive game planning Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne reportedly sought out his advice.

48. 2012 Bellevue High School

Location: Bellevue, Washington

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Butch Goncharoff

Key players: RB/LB Myles Jack, DB Budda Baker, LB Sean Constantine, DL Darien Freeman

Bottom Line: 2012 Bellevue High School

Bellevue High won the national championship in 2012 with arguably the greatest high school football player in state history on its roster — future UCLA star and NFL linebacker Myles Jack.

Jack, who was named Seattle Times Player of the Year, had another Division I linebacker next to him in Sean Constantine, who played for Washington. Jack had an astonishing 24 sacks as a senior.

Bellevue took on all comers and defeated Texas powerhouse Euless Trinity High, 31-24, then capped the season by beating Eastside Catholic 35-3 in the state championship game.

47. 1988 Pine Forest High School

Carl Madison — Pine Forest won 14 games in 1988.

Location: Pensacola, Florida

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Carl Madison

Key players: RB Rodney Blunt, TE Jason Davis, OL Paul Holmes, OL T.J. Nelson, DL Dennis Clanton, LB Steve Kaderly, DB Marquette Oliver, RS A.J. Jackson

Bottom Line: 1988 Pine Forest High School

You don't have to make much of a mental leap to gather that in most years the top state champions in Florida are among the best teams in the nation, and Pine Forest High's 1988 season was one of the best of all time.

Behind head coach Carl Madison, the Eagles went 14-0 and defeated Sarasota High 50-27 in the Class 5A state championship game. It was the second consecutive state title for Pine Forest and produced the only national title in Pensacola history.

The Eagles were led by running back Rodney Blunt, who rushed for 1,682 yards and 20 touchdowns and signed with Clemson, where he led them in rushing in 1992.

46. 2020 Westlake High School

Quarterback Cade Klubnik led Westlake to a perfect record.

Location: Austin, Texas

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Todd Dodge

Key players: QB Cade Klubnik, RB Zane Minors, RB Grey Nakfoor, LB Nick Morris Jr., OL Connor Robertson, OL Bray Lynch

Bottom Line: 2020 Westlake High School

Westlake High head coach Todd Dodge has led two different Texas schools to national championships. He won three at Southlake Carroll and won his first at Austin Westlake High in 2020.

Westlake capped off its undefeated season and clinched its first national championship by defeating Southlake Carroll and head coach Riley Dodge — Todd Dodge's son — in the Class 6A Division I state championship game.

Westlake junior and Clemson commit Cade Klubnik could be the next great quarterback to come out of Texas, and in the championship game, he was 18-of-20 passing for 220 yards and one touchdown along with 97 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

45. 1925 Pine Bluff High School

Location: Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Record: 16-0

Head coach: Foy Hammons

Key players: RB Billy Hicks, OL Frank McGibbony

Bottom Line: 1925 Pine Bluff High School

Pine Bluff High went 16-0 in 1925, racking up 13 shutouts and gained 8,588 yards of offense, which was a national record that would stand for 73 years.

Playing in the era of the high school national championship game, Pine Bluff demolished Dayton (Ohio) Stivers 61-0 for the title and was almost 100 years ahead of schedule as far as playing teams outside of their home state. Their season included an 89-0 win over Jackson (Tenn.) High.

All-American running back Billy Hicks scored 42 touchdowns and converted 34 point-after attempts.

44. 2011 Trinity High School

Bob Beatty is a high school coaching legend.

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Bob Beatty

Key players: QB Travis Wright, RB Daylyn Hawkins, WR James Quick

Bottom Line: 2011 Trinity High School

Louisville Trinity High took on all comers in 2011, grabbing wins over powerhouse teams from Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana on the way to an undefeated season and state championship, capped by a 62-21 win over Scott County in the state championship game.

This was the closest we've come to having a legitimate national championship game in the modern era, when Trinity and New Jersey's Don Bosco Prep scheduled a game that was ultimately called off by officials in both states.

It's the only national championship in program history for Trinity, which has the most state titles in Kentucky history with 27.

43. 2015 Colquitt County High School

Colquitt County High Schol — Colquitt brought the pain to opponents.

Location: Norman Park, Georgia

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Rush Propst

Key players: WR Kiel Pollard, QB Chase Parrish, K Luis Martinez, DL Dee Walker

Bottom Line: 2015 Colquitt County High School

Colquitt County ended the 2015 season on a 30-game winning streak and with the first national title in Georgia since Valdosta High won in 1992.

It's also the only national title — so far — in the career of well-known high school football coach Rush Propst, who won five state titles at Alabama's Hoover High in Alabama before winning back-to-back state titles at Colquitt County in 2014 and 2015.

Propst was fired as Colquitt County's head coach for an array of ethical violations in 2019, then hired by Valdosta High in 2020.

42. 1967 Reagan High School

Location: Austin, Texas

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Travis Raven

Key players: RB Donald Ealy, RB Johnny Kleinert, DL Ray Dowdy, E Larry Rutledge, QB Dale Rebold

Bottom Line: 1967 Reagan High School

Austin Reagan won back-to-back state championships and back-to-back national championships in 1967 and 1968. It's an amazing feat when you consider the school didn't open until 1965.

