MaxPreps ranks the Top 10 pieces of hardware handed out at football championship events around the country.
Everyone can identify the Heisman Trophy, the NBA Championship trophy, the Super Bowl trophy. But what do high school state champions take home?
For a lucky percentage of high school football teams, the best gift they could ever ask for already sits underneath their metaphorical tree, in the form of a piece of memorabilia that will live forever in the histories of their schools.
Now that the dust has settled on the high school football season, it can now begin to form on the actual, tangible reward for a state title-winning season: The championship trophy.
Much anticipated during the season but rarely discussed once it's achieved, the championship hardware appears on the field at state championship games around the country but is hardly ever seen afterward.
MaxPreps documents the actual, physical award that allows teams to call themselves "champions" and ranks the Top 10 trophies handed out around the country.
No. 10: New York Public School State Champion Trophy
NYSPHSAA trophy
Photo by Mike Janes
NYSPHSAA
Date of Finals: Nov. 25-27
Location Awarded: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Number of Awardees: 5
Description: This trophy, awarded to champion teams in New York that don't belong to the PSAL, CHSFL and several other individual sections, bears a bronze seal of the state's governing body that loosely hugs the outline of the Empire State.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 9: Massachusetts Super Bowl Champion Trophy
MIAA trophy
Photo by Mike Braca
MIAA
Date of Finals: Dec. 3
Location Awarded: Various
Number of Awardees: 21
Description: This trophy proudly displays the state outline, state governing body insignia and the year of the state final. Six teams received this award at Gilette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 8: South Carolina State Champion Trophy
SCHSL trophy
Photo by Jamie Dahl
SCHSL
Date of Finals: Various
Location Awarded: Various
Number of Awardees: 7
Description: The clear "S" and "C" on the base of this trophy make it distinctly South Carolinian. It boasts a silver cup and figurine, setting it apart from the ubiquitous gold color that many trophies display.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 7: Ohio Football State Champion Trophy
OHSAA trophy
Photo by Scott Seighman
OHSAA
Date of Finals: Dec. 2-3
Location Awarded: Fawcett Stadium, Canton, Ohio
Number of Awardees: 6
Description: One of the taller trophies in the country, the OHSAA trophy combines elements of three popular award types: wood, plaque and figurine. {PAGEBREAK}
No. 6: California Southern Section Champion Trophy
Southern Section trophy
Photo by Heston Quan
CIF
Date of Finals: Dec. 9-10
Location Awarded: Various
Number of Awardees: 15
Description: The Southern Section trophy stands out for its distinct shadowing of its geographical territory, demonstrating how truly massive California's largest section really is.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 5: California Bowl Game Champion Trophy
CIF trophy
Photo by David Hood
CIF
Date of Finals: Dec. 16-17
Location Awarded: Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif.
Number of Awardees: 5
Description: In its sixth year, the tradition of CIF Bowl Games has been a major change in California's postseason play. This trophy, a wood representation of the entire outline of the Golden State, is the most identifiable in the country.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 4: Arizona State Champion Trophy
AIA trophy
Photo by Randy Jackson
AIA
Date of Finals: Nov. 12, Nov. 26
Location Awarded: Various
Number of Awardees: 6
Description: This trophy features the wood outline of the state of Arizona as well as the classic football representation on a rectangular base, giving it a unique shape.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 3: Georgia State Champion Trophy
GHSA trophy
Photo by Cecil Copeland
GHSA
Date of Finals: Dec. 9-10
Location Awarded: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Number of Awardees: 5 (6 in 2012)
Description: Georgia's trophy resembles cup awards that are more common to tennis, golf, and of course, hockey. The cup itself is engraved, as is the stand. It has the greatest sheen of state championship trophies. {PAGEBREAK}
No. 2: WCAC Champion Trophy
WCAC trophy
Photo by Michael Starghill
Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (Includes teams from three states)
Date of Finals: Nov. 19
Location Awarded: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Annapolis, Md.
Number of Awardees: 1
Description: Impressive for its crisp design and tall, regal appearance, the WCAC trophy seems appropriate for the location at which its awarded: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, home of the Midshipmen.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 1: Pennsylvania State Champion Trophy
PIAA trophy
Photo by Dave Conard
PIAA
Date of Finals: Dec. 16-17
Location Awarded: Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pa.
Number of Awardees: 4
Description: Pennsylvania's award plays off the location of the state finals games: Hersheypark Stadium. In addition to the football/plaque combination trophy, Pennsylvania state champions also receive the most appetizing trophy of all: a giant Hershey bar.
