Top 20 most dominant Pennsylvania high school football teams in the MaxPreps era

By Staff Report Jul 25, 2014, 12:01pm

After compiling data since 2004, we have come up with the 20 best high school football programs in Pennsylvania.

St. Joseph's Prep (left) and Central Catholic are in the Top 5 when it comes to the most dominant Pennsylvania football teams during the MaxPreps era.
St. Joseph's Prep (left) and Central Catholic are in the Top 5 when it comes to the most dominant Pennsylvania football teams during the MaxPreps era.
Photo by Ken Reabe, Jr.
It has been 10 years now that MaxPreps has put out football computer rankings, presented by the Army National Guard.

That's plenty of time to come up with a solid list of which programs have been the most dominant during the MaxPreps era.

For the purpose of the rankings, each team will be awarded points based off where it finished in the computer rankings after each season. For example, if a team finished No. 1 overall it receives 25 points. If the team finished No. 25 overall, it would get one point. A team also receives 30 points for winning a state title and 15 for being the runner-up.

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View Pennsylvania rankings for the past 10 years

Most dominant Pennsylvania football programs in the MaxPreps era

1. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) - 218 points
Overall record: 114-16
The Vikings have compiled two state championships and six Top 10 finishes, making them the state's most dominant team.

2. Clairton - 207
Overall record: 125-14
Clairton has compiled four Class A state titles and one runner-up finish.

3. La Salle College (Wyndmoor) - 188
Overall record: 97-37
The Explorers have finished in the Top 10 six times, capturing one state championship in the process.

4. Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson Hills) - 187
Overall record: 120-15
The Jaguars have piled up three state titles as well as five Top 25 finishes.

5. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) - 177
Overall record: 91-32
The Hawks have racked up nine Top 25 finishes and one state championship.



6. Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg) - 175
Overall record: 117-25
Bishop McDevitt has recorded eight Top 25 finishes as well as three runner-up finishes.

7. Archbishop Wood (Warminster) - 172
Overall record: 109-25
The Vikings lay claim to two Class AAA state titles and five Top 25 finishes.

8. North Allegheny (Wexford) - 169
Overall record: 96-28
The Tigers have won two state championships, finishing with the No. 1 rank in both years.

9. Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa) - 140
Overall record: 120-19
The Tigers own three state championships and one runner-up finish since 2004.

10. Liberty (Bethlehem) - 128
Overall record: 91-35
Liberty finished the 2008 season with the No. 1 ranking after capturing a Class AAAA state title.

11. North Penn (Lansdale) - 127
Overall record: 110-26
North Penn has notched eight Top 25 finishes since 2004.



12. Upper St. Clair - 126
Overall record: 95-24
An undefeated season in 2006 gave the Panthers a No. 1 ranking and state championship.

13. Parkland (Allentown) - 95
Overall record: 89-35
Parkland has finished in the Top 10 three times and the Top 25 a total of five times.

13. Woodland Hills (Pittsburgh) - 95
Overall record: 77-40
The Wolverines have totaled six Top 25 finishes, reaching the No. 3 rank in 2009.

15. McKeesport - 93
Overall record: 85-28
The Tigers finished the 2005 season with the No. 1 ranking and a Class AAAA state title.

16. Gateway (Monroeville) - 90
Overall record: 91-28
Gateway has cracked the Top 25 five times since 2004.

17. Lancaster Catholic - 89
Overall record: 112-21
The Crusaders have finished in the Top 25 twice, winning state titles in both seasons.



18. Neshaminy (Langhorne) - 85
Overall record: 103-27
Neshaminy has recorded six Top 25 finishes since 2004.

19. South Fayette (McDonald) - 84
Overall record: 89-26
A perfect season in 2013 ended with a state title and the No. 4 ranking for the Lions.

20. Easton - 83
Overall record: 104-30
Easton has finished in the Top 25 six times over the past 10 years.