Reagan defensive lineman Ray Dowdy won three national titles in a four-year stretch — at Reagen in 1967, a juco national title at Tyler Junior College in 1969 and a national title at the University of Texas in 1970, when he was an All-Southwest Conference pick.

Reagan and head coach Travis Raven won a third state title and third national championship in 1970.

41. 1998 De La Salle High School

Atari Callen helped De La Salle go 12-0 in 1998.

Location: Concord, California

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Bob Ladouceur

Key players: RB/LB D.J. Williams, RB Atari Callen

Bottom Line: 1998 De La Salle High School

De La Salle and Mater Dei had three national championships between them in the previous four seasons when they finally played in 1998. De La Salle came out on top with a 28-21 win in one of the most anticipated high school football games in California history.

De La Salle was led by a future NFL linebacker in D.J. Williams, one of the most highly recruited players in school history, and running back Atari Callen.

De La Salle ended its season on a national record 78-game winning streak that eventually grew to 151 games.

40. 2018 North Shore High School

Dematrius Davis led North Shore at quarterback.

Location: Houston, Texas

Record: 16-0

Head coach: Jon Kay

Key players: QB Dematrius Davis, WR AJ Carter, DL Jordan Revels, K John Villalobos

Bottom Line: 2018 North Shore High School

Jon Kay coached North Shore to a 16-0 record.

Houston North Shore won its games in 2018 by an average of 41 points but found no such pushover in the Class 6A Division I state championship game against Duncanville, where they needed a Hail Mary touchdown pass from Dematrius Davis to AJ Carter as time expired to pull off the win.

Davis led North Shore to back-to-back state championships, winning again in 2019 and repeating as Offensive MVP of the championship game, then signed with Auburn.

It was the second of three state championships for North Shore in a five-year stretch, with all coming under head coach Jon Kay.

39. 1950 Massillon Washington High School

Jim Reichenbach opened up a lot of holes for the Massillon Washington offense.

Location: Massillon, Ohio

Record: 10-0

Head coach: Chuck Mather

Key players: RB Bob Howe, OL Jim Reichenbach, OL Jerry Krisher

Bottom Line: 1950 Massillon Washington High School

Massillon Washington High's defense only allowed 37 points over 10 games in 1950, which was the first of three national championship teams and three undefeated seasons under head coach Chuck Mather.

The offensive line was anchored by Jerry Krisher and All-Stater Jim Reichenbach, who became an All-American for Woody Hayes at Ohio State University.

Mather left Massillon after the 1953 season to become the head coach at the University of Kansas, then was the backfield coach for the Chicago Bears for eight seasons.

38. 1982 Archbishop Moeller High School

Hiawatha Francisco ran for a lot of yards at Archbishop Moeller.

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Steve Klonne

Key players: RB Hiawatha Francisco, RB D'Juan Francisco, QB John Shaffer, LB Shane Bullough

Bottom Line: 1982 Archbishop Moeller High School

This was the last of five national championships won by Moeller High in a seven-year stretch from 1976 to 1982, and was the last national championship in school history.

It also was the only national championship team at Moeller not coached by Gerry Faust, who left Moeller to become the head coach at Notre Dame after the 1980 season.

Faust signed Moeller's best player off the 1982 team, Parade All-American running back Hiawatha Francisco. Moeller quarterback John Shaffer won another national championship in 1987 as Penn State's starting quarterback.

37. 2005 Southlake Carroll High School

Greg McElroy was money for Southlake Carroll.

Location: Southlake, Texas

Record: 16-0

Head coach: Todd Dodge

Key players: QB Greg McElroy, OL Michael Prince, RB Tre Newton, WR McKay Jacobson, DL Michael Boydston, LB Patrick Benoist

Bottom Line: 2005 Southlake Carroll High School

This was the second of three consecutive national championship teams for Southlake Carroll and head coach Todd Dodge, who left after the 2006 season to become the head coach at the University of North Texas.

Quarterback Greg McElroy threw for 4,636 yards and 56 touchdowns in 2005, then won another national championship four years later as the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama.

McElroy went on to play two seasons in the NFL while leading rusher Tre Newton played for the University of Texas.

36. 1983 Berwick Area High School

Bo Orlando was a quarterback and defensive back star for Berwick.

Location: Berwick, Pennsylvania

Record: 13-0

Head coach: George Curry

Key players: QB/DB Bo Orlando, TE A.J. Thomas, FB/DE Andy Mills, LB Joe Favata, OL/LB Lou DiPippa

Bottom Line: 1983 Berwick Area High School

This was the first of three national championship teams coached by Berwick's George Curry, followed by titles in 1992 and 1995.

Berwick was at its best in 1983 after the postseason started, when they outscored opponents 116-0 and beat North Pocono 41-0 in the state championship game.

Bo Orlando was Berwick's star on both sides of the ball at quarterback and defensive back and likely the greatest player in Berwick history. He was an All-American safety at the University of West Virginia, played 10 seasons in the NFL and was named Berwick's athletic director in 2019.

35. 1989 Permian High School

Chris Comer helped Permian go 16-0 in 1989.

Location: Odessa, Texas

Record: 16-0

Head coach: Gary Gaines

Key players: RB Chris Comer, QB Stoney Case, WR/DB Lloyd Hill

Bottom Line: 1989 Permian High School

Permian High School's 1988 season was featured in Buzz Bissinger's 1990 nonfiction book "Friday Night Lights," and the Panthers won state and national championships the next season.

