A strong start to the 2025 high school football season has longtime national wins leader
Valdosta (Ga.) back on top with a two-game lead over
Washington (Massillon, Ohio) after the first month of the season.
Valdosta held a two-win lead over Massillon Washington at the conclusion of the 2024 season, 961-959. However, research by Georgia high school football historian Loren Maxwell resulted in two forfeit wins deducted from the program's all-time record.
Those deductions dropped Valdosta back into a tie with Washington at 959 with
Male (Louisville, Ky.) two games behind at 957 and
Mayfield (Ky.) four games behind at 955.
Valdosta has exploded out of the gate this season, averaging 58 points per game game in beating
Tucker 63-19,
Mundy's Mill (Jonesboro) 60-14 and
Dougherty (Albany) 52-3. The three wins push the Wildcats up to 962 wins all-time.
Washington got started one week later than Valdosta and lost its season opener in overtime last week to
Glenville (Cleveland) 33-27. The Tigers rebounded Friday to beat
GlenOak (Canton) 44-10 and raise its win total to 960.
Male has opened with two wins to close within a game of Washington at 959. The Bulldogs routed
Butler (Louisville) 48-0 and edged
Ballard (Louisville) 17-14 last week.
Mayfield is keeping pace with a pair of wins of its own to move up to 957. The Cardinals easily defeated
Graves County (Mayfield) 40-7 and
Christian County (Hopkinsville) 55-0.
Looking ahead to this week, Mayfield has the toughest game as it faces
Paducah Tilghman (Paducah), which is riding a 17-game win streak after starting 2-0 and going 15-0 last season.
Male meets 2-0 rival
St. Xavier (Louisville) this week. The Bulldogs topped the Tigers 35-34 in overtime last year.
Washington hosts a Georgia team this week when it takes on
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Rabun Gap), which is in the midst of a rugged early-season scheduling stretch with losses to
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) and
Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.).
Valdosta hosts out-of-state foe
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) this week. The two teams played a close game last year with the Wildcats winning 35-28.
