In an unprecedented high school football season, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) led the pack from start to finish. The Ascenders navigated COVID-19 restrictions and travel, while finishing 8-0 against a national schedule.
Led by Michigan-bound five-star quarterback
J.J. McCarthy, IMG Academy won each game by at least 27
points while notching victories against No. 16 Duncanville, No. 38
Northwestern (Miami), Edgewater (Orlando), Ravenwood (Brentwood, Tenn.)
and TRU Prep Academy (Miami Gardens, Fla.).
The Ascenders were a consensus No. 1 among the four ranking services this season.
A quarter of state-title winners rounds out the MaxPreps Composite Top 25 (IMG plays an independent schedule and is ineligible for a Florida state championship).
No. 2 Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) rallied from nine points down in the final 30 seconds for a 29-28 7A championship win over Auburn, capping a 14-0 season. No. 3 St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) went 6-0 in a shortened season to capture the Hawks' third straight 6A title.
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) and Westlake (Austin, Texas) tied for fourth in the composite rankings. The Rams won the Georgia AAAAAAA crown behind California transfer
Jake Garcia, while the Chaparrals won the
toughest postseason tournament in the country, the Texas 6A Division 1 bracket.
Only schools recognized by two or more media outlets are eligible for
inclusion in the composite rankings. Teams were assigned a score of 40
for each media outlet that did not recognize them as part of their Top
25, rewarding teams that received consensus acclaim.
Note: CalPreps ranks all teams across the nation, we took the Top 25
teams that played during the fall and ranked them in the order listed.
MaxPreps Composite Top 25 high school football rankings

IMG Academy is the No. 1 team in the Composite Top 25 high school football rankings.
Photo by Mike Janes
1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Average Rank: 1
MaxPreps Top 25: 1
USA Today: 1
High School Football America: 1
CalPreps: 1
2. Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)
Average Rank: 4.3
MaxPreps Top 25: 6
USA Today: 7
High School Football America: 2
CalPreps: 2
3. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)Average Rank: 4.5
MaxPreps Top 25: 4
USA Today: 5
High School Football America: 6
CalPreps: 3
4. (tie) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)Average Rank: 5.3
MaxPreps Top 25: 2
USA Today: 4
High School Football America: 4
CalPreps: 11
4. (tie) Westlake (Austin)Average Rank: 5.3
MaxPreps Top 25: 3
USA Today: 9
High School Football America: 3
CalPreps: 6
6. North Shore (Houston)Average Rank: 7.8
MaxPreps Top 25: 7
USA Today: 3
High School Football America: 7
CalPreps: 14
7. Chandler (Ariz.)Average Rank: 9
MaxPreps Top 25: 5
USA Today: 6
High School Football America: 16
CalPreps: 9
8. Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)Average Rank: 9.5
MaxPreps Top 25: 9
USA Today: 10
High School Football America: 15
CalPreps: 4
9. Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.)Average Rank: 10.5
MaxPreps Top 25: 12
USA Today: 11
High School Football America: 14
CalPreps: 5
10. (tie) Duncanville (Texas)Average Rank: 12
MaxPreps Top 25: 16
USA Today: 2
High School Football America: 13
CalPreps: 17
10. (tie) Katy (Texas)Average Rank: 12
MaxPreps Top 25: 17
USA Today: 13
High School Football America: 11
CalPreps: 7
10. (tie) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)Average Rank: 12
MaxPreps Top 25: 14
USA Today: 8
High School Football America: 8
CalPreps: 18
13. (tie) Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.)Average Rank: 16.3
MaxPreps Top 25: 13
USA Today: 17
High School Football America: 10
CalPreps: 25
13. (tie) Ryan (Denton, Texas)Average Rank: 16.3
MaxPreps Top 25: 8
USA Today: NR
High School Football America: 9
CalPreps: 8
15. Trinity (Louisville)Average Rank: 16.8
MaxPreps Top 25: 10
USA Today: 15
High School Football America: 19
CalPreps: 23
16. Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio)Average Rank: 17.0
MaxPreps Top 25: 11
USA Today: NR
High School Football America: 5
CalPreps: 12
17. Cathedral (Indianapolis)Average Rank: 18.3
MaxPreps Top 25: 19
USA Today: 22
High School Football America: 17
CalPreps: 15
18. Southlake Carroll (Texas)Average Rank: 20.8
MaxPreps Top 25: 15
USA Today: NR
High School Football America: 12
CalPreps: 16
19. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)Average Rank: 23.3
MaxPreps Top 25: 21
USA Today: 12
High School Football America: 20
CalPreps: NR
20. Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)Average Rank: 25.5
MaxPreps Top 25: 23
USA Today: 16
High School Football America: 23
CalPreps: NR
21. (tie) Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)Average Rank: 25.8
MaxPreps Top 25: 22
USA Today: 23
High School Football America: 18
CalPreps: NR
21. (tie) St. Xavier (Cincinnati)Average Rank: 25.8
MaxPreps Top 25: 20
USA Today: NR
High School Football America: 21
CalPreps: 22
23. Carthage (Texas)Average