Permian — fans call the team "Mojo" — still had several players featured prominently in the book on the 1989 team, most notably soft-spoken running back Chris Comer, who ran for 1,589 yards and 22 touchdowns, and quarterback Stoney Case, who starred at the University of New Mexico before playing six seasons in the NFL.

Comer rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the Class 5A state championship win over Aldine High, which was the 1990 national champion.

34. 2013 St. John Bosco High School

Jason Negro — St. John Bosco went 15-0 in 2013.

Location: Bellflower, California

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Jason Negro

Key players: OL/DL Damien Mama, QB Josh Rosen, RB Sean McGrew

Bottom Line: 2013 St. John Bosco High School

The 2013 national championship was split between three schools — St. John Bosco High, Allen (Texas) High and Miami Booker T. Washington. Out of the eight polls that declared national champions in 2013, St. John Bosco finished No. 3 in six and No. 1 in two.

Future UCLA star and NFL first-round draft pick Josh Rosen threw for 3,200 yards and 39 touchdowns but wasn't the team's star player.

Two-way offensive/defensive lineman Daniel Mama was named Los Angeles Times Lineman of the Year and a MaxPreps All-American, then went on to become an All-Pac-12 offensive lineman at USC and play two seasons in the NFL.

33. 1914 Everett High School

Location: Everett, Massachusetts

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Cleo O'Donnell

Key players: RB Jack Cannell, RB Rufus Bond

Bottom Line: 1914 Everett High School

Cleo O'Donnell went to coach at Purdue and Holy Cross after coaching at Everett.

There has never been a season quite like the one Everett High had in 1914 — a statistical anomaly that doesn't even seem real.

Everett went 13-0 with 13 shutouts. They outscored opponents 600-0, including an 80-0 win over four-time defending national champion Oak Park (Illinois) in the national championship game.

Part of Everett's dominance likely came from the fact they threw the ball in an era when teams still didn't understand how to defend the forward pass, with running back Jack Cannell throwing 16 touchdown passes.

Head coach Cleo O'Donnell went on to become the head coach at both Purdue and Holy Cross.

32. 1957 Little Rock Central High School

Players loved playing for Wilson Matthews.

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Wilson Matthews

Key players: QB Billy Moore, OL Buddy Tackett, RB Bruce Fullerton, TE Bill Hicks, OL Bill May, OL Ted Blagg, OL Jim Davis, RB Sammy Peters, E Gilbert Arnold

Bottom Line: 1957 Little Rock Central High School

Wilson Matthews was Little Rock Central's head coach for 11 seasons and won 10 state championships, with his only national title coming in 1957.

Little Rock Central played a schedule that year suited more for the modern era of high school football. They defeated teams from Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky on the way to an unbeaten season. It was the second national championship for Little Rock Central following one in 1946.

There was a tremendous amount of attention on Little Rock Central's championship in 1957. It was the same year the school desegregated amid national scrutiny.

31. 2003 De La Salle High School

Terrance Kelly starred at linebacker for De La Salle in 2003.

Location: Concord, California

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Bob Ladouceur

Key players: LB Terrance Kelly, WR Cameron Colvin, DB Willie Glasper, DB T.J. Ward

Bottom Line: 2003 De La Salle High School

The 2003 De La Salle team was the fourth of four consecutive national championships for head coach Bob Ladouceur and ended the season on a 151-game winning streak.

De La Salle's defense blanked Pittsburg 39-0 in the North Coast Section 4A Championship Game and also defeated Louisiana powerhouse Evangel Christian 27-10 in its only game against an out-of-state team.

In a 20-year stretch from 1994 to 2014, De La Salle won 11 national championships, with 10 of the championships coming under Ladouceur.

30. 2012 John Curtis Christian School

Location: River Ridge, Louisiana

Record: 14-0

Head coach: J.T. Curtis

Key players: LB Duke Riley, RB Sherman Badie, QB Patrick Morton, WR Malachi Dupre, RB Tevin Horton

Bottom Line: 2012 John Curtis Christian School

John Curtis Christian School's George Moreira runs for a touchdown — John Curtis Christian is the greatest high school football program in Louisiana history.

There was some great symmetry at work when John Curtis Christian School won its first national championship in 2012. It was the school's 50th year of existence and the year they won a state-record 25th state title.

John Curtis Christian was one of the more nitpicked national champions in history because of their schedule, but that did little to turn voters off from picking them as national champions.

The team was led by a superstar linebacker in senior Duke Riley, who went on to play for LSU and was named team MVP as a senior. Riley was picked in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft and currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.

29. 1958 Jefferson High School

Location: Portland, Oregon

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Tom DeSylvia

Key players: QB Terry Baker, RB Mel Renfro, RB Raye Renfro, RB Mickey Hergert, OT John Theis

Bottom Line: 1958 Jefferson High School

Terry Baker looks for an open receiver — Terry Baker is the only athlete to win the Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four.

We are happy to include Jefferson High School's 1958 "mythical" national championship team — the second of back-to-back state titles — and take all comers who want to argue against them. And trust us, you don't want that smoke.

The backfield for Jefferson High's 1958 squad included future Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker at quarterback, future NFL Hall of Famer Mel Renfro at tailback and Renfro's younger brother, 6-foot-3, 210-pound Raye Renfro at fullback and flanker.

