Our updated look at the top HS football teams in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The Great Lakes states
are defined -
in large - by silos, steeples and Friday night stadium lights. With
kickoff upon us, here's our latest take on our annual and
weekly list of
the top high school football programs in the region. Also listed below are
the current MaxPreps computer
rankings for every Great Lakes state.
National acclaim and big-time talent. North Coast football is a force.
@EFrantzMP's High School Football Great Lakes Regional Rankings
10/13/2025 PollLast week’s ranking in parenthesis
1 (1). Brownsburg (Ind.), 8-0 – beat Noblesville (ind.) 42-7
2 (2). Mount Carmel (Chicago, Ill.), 8-0 – beat Joliet Catholic (Ill.) 35-7
3 (3). East St. Louis (Ill.), 4-2 – beat Belleville East (Ill.) 55-7
4 (4). LaSalle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.), 6-1 – beat MBAPC (Drexel Hill, Pa.) 42-0
5 (5). Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio), 8-0 – beat Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.) 40-16
6 (6). Anderson (Cincinnati, Ohio), 8-0 – beat Walnut Hills (Cincinnati, Ohio) 53-16
7 (7). Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.), 7-0 – beat East English Village Prep (Detroit., Mich.) 67-0
8 (12). Carmel (Ind.), 7-1 – beat Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 42-7
9 (10). St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), 3-4 – beat Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 40-39
10 (9). Detroit Catholic Central (Novi, Mich.), 7-0 – beat St. John’s Jesuit (Toledo, Ohio) 41-8
11 (13). Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 7-1 –beat Norwin (North Huntingdon, Pa.) 35-6
12 (8). Avon (Ohio), 7-1 – beat Steele (Amherst, Pa.) 34-0
13 (14). St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 7-1 – beat Clarkson North (Canada) 42-23
14 (15). Olentangy Orange (Lewis Center, Ohio), 8-0 – beat Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio) 28-14
15 (11). Hoban (Akron, Ohio), 6-1 – beat Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) 12-9
16 (16). Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), 6-2 – beat St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 42-10
17 (18). Iona Prep (New Rochelle, N.Y.), 6-0 – beat Chaminade (Mineola, NY) 33-9
18 (21). Center Grove (Greenwood, IN), 7-1 – beat Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 38-35
19 (17). Harrisburg (Pa.), 8-0 – beat Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) 21-16
20 (19). Bishop Watterson (Columbus, Ohio), 7-0 – beat Bishop Hartley (Columbus, Ohio) 57-7
21 (23). New Palestine (Ind.), 8-0 – beat New Castle (Ind.) 70-0
22 (20). Peters Township (McMurray, Pa.), 7-0 – beat South Fayette (McDonald, Pa.) 31-7
23 (25). Malvern Prep (Pa.), 5-1 – beat Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.) 42-13
24 (22). Lincoln Way-East (Frankfort, Ill.), 7-0 – beat Homewood-Flossmoor (Ill.) 42-14
25 (24). Maple Grove (Minn.), 7-0 – beat Wayzata (Plymouth, Mich.) 42-21
Dropped Out:
None
Keep an Eye On:
* Arrowhead (Hartland, Wis,), 7-1
* Avonworth (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 8-0
* Brother Rice (Chicago, Ill.), 6-1
* Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse, N.Y.), 6-0
* Franklin (Wis.), 8-0
* Highland (Medina, Ohio), 7-0
* Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.), 6-2
* Muskego (Wis.), 7-1
* Nazareth Academy (LaGrange, Ill.), 7-1
* St. Thomas Academy (Mendota Heights, Minn.), 7-0
* Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.), 4-3
* Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 6-1
* Westfield (Ind.), 6-2
MaxPreps Computer Rankings
Below are the Top 25 teams in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings in each of the Great Lakes states.
Illinois State Rankings
Pennsylvania State Rankings
