High school football: Ranking every 16-0 team in history

The best record attained by any high school football team is 16-0. In nearly 150 years of the sport, only 177 teams have ever accomplished the feat. Naturally, we decided to rank every single one of them.

Of course not every school has the chance to go 16-0. Unless you live in California, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee or Texas, your state doesn't allow for that many games to be played in a season due to the number of regular season games combined with the size of the playoff brackets.

Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) is the king of 16-0 records. Under various coaches, the Dragons have posted a 16-0 record eight times. No other school has more than four. The Dragons also rank as the second and third best teams to ever post a 16-0 mark.

MaxPreps rated all 177 16-0 teams using the objective MaxPreps ratings for every team that played after the 2003 season and used enrollment level, total points scored and quality of opponents to try and rate teams prior to 2003 as best we could. That aspect of the rankings is subjective.


1. 1925 Pine Bluff (Ark.), Rating N/A
Under coach Foy Hammons, the Zebras were deemed national champions in 1925 by the National Sports News Service. Pine Bluff outscored opponents 684 to 21. Pine Bluff played opponents from Georgia, Ohio,Tennessee and Texas. According to the Pine Bluff yearbook, the Zebras had 8,118 yards of offense and gave up 1,779 for an average of 507 yards per game to 111. The team had the leading scorer in the nation in Billy Hicks, who had 284 points.

2. 2006 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 90.7
Under the guidance of head coach Todd Dodge and his son Riley, the Dragons posted their third straight undefeated season. Riley led the team at quarterback, throwing for 4,237 yards. The Dragons defeated Westlake for the championship. The Dragons were ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps. Riley Dodge is now the head coach at Southlake Carroll.

3. 2005 Southlake Carroll, 88.6
Coach Todd Dodge had a his second straight 16-0 season in 2005, beating Katy for the championship. Greg McElroy led Class 6A in passing yardage with 4,682 yards. Five different ranking services picked Southlake Carroll No. 1 in the nation.

4. 2013 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 87.0
Under coach Jason Negro, St. John Bosco earned a national championship nod from three different ranking services. Josh Rosen, a junior, threw for 3,200 yards to lead the Braves.

5. 2013 Allen (Texas), 85.9
Led by junior quarterback Kyler Murray, Allen defeated Pearland 63-28 for the Class 6A state championship. Murray threw for 3,669 yards.



6. 1989 Permian (Odessa, Texas), N/A
Gary Gaines captured the national championship just two years after Buzz Bissinger chronicled the 1987 season as part of his book "Friday Night Lights."

7. 2004 Southlake Carroll, 85.8
Todd Dodge posted his first of three straight 16-0 seasons. Chase Daniel quarterbacked the team and led Class 6A with 4,617 yards passing.

8. 1987 Plano (Texas), N/A
Quarterback Steve Needham rushed for 1,548 yards and passed for 1,299 yards in leading Plano to the mythical national championship.

9. 1991 Permian, N/A
Gaines was no longer the coach, but the tradition remained the same for the Panthers under coach Tam Hollingshead. Permian finished No. 2 in the national rankings.

10. 2006 Cedar Hill (Texas), 83.1
The Longhorns finished No. 2 in the national rankings behind Southlake Carroll after winning a state championship with a 51-17 win over Cypress Falls.

Best of the rest of the 16-0 teams

11. 2015 Katy (Texas), 82.4
12. 2014 Folsom (Calif.), 80.2
13. 2021 Westlake (Austin, Texas), 79.9
14. 2002 Independence (Charlotte, N.C.), N/A
15. 1998 Richmond (Rockingham, N.C.), N/A
16. 1994 Tyler (Texas), N/A
17. 1985 Yates (Houston, Texas), N/A
18. 2007 Katy (Texas), 79.6
19. 2014 Allen, 78.8 1
20. 2004 Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 78.3