Was this the greatest backfield in high school football history? They're definitely in the running.

28. 2010 South Panola High School

Location: Batesville, Mississippi

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Lance Pogue

Key players: RB Qyen Griffin, WR Marcus Henry, WR Nickolas Brassell, DB Antonio Connor, DB Kendrick Market, DL Temario Strong, DL Isaac Gross

Bottom Line: 2010 South Panola High School

Qyen Griffin ran wild for South Panola High — Qyen Griffin was named Mississippi's Mr. Football in 2010.

South Panola steamrolled its way to the Class 6A state title in 2010 and became the first and only national champion from Mississippi. How South Panola did it was pretty remarkable.

They trounced Meridian in the state championship game and were at No. 2 in the national rankings for one week before No. 1 team Euless (Texas) Trinity High lost in the state championship game, and South Panola moved up.

South Panola only gave up more than 13 points in a game once in 2010, in a 65-35 win over Georgia powerhouse Colquitt County in the second game of the season, and averaged 48.5 points per game.

Running back Qyen Griffin had one of the all-time great seasons in Mississippi history, rushing for 2,670 yards and 37 touchdowns, but remarkably, no player from South Panola's national title team made it to the NFL.

27. 1986 Valdosta High School

Location: Valdosta, Georgia

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Nick Hyder

Key players: DL Coleman Rudolph, QB Greg Talley, RB Jerome Calloway, DL Seabron Williams, OL Jodie Sprenkle

Bottom Line: 1986 Valdosta High School

Coleman Rudolph closes in for the sack — Coleman Rudolph won national championships in high school at Valdosta High and in college at Georgia Tech.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, we can actually watch Valdosta High's 28-0 state championship game win over Clarke Central in 1986 and get a concrete idea of just how amazing this team was.

This was the second of three national championships head coach Nick Hyder led Valdosta High to in eight years, along with 1984 and 1992.

Defensive lineman Coleman Rudolph pulled off one of the rarest championship feats of any player on this list. After winning the national title with Valdosta High in 1986, he won a national title with Georgia Tech in 1990, where he set the career sacks record, then played four seasons in the NFL.

26. 1995 Saint Ignatius High School

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Chuck Kyle

Key players: LB Chris Della Vella, DL Chris Hovan, DL John Favret, TE Dan O'Leary

Bottom Line: 1995 Saint Ignatius High School

St. Ignatius head coach Chuck Kyle won three national championships.

The St. Ignatius national championship team in 1995 was the fifth straight state title for the school and the second national title in that stretch. It was also the third and final national championship for legendary head coach Chuck Kyle.

In one of the strangest stories in Ohio high school football history, Saint Ignatius' state championship game opponent was supposed to be Colerain, another nationally ranked team that routed Brunswick in the semifinals. Two days later, Colerain was forced to forfeit all its wins for using an ineligible player.

Saint Ignatius won 41-21 in the state title game with 20 Division I players and four players who went on to play in the NFL.

25. 1992 Berwick Area High School

Location: Berwick, Pennsylvania

Record: 15-0

Head coach: George Curry

Key players: QB Ron Powlus, WR/DB Chris Orlando, FB/LB Jason Soboleski

Bottom Line: 1992 Berwick Area High School

Berwick Area head coach George Curry — Legendary Berwick Area High George Curry died in 2016.

Berwick head coach George Curry won the second of three national championships with perhaps the most highly recruited high school football player of all time in quarterback Ron Powlus.

Powlus really was the best high school quarterback in the nation in 1992, throwing for almost 3,000 yards and sweeping National Player of the Year honors from Parade Magazine and Gatorade before signing with Notre Dame.

How much did Berwick's 1992 team capture the public's imagination? They even scored an invite to visit President Bill Clinton at the White House after winning the national title, an honor usually reserved for pro and college teams.

24. 1967 Coral Gables High School

Location: Coral Gables, Florida

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Nick Kotys

Key players: QB Craig Curry, RB Gerald Tinker, LB Paul Johnstone, DE Roger Peace

Bottom Line: 1967 Coral Gables High School

Coral Gables High quarterback Craig Curry was a true trailblazer.

This was the second of four national championships for legendary head coach Nick Kotys, but his true legacy came with the stance he took regarding Black players joining the team at Coral Gables High after the school integrated in 1965.

With the public openly against the school integrating, Kotys and his assistant coaches stood guard at the doors to let Black students enter, and Kotys faced heavy public criticism when he made Craig Curry the school's first Black starting quarterback in 1967.

The result was magical. Curry led the team to an undefeated season, state title and national title, and Coral Gables was named Florida's "Team of the Century" by the FHSAA in 2007. "Craig does all the thinking," Kotys said of the 1967 team. "I only nod OK."

23. 2011 Don Bosco Prep

Location: Ramsey, New Jersey

Record: 11-0

Head coach: Greg Toal

Key players: FS Jabrill Peppers, LB Elijah Shumate, OT Tyler Samra, WR Leonte Carroo, DL Darius Hamilton

Bottom Line: 2011 Don Bosco Prep

Don Bosco Prep defensive end Darius Hamilton dominated in 2011.

