High school football rankings: Christian Brothers finishes No. 1 in final Missouri MaxPreps Top 25

The high school football season in Missouri came to a close late last week. Christian Brothers College was among the victors, beating Liberty North 48-21 in the Class 6 state title game at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. That four-touchdown win helped propel the Cadets to the No. 1 ranking in the final MaxPreps Missouri Top 25.

Christian Brothers was led all year by quarterback Patrick Heitert, who completed 197 of 313 passes for 2,974 yards and 22 touchdowns to six interceptions. The senior also ran for 461 yards and 12 scores on 123 carries. Heitert had a hand in 34 touchdowns on the year — including two in the state title contest.

The Cadets scored 663 points on the year, an average of 47.4 points per contest, while putting 45 points on the scoreboard in seven contests. Christian Brothers scored 40 points or more in all of their games but the 28-21 semifinal win over Lee's Summit North. Defensively, Scott Pingel's club held seven foes to 14 points or less and an average of 16.7 points in 2021.

MaxPreps Missouri Football Player of the Year Keith Coleman helped lead St. Mary's to the Class 3 state championship and the No. 2 spot in the final Top 25. Smithville was the only unbeaten 11-Man state football champion in the Show Me State after claiming gold in Class 4 and finishes third.

Class 6 semifinalist Lee's Summit North takes over the No. 4 spot while No. 5 Webb City joins the Cadets as the only Missouri football programs to win three state titles in the past five years after winning it all in Class 5.



Read on for a complete look at the final MaxPreps Missouri Top 25.

2021 MSHSAA State Champions
Class 6 — Christian Brothers (St. Louis)
Class 5 — Webb City
Class 4 — Smithville
Class 3 — St. Mary's (St. Louis)
Class 2 — Lutheran (St. Peters)
Class 1 — East Buchanan (Gower)