21. 2000 Katy, N/A
22. 2002 Southlake Carroll, N/A
23. 1995 Roosevelt (San Antonio), N/A
24. 1996 Westlake (Austin, Texas), N/A
25. 1994 Stephenville (Texas), N/A
26. 2011 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 78
27. 2018 North Shore (Houston, Texas), 78
28. 2012 North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.), 76.7
29. 2006 Upper St. Clair (Upper St. Clair, Pa.), 76.1
30. 2001 Independence (Charlotte, N.C.), N/A

31. 2011 Southlake Carroll, 75.8
32. 1999 Stephenville, 17, N/A
33. 2010 Pearland (Texas), 75.6
34. 2008 Lake Travis, 75.6
35. 1993 Stephenville, N/A
36. 1992 Waxahachie (Texas), N/A
37. 2009 Lake Travis, 74.9
38. 2003 La Marque (Texas), 74.5
39. 2016 DeSoto (Texas), 74.4
40. 2015 Mission Viejo (Calif.), 74.2

41. 2017 Folsom, 73.9
42. 2007 Central Catholic (Pittsburgh), 73.9
43. 2013 Aledo (Texas), 73.2
44. 2017 Allen, 73
45. 2012 Katy, 72.4
46. 2003 Independence, 72
47. 1984 Denison (Texas), N/A
48. 1983 Daingerfield (Texas), N/A
49. 2001 Ennis (Texas), N/A
50. 2017 Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pa.), 70.8

51. 2004 Kilgore (Texas), 70.5
52. 1992 Southlake Carroll, N/A
53. 1995 Sealy (Texas), N/A
54. 1995 La Marque, N/A
55. 2001 Celina (Texas), N/A
56. 1993 Southlake Carroll, N/A
57. 2015 George Ranch (Richmond, Texas), 70.4
58. 2005 Hebron (Carrollton, Texas), 70.4
59. 2019 Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.), 70.2
60. 2012 Navasota (Texas), 70

61. 2007 Celina, 69.3
62. 2010 Aledo, 69.2
63. 2018 Longview (Texas), 68.4
64. 2013 Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.), 68
65. 2005 Celina, 67.3
66. 2013 Argyle (Texas), 67.1
67. 2018 Aledo, 67
68. 1985 Daingerfield, N/A
69. 1987 Cuero (Texas), N/A
70. 1988 Southlake Carroll, N/A



71. 1990 Vernon (Texas), N/A
72. 1994 Sealy, N/A
73. 2019 Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas), 66.7
74. 2010 Allentown Central Catholic (Allentown, Pa.), 66.1
75. 2009 Selinsgrove (Pa.), 66.1
76. 2007 Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson Hills, Pa.), 66
77. 2010 Butler (Matthews, N.C.), 65
78. 2007 Jeannette (Pa.), 65
79. 2020 Argyle, 64.8
80. 2000 Celina, N/A

81. 1999 Commerce (Texas), N/A
82. 1997 Sealy, NA
83. 1984 Medina Valley (Castroville, Texas), N/A
84. 1998 Carver (Winston-Salem, N.C.), N/A
85. 2015 Cedar Park (Texas), 64.8
86. 2016 Aledo, 64.4
87. 2021 China Spring (Texas), 64.3
88. 2018 Highland Park (Dallas), 64.3
89. 2021 Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 63.8
90. 2016 West Orange-Stark (Orange, Texas), 62.9

91. 2014 Gilmer (Texas), 62.9
92. 2015 Central Catholic (Modesto, Calif.), 62.4
93. 2019 Carthage (Texas), 62.2
94. 1999 Celina, N/A
95. 1991 Schulenburg (Texas), N/A
96. 1986 Shiner (Texas), N/A
97. 1989 Groveton (Texas), N/A
98. 2009 Carthage, 62.2
99. 2013 South Fayette (McDonald, Pa.), 61.9
100. 2006 Wilson Area (Easton, Pa.), 61.8