Don Bosco Prep won its second national title in three years behind one of the most highly recruited high school football players of all time — free safety Jabrill Peppers.

Don Bosco Prep took on all comers in 2011, beating top teams from California, Florida and Ohio. Don Bosco Prep also featured a dozen players who went on to play Division I football, with Peppers and four others going on to play in the NFL.

Unfortunately, a game between No. 1 Don Bosco Prep and No. 2 Louisville Trinity (Kentucky) was called off by the state associations, and fans were denied what would have been one of the most-watched high school football games of all time.

22. 1980 Archbishop Moeller High School

Gerry Faust led Archbishop Moeller High School to the 1980 national title, then became Notre Dame's head coach the next season.

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Gerry Faust

Key players: RB Mark Brooks, OL Doug Williams, DB Mike Hartmann

Bottom Line: 1980 Archbishop Moeller High School

Notre Dame head coach Gerry Faust — Archbishop Moeller's Gerry Faust left after the 1980 season to become the head coach at Notre Dame.

This was the fourth national title in five years for Archbishop Moeller and head coach Gerry Faust, who left after the 1980 season to become the head coach at Notre Dame.

Moeller's 1980 team beat fellow national powerhouse Massillon High 34-7 in the state championship game for their fifth state title in six years. They were led by running back Mark Brooks, who set a championship game record with four rushing touchdowns.

All-State linebacker Mark Larkin and his younger brother, baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, were also on the team.

21. 2006 Southlake Carroll High School

Location: Southlake, Texas

Record: 16-0

Head coach: Todd Dodge

Key players: QB Riley Dodge, OL Robert Hill, WR Blake Cantu, RB Tre Newton, LB Justin Padron, DL Kyle Russo

Bottom Line: 2006 Southlake Carroll High School

Southlake Carroll head coach Todd Dodge is showered with Gatorade after winning a state championship in 2006.

The 2006 team at Southlake Carroll was the third consecutive national championship team for head coach Todd Dodge, who left after the season to become the head coach at the University of North Texas.

Dodge's final season came with his son, junior quarterback Riley Dodge, leading the way for Southlake Carroll and putting up one of the greatest seasons in Texas high school football history. In 2005, Riley Dodge threw for 4,184 yards and 54 touchdowns along with 1,119 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

How tough was Riley Dodge, who became Southlake's head coach in 2018? The famous "puke and throw" play he made against Austin Westlake will live on forever on the internet.

20. 1996 Hampton High School

Ronald Curry, center, led Hampton High to back-to-back national championships.

Location: Hampton, Virginia

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Mike Smith

Key players: QB Ronald Curry, OL Adam Lively

Bottom Line: 1996 Hampton High School

University of North Carolina quarterback Ronald Curry — Ronald Curry went from Hampton High to being a two-sport star at North Carolina.

This was the first of back-to-back national championship teams for Hampton High and head coach Mike Smith, one of the winningest high school football coaches in national history.

It was also one of two national titles for the Crabbers with Ronald Curry playing quarterback. Curry was one of the most highly recruited dual-sport athletes ever. He played football and basketball for North Carolina before playing in the NFL.

Hampton set the state record with 819 points in 1996 and won four playoff games by a combined score of 227-47.

19. 2007 Northwestern High School

Miami Northwestern High School defeated Southlake Carroll in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in 2007.

Location: Miami, Florida

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Billy Rolle

Key players: QB Jacory Harris, WR Aldarius Johnson, DL Marcus Forston

Bottom Line: 2007 Northwestern High School

Miami Northwestern quarterback Jacory Harris went on to start at the University of Miami.

Miami Northwestern started the season ranked No. 1 in the country and didn't shy away from going to play the very best, traveling to Texas to face No. 2 Southlake Carroll in front of almost 32,000 people in the third game of the season.

Northwestern came away from that game with a 29-21 win and all the steam it needed to run through the rest of the schedule.

Northwestern's defense finished the season with five shutouts, including a 41-0 win over Boone in the state championship game. They sent eight players on their roster to play for the University of Miami, including All-American quarterback Jacory Harris.

18. 1956 Abilene High School

Abilene High's Glynn Gregory was one of the top high school football and baseball players in the country.

Location: Abilene, Texas

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Charles Moser

Key players: RB Glynn Gregory, OL Stuart Peake, QB Harold "Hayseed" Stephens, OL Jim Rose, OL John Young, OL Rufus King, OL Boyd King, OL Mike Bryant, RB Jim Carpenter, TE/DB Jim Perry

Bottom Line: 1956 Abilene High School

Abilene High School head coach Chuck Moser — Legendary Abilene coach Chuck Moser led one of the greatest high school football teams of all time in 1956.

This was the third consecutive state championship team for Abilene High and was named the Dallas Morning News "Team of the Century" in 1999. They were part of Abilene's 49-game winning streak under legendary head coach Chuck Moser and outscored opponents 496-64.

What made Abilene so great? First, a population explosion that saw the city's occupants double in the span of just a few years. That, and an astounding array of future Division I talent led by two-time All-American running back Glynn Gregory, who was also one of the nation's top baseball prospects.

Gregory went on to play for SMU and two seasons for the Cowboys.

