America's top 10 toughest high school football leagues for 2016

Video: We break down the Top 10 leagues

It's a common refrain among coaches when talking about league play: "We play in one of the toughest leagues in the state."

But only one league can make the claim as the toughest league in the nation. Based on the MaxPreps computer football rankings, that league is the Trinity League in the Southern Section of California.

With five teams ranked among the top 160 in the nation, including No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 4 St. John Bosco (Bellflower), the teams in the Trinity League have an average rating of 65.8. That ranking would be good enough to be ranked No. 29 in the nation this week - and that's every team in the Trinity League.



The Trinity League is 7.5 rating points higher than the next league on the list, the Greater Catholic South league in Ohio, which has a rating of 58.3 and has all four teams ranked among the top 173 in the nation.

Meanwhile the New Jersey Super United Red comes in at No. 3 with a ranking of 56.5. Two of the teams in the conference are ranked among the top 41 teams in the country.

The top 10 leagues are listed below in order of average team ranking. Each team in the league is also listed, along with its overall record, its computer rating and where it ranks in the computer ratings.


1. Trinity League (California) - 65.8

Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
Record:  5-0
Rating: 90.9
Ranking: No. 3

St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
Record:  4-1
Rating: 89.5
Ranking: 4

Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita)
Record:  4-1
Rating: 54.6
Ranking: 160



JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano)
Record:  4-1
Rating: 56.8
Ranking: 117

Servite (Anaheim)
Record:  3-2
Rating: 45.7
Ranking: 447

Orange Lutheran (Orange)
Record:  3-2
Rating: 57.7
Ranking: 101

2. Greater Catholic South (Ohio) - 58.3

La Salle (Cincinnati)
Record:  4-2
Rating: 57.8
Ranking: 99

St. Xavier (Cincinnati)
Record:  4-2
Rating: 67.2
Ranking: 24

Elder (Cincinnati)
Record:  4-2
Rating: 53.5
Ranking: 173



Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)
Record:  3-3
Rating: 54.9
Ranking: 153

3. North Jersey Super - United Red (New Jersey) - 56.5

St. Joseph Regional (Montvale)
Record: 3-1
Rating: 66.9
Ranking: 26

Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey)
Record: 2-3
Rating: 51.7
Ranking: 218

Paramus Catholic (Paramus)
Record:  4-1
Rating: 56.1
Ranking: 133

Bergen Catholic (Oradell)
Record: 4-1
Rating: 63.2
Ranking: 41

St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City)
Record: 3-1
Rating: 44.7
Ranking: 482



4. Washington Catholic (Washington D.C. area) - 50.9

DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
Record: 6-0
Rating: 81.1
Ranking: 5

Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)
Record:  5-1
Rating: 56.4
Ranking: 126

Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.)
Record: 3-3
Rating: 46.9
Ranking: 402

St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 4-2
Rating: 76.1
Ranking: 8

Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.)
Record:  0-5
Rating: 11.1
Ranking: 5276

Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.)
Record:  3-2
Rating: 57.7
Ranking: 103



St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.)
Record: 0-6
Rating: 21.6
Ranking: 3108

5. AAAAAA Region 1 (Georgia) - 50.7

Valdosta
Record: 5-1
Rating: 59.5
Ranking: 77

Northside (Warner Robins)
Record: 6-0
Rating: 56.6
Ranking: 120

Lee County (Leesburg)
Record: 5-0
Rating: 48.2
Ranking: 346

Houston County (Warner Robins)
Record: 6-0
Rating: 46.7
Ranking: 410

Coffee (Douglas)
Record: 4-2
Rating: 42.5
Ranking: 597



6. 6A Premier (Arizona) - 47.6

Brophy College Prep (Phoenix)
Record: 7-0
Rating: 62.0
Ranking: 53

Chandler
Record: 5-2
Rating: 51.7
Ranking: 219

Hamilton (Chandler)
Record: 5-2
Rating: 52.5
Ranking: 199

Basha (Chandler)
Record: 2-5
Rating: 22.3
Ranking: 2994

Perry (Gilbert)
Record: 6-0 
Rating: 50.1
Ranking: 261

7. MIAA A (Maryland) - 47.5

St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
Record: 5-1
Rating: 53.7
Ranking: 169



Archbishop Spalding (Severn)
Record: 4-1
Rating: 56.1
Ranking: 131

Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore)
Record: 4-1
Rating: 48.5
Ranking: 330

Loyola Blakefield (Towson)
Record: 4-1
Rating: 43.4
Ranking: 557

McDonogh (Owings Mills)
Record: 4-1
Rating: 61.5
Ranking: 57

Calvert Hall (Baltimore)
Record: 4-2
Rating: 38.4
Ranking: 911

Gilman (Baltimore)
Record: 1-4
Rating: 32.4
Ranking: 1488



8. AAAAA Region III (South Carolina) - 47.2

Spartanburg
Record: 5-2
Rating: 52.6
Ranking: 196

Dorman (Roebuck)
Record: 4-2
Rating: 47.2
Ranking: 392

Byrnes (Duncan)
Record: 1-5
Rating: 35.4
Ranking: 1184

Boiling Springs (Spartanburg)
Record: 5-1
Rating: 51.0
Ranking: 239

Gaffney
Record: 5-1
Rating: 49.3
Ranking: 290

8. Metropolitan (Indiana) - 47.2

Warren Central (Indianapolis)
Record: 6-1
Rating: 70.8
Ranking: 15



Center Grove (Greenwood)
Record: 6-1
Rating: 62.5
Ranking: 48

Carmel
Record: 4-3
Rating: 48.2
Ranking: 344

Lawrence Central (Indianapolis)
Record: 5-2
Rating: 51.6
Ranking: 225

Ben Davis (Indianapolis)
Record: 4-3
Rating: 54.0
Ranking: 165

Lawrence North (Indianapolis)
Record: 3-4
Rating: 43.4
Ranking: 561

North Central (Indianapolis)
Record: 0-7
Rating: 26.1
Ranking: 2335



Pike (Indianapolis)
Record: 0-7
Rating: 21.7
Ranking: 3098

10. 6A District 16 (Florida) - 44.9

Carol City (Miami)
Record: 3-2
Rating: 62.0
Ranking: 52

Central (Miami)
Record: 5-1
Rating: 57.9
Ranking: 97

Norland (Miami)
Record: 3-3
Rating: 40.3
Ranking: 767

Hialeah-Miami Lakes (Hialeah)
Record: 1-4
Rating: 1.4
Ranking: 7527

Northwestern (Miami)
Record: 4-1
Rating: 61.3
Ranking: 60



10. Chicago Catholic Blue (Illinois) - 44.9

Loyola Academy (Wilmette)
Record: 6-0 
Rating: 61.9
Ranking: 54

Brother Rice (Chicago)
Record: 6-0
Rating: 58.3
Ranking: 94

St. Rita (Chicago)
Record: 3-3
Rating: 36.4
Ranking: 1072

Providence Catholic (New Lenox)
Record: 2-3
Rating: 35.0
Ranking: 1226

Chicago Mt. Carmel
Record: 3-3
Rating: 31.4
Ranking: 1606