101. 2006 Independence, 61.4
102. 2017 Carthage, 61.4
103. 1997 Stanton (Texas), N/A
104. 1996 Iraan (Texas), N/A
105. 1990 Groveton, NA
106. 2005 South Park (Pa.), 60.8
107. 2019 Weddington (Matthews, N.C.), 59.7
108. 2014 New Bern (N.C.), 58.5
109. 2019 Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa, Pa.), 58.3
110. 2014 Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.), 58.2

111. 2003 Garrison (Texas), 58.2
112. 2019 Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson Hills, Pa.), 57.9
113. 2021 Chardon (Ohio), 57.8
114. 2011 Clairton (Pa.), 57.8
115. 2015 Canadian (Texas), 57.8
116. 2021 Stephenville, 57.7
117. 2014 Navasota, 57.7
118. 2017 Pleasant Grove (Texarkana, Texas), 57.5
119. 2012 Clairton, 57.3
120. 1994 Thorndale (Texas), N/A

121. 1984 Munday (Texas), N/A
122. 1998 Tenaha (Texas), N/A
123. 2000 Stratford (Texas), N/A
124. 2016 Wake Forest (N.C.), 57.2
125. 2015 La Vega (Waco, Texas), 56.6
126. 2012 Wyomissing (Pa.), 56.4
127. 2006 Southern Columbia Area, 56.3
128. 2007 Western Alamance (Elon, N.C.), 56.2
129. 2011 Lancaster Catholic (Lancaster, Pa.), 56.2
130. 2017 Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.), 56



131. 2005 J.H. Rose (Greenville, N.C.), 55.9
132. 2014 South Fayette, 55.9
133. 2015 Brock (Texas), 55.5
134. 2005 Charlotte Catholic, 55.3
135. 2017 Southern Columbia Area, 55.2
136. 2013 Cisco (Texas), 55.1
137. 2010 Clairton, 54.4
138. 2006 J.H. Rose, 54.3
139. 2010 Hillside (Durham, N.C.), 54
140. 2021 Franklin (Texas), 54

141. 2008 Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.), 53.8
142. 2018 Penn Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 53.1
143. 2015 Crest (Shelby, N.C.), 53
144. 2003 Southwest Onslow (Jacksonville, N.C.), 52.8
145. 2010 West Rowan (Mt. Ulla, N.C.), 52.6
146. 2011 Havelock (N.C.), 52.5
147. 2008 Steelton-Highspire (Steelton, Pa.), 52.4
148. 2013 North Catholic (Cranberry Township, Pa.), 52
149. 2009 West Rowan, 50.7
150. 2018 Southern Columbia Area, 50.6

151. 2007 Reidsville (N.C.), 49.7
152. 2014 Crest, 49.6
153. 2013 Havelock, 49.4
154. 2006 Shelby (N.C.), 48.4
155. 2016 Shelby, 48.3
156. 2015 Monroe (N.C.), 48.1
157. 2021 Marion Local (Maria Stein, Ohio), 47.4
158. 2017 Hibriten (Lenoir, N.C.), 47
159. 2007 Kenan (N.C.), 47
160. 2015 Bishop Guilfoyle (Altoona, Pa.), 46.8

161. 2008 Reidsville, 46.6
162. 2014 Bishop Guilfoyle, 46.3
163. 2005 Thomasville (N.C.), 45.7
164. 2015 Southern Columbia Area, 45.4
165. 2010 Tarboro (N.C.), 45.1
166. 2016 Reidsville, 42.5
167. 2008 Thomasville, 41.7
168. 2006 Thomasville, 41.4
169. 2008 Mount Airy (N.C.), 40.3
170. 2014 East Lincoln (Denver, N.C.), 40

171. 2004 Charlotte Catholic, 39.9
172. 2009 Albemarle (N.C.), 39.8
173. 2003 Elkin (N.C.), 38.7
174. 2003 Albemarle, 37.8
175. 2018 Reidsville, 37.3
176. 2011 West Stokes (King, N.C.), 36.6
177. 2007 Plymouth (N.C.), 35.7
178. 2010 Wallace-Rose Hill (Teachey, N.C.), 35.4
179. 2012 East Lincoln, 34.6