17. 1988 Vigor High School

Location: Prichard, Alabama

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Harold Clark

Key players: QB Kevin Simmons, WR Kevin Lee, DL Roosevelt Patterson, LB Mitch Davis, DE Adrian Jackson, DB Cleon Jones, DB Bradley Craig

Bottom Line: 1988 Vigor High School

VIgor High School players celebrate in 1988 — Vigor High School's 1988 team is the greatest in Alabama history.

Vigor High School's 1988 team brought back all 11 of its starters on defense from a team that went 13-1 and won the state championship the year before. Then, they outscored opponents 148-7 in the postseason and finished with eight shutouts in 13 games.

Vigor was the first national champion to come out of Alabama since Tuscaloosa High won in 1926 and 1929, and no team from the state has won a national title since.

Vigor had 20 players from the team play Division I football, and four played in the NFL or CFL. It also was the second of back-to-back state championships for Vigor.

16. 2010 St. Thomas Aquinas High School

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Record: 15-0

Head coach: George Smith

Key players: QB Jake Rudock, WR Phillip Dorsett, WR Rashad Greene, OL Bobby Hart, DE Bryan Cox Jr., DB Marcus Robertson

Bottom Line: 2010 St. Thomas Aquinas High School

St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Phillip Dorsett — Wide receiver Phillip Dorsett was one of many St. Thomas Aquinas players who played in the NFL.

St. Thomas Aquinas won its second national title in three years when it leapfrogged No. 1 Euless (Texas) Trinity in the final National Prep Football Poll.

It should come as no surprise that St. Thomas Aquinas has regularly topped the list of high schools with the most NFL players on active rosters, including an unbelievable 17 players (the next highest was six) at the start of the 2015 season.

The 2010 team featured seven future NFL players, including two first-round draft picks, star wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and sophomore defensive end Joey Bosa.

15. 1993 Saint Ignatius High School

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Chuck Kyle

Key players: RB Eric Haddad, OL Eric Gohlstin, QB Scott Mutryn, OL/DL Mike Buzin, LB Chris Gizzi

Bottom Line: 1993 Saint Ignatius High School

Green Bay Packers linebacker Chris Gizzi leads the team on the field in the first game at Lambeau Stadium following 9/11.

This was the third of five consecutive state championships for Saint Ignatius and head coach Chuck Kyle, who has won three national championships and a state record 11 state titles.

More than any game in the 1993 season, people still talk about Saint Ignatius' 35-34 triple-overtime win over Saint Edward that was played in front of 13,000 people. Two players on the team, tight end Dan O'Leary and linebacker Chris Gizzi, played in the NFL, and Gizzi is now the strength and conditioning coach for the Green Bay Packers.

Saint Ignatius played in the 1993 state championship game against Archbishop Moeller in snowy conditions — the last time the state title game was played during the day.

14. 1976 Warner Robins High School

Location: Warner Robins, Georgia

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Robert Davis

Key players: RB James Brooks, DL Ron Simmons, RB Jimmy Womack, DB Jesse Canion, WR Phil Williams, WR Byron Walker, DB Rusty Smith, DL Ernest Jordan, FS Eddie Anderson

Bottom Line: 1976 Warner Robins High School

Former Warner Robins head coach Robert Davis speaks to the team about his time winning state championships.

Few defenses on this list can match the one Warner Robins High rolled out in 1976 on the way to winning a national championship. They posted eight shutouts and only gave up 86 points for the entire season.

Warner Robins had its closest game of the year in a 35-28 win over Hardaway but outscored opponents 132-7 in three postseason games.

Five Warner Robins players went on to play in the NFL, and the most talented of those was running back James Brooks, who went on to have an All-American career at Auburn, be a first-round pick in the 1981 NFL draft and make four Pro Bowls.

13. 2008 St. Thomas Aquinas High School

St. Thomas Aquinas running back James White won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Record: 15-0

Head coach: George Smith

Key players: RB Giovani Bernard, RB James White, WR Duron Carter

Bottom Line: 2008 St. Thomas Aquinas High School

St. Thomas Aquinas running back Giovani Bernard — Giovani Bernard was one of two NFL running backs on the 2008 national title team at St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach George Smith was named National Coach of the Year after his team swept all four major national high school football polls at the end of the season.

St. Thomas Aquinas was ready for all comers and defeated Ohio powerhouse Cincinnati Elder High 35-24 in the season opener and capped the season with a 56-7 win over two-time national champion Lakeland in the state championship game.

The offense was led by a pair of future NFL stars, running backs Giovani Bernard and James White, who became a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots. White actually scored the game-winning touchdown for the Patriots in overtime of Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons.

12. 1971 Valdosta High School

Location: Valdosta, Georgia

Record: 13-0

Head coach: Wright Bazemore

Key players: QB Stan Bounds, WR Stanford Rome, OL/DL Steve Stanaland

Bottom Line: 1971 Valdosta High School

Valdosta High head coach Wright Bazemore — The stadium at Valdosta High is named for legendary coach Wright Bazemore.

The third national championship in 10 years for Valdosta High was arguably the greatest for legendary head coach Wright Bazemore, and it was also his final national title.

Bazemore's genius was easy to see on the field with an offensive attack that was decades ahead of its time as wide receiver Stanford Rome racked up 1,573 receiving yards catching passes from quarterback Stan Bounds. Rome played football and basketball at Clemson, then played three years in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Valdosta capped the season with a 62-12 win over Avondale in the state championship game and their 612 points stood as the state record for 23 years.

11. 2013 Booker T. Washington High School

Location: Miami, Florida

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Tim Harris

Key players: DL Chad Thomas, QB Treon Harris, DE Demetrius Jackson, DL Oswald Joseph

Bottom Line: 2013 Booker T. Washington High School

Booker T. Washington defensive end Demetrius Jackson was a big-time recruit.

Booker T. Washington rivals the 2016 Bishop Gorman national championship team as far as playing one of the toughest schedules in high school football history.

The Miami school defeated football powerhouses from around the country in Allen (Texas), St. John Bosco (California), Norcross (Georgia) and Bishop Gorman (Nevada) before rolling to the state championship in Florida.

Wins over state champions and nationally ranked teams from three different states is something few teams on this list can put on the resume. Five years later, three players from Booker T. Washington were taken in the 2018 NFL draft.

10. 2004 Southlake Carroll High School

Location: Southlake, Texas

Record: 16-0

Head coach: Todd Dodge

Key players: QB Chase Daniel, OL Mitch Enright, WR Clint Renfro, LB Adam Hansen

Bottom Line: 2004 Southlake Carroll High School

Southlake Carroll High School football players celebrate — Southlake Carroll players celebrate following the 2004 Class 5A-II state championship game.

One of the greatest high school football dynasties in Texas and the United States, Southlake Carroll's 2004 team was the first of three consecutive national championships for head coach Todd Dodge.

And while most high school football pundits will present the 2006 team as the greatest in school history, we'd like to present the 2004 team as deserving of that label. Why were they better? For us, it comes down to the quarterbacks and 20-20 hindsight.

We'll take future Missouri star and longtime NFL quarterback Chase Daniel in 2004, when he racked up 5,550 yards of total offense and 68 touchdowns on the way to being named EA Sports National Player of the Year.

9. 1976 Archbishop Moeller High School

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Gerry Faust

Key players: QB Tim Koegel, OL Jim Brown, LB Bob Crable

Bottom Line: 1976 Archbishop Moeller High School

Archbishop Moeller head coach Tim Koegel — Archbishop Moeller quarterback Tim Koegel went on to start for Notre Dame.

This was the first of four national titles in five years for Archbishop Moeller and head coach Gerry Faust, who made the leap directly from Moeller to becoming Notre Dame's head coach years later.

It was also the second of three consecutive state titles for Moeller, and Ohio Offensive Player of the Year Tim Koegel went on to play quarterback for Notre Dame and in the USFL for the Chicago Blitz.

Linebacker Bob Crable also went to play for Notre Dame, where he was a two-time All-American and played six years in the NFL for the New York Jets. Crable was Moeller's head coach from 2000 to 2007.

8. 2015 Katy High School

Location: Katy, Texas

Record: 16-0

Head coach: Gary Joseph

Key players: RB Kyle Porter, LB Jovanni Stewart, DB Collin Wilder

Bottom Line: 2015 Katy High School

Katy High School running back Kyle Porter — Katy High running back Kyle Porter runs for a touchdown in the 2015 state championship game.

Katy High's defense put itself in the conversation for the greatest of all time by giving up just 62 points over 16 games on the way to winning the only national title in school history.

Katy's defense pitched 10 shutouts that year against some of the most elite spread offenses in the nation in the state with some of the best high school football in the nation.

Outside linebacker Jovanni Stewart, 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, led Katy's defense with 101 tackles, 10 sacks, 10 pass breakups and eight forced fumbles. Stewart played three seasons for West Virginia and closed out his career as a graduate transfer for Houston in 2020.

7. 1985 East St. Louis High School

Location: East St. Louis, Illinois

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Bob Shannon

Key players: LB Bryan Cox, QB Kerwin Price, WR/DB Art Sargent

Bottom Line: 1985 East St. Louis High School

East St. Louis High linebacker Bryan Cox — Bryan Cox led East St. Louis High to the 1985 national title and was one of the most dominant NFL linebackers in the 1990s.

If you were to take all the players off teams on this list and conduct an NFL-style draft, East St. Louis High's Bryan Cox would most likely be the first defensive player chosen.

Led by Cox and legendary head coach Bob Shannon, East St. Louis won a third straight state championship in 1985, capping it off with a 46-0 win over Brother Rice in the title game, then sweeping both national championship polls.

Cox became one of the best linebackers in the NFL during the 1990s, making four All-Pro teams and winning a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2001.

6. 1997 Canton McKinley High School

Location: Canton, Ohio

Record: 14-0

Head coach: Thom McDaniels

Key players: RB Demarlo Rozier, RB/S Mike Doss, TE/DE Kenny Peterson, FB/LB Jamar Martin, DL Ben Daniels, OL/LB Steve Smith, OL/DL Antonio Hall, QB Ben McDaniels

Bottom Line: 1997 Canton McKinley High School

Canton McKinley defensive end Kenny Peterson — Kenny Peterson, left, was one of several Canton McKinley players who helped lead Ohio State to the 2002 national title.

Of the staggering 26 teams from Ohio that have won high school football national championships, the 1997 Canton McKinley High team and the 1976 Archbishop Moeller team are the two in the conversation as the greatest of all time.

Canton McKinley's team featured three players who played in the NFL — Mike Doss, Jamar Martin and Kenny Peterson — with all three going on to play for Ohio State.

Quarterback Ben McDaniels, who played for Kent State, made it to the NFL as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos.

5. 2006 Lakeland High School

Location: Lakeland, Florida

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Bill Castle

Key players: OL Maurkice Pouncey, OL Mike Pouncey, RB Chris Rainey, WR Paul Wilson, DT John Black, FS Ahmad Black, LB Steve Wilks

Bottom Line: 2006 Lakeland High School

Lakeland High offensive lineman Mike Pouncey and Maurkice Pouncey — Twin brothers and former Lakeland High stars Mike Pouncey, left, and Maurkice Pouncey.

This was the second of back-to-back national championships for Lakeland High and legendary coach Bill Castle and the third consecutive state championship team. They also went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the USA Today Top 25.

We feel safe saying that there is no offensive line on this list of teams that could have matched up with Lakeland's in 2006, which featured two future University of Florida and NFL stars in twin brothers Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey.

Lakeland's state championship game against St. Thomas Aquinas, a 45-42 double-overtime win, was one of the greatest games in Florida history and saw future Florida star and NFL running back Chris Rainey rush for 270 yards.

4. 2017 Mater Dei High School

Location: Santa Ana, California

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Bruce Rollinson

Key players: QB J.T. Daniels, LB Solomon Tuliaupupu, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, OL Chris Murray, OL Tommy Brown, LB Mase Funa, DL Nathan Logoleo, OL Kekani Gonzalez, WR Bru McCoy, WR Nikko Remigio

Bottom Line: 2017 Mater Dei High School

Mater Dei High wide receiver Amon Ra-St. Brown was dominant in high school.

The first of back-to-back national title teams for Mater Dei High School head coach Bruce Rollinson, this was also the last team to sweep all the national high school football polls.

Mater Dei obviously has the benefit of playing in an era where we're able to track stats and rankings on a national scale, so we know that Mater Dei defeated a stunning 10 teams ranked in the Top 100 nationally in 2017, including defending national champion Bishop Gorman and New Jersey state champion Bergen Catholic.

Junior quarterback J.T. Daniels was the team's star and was named National Player of the Year by Gatorade and MaxPreps before reclassifying to attend USC early, where he started for the Trojans as a true freshman in 2018 when he should have still been playing for Mater Dei.

3. 1940 Massillon Washington High School

Location: Massillon, Ohio

Record: 10-0

Head coach: Paul Brown

Key players: P/E Horace Gillom, HB Tommy James, OL Jim Russell, OL Bill Wallace

Bottom Line: 1940 Massillon Washington High School

Massillon High head coach Paul Brown and Horace Gillom — Massillon High head coach Paul Brown, left and star player Horace Gillom, No. 55.

Head coach Paul Brown led Massillon Washington to the second of back-to-back national championships. Brown left the next year to coach Ohio State, where he won the national championship in 1942 before becoming the head coach and co-founder of the Cleveland Browns and then the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 1940 Massillon Washington team famously beat Kent State 47-0 in the preseason and had all 11 of its starting players on both sides of the ball picked as all-state. Washington outscored opponents 477-6 for the season, only giving up the points in a 24-6 state championship game win over Canton McKinley.

2. 2001 De La Salle High School

Location: Concord, California

Record: 12-0

Head coach: Bob Ladouceur

Key players: RB Maurice Jones-Drew, QB Matt Gutierrez, WR Demetrius Williams, OL Derek Landri, WR Cameron Colvin

Bottom Line: 2001 De La Salle High School

De La Salle head coach Bob Ladouceur was portrayed by Jim Caviezel in a 2004 film.

Few games in the history of high school football have been able to match the hype surrounding the regular-season matchup between No. 2 De La Salle and No. 1 Long Beach Poly in 2001 — the first time the top two teams in the USA Today Top 25 ever met on the field.

There were 121 media credentials issued for the game, which was played in front of almost 18,000 fans in Long Beach and resulted in a 29-15 win for De La Salle.

It was the second of four consecutive national titles for De La Salle and head coach Bob Ladouceur, who led the program to 151 consecutive wins from 1994 to 2003. In all, six players from De La Salle's 2001 team played in the NFL, including three-time NFL All-Pro and 2011 NFL rushing champion Maurice Jones-Drew.

1. 2016 Bishop Gorman High School

Bishop Gorman's Tate Martell was named the 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Record: 15-0

Head coach: Kenny Sanchez

Key players: QB Tate Martell, DE Haskell Garrett, DB Bubba Bolden, RB Biagio Ali Walsh, WR Tyjon Lindsey

Bottom Line: 2016 Bishop Gorman High School

Bishop Gorman safety Bubba Bolden was one of the most coveted recruits in the country in 2016.

No team on this list can boast as impressive a resume of wins or say they played a tougher schedule than the 2016 Bishop Gorman High School national champions, which faced a virtual who's who of the best teams from all over the country.

Led by Gatorade National Player of the Year Tate Martell at quarterback, Gorman beat Texas state champion Cedar Hill, Florida Class 4A state champion Cocoa, Florida Class 7A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas and Hawaii state runner-up Kahuku.

On defense, Gorman was led by a pair of All-Americans in defensive back Bubba Bolden and defensive end Haskell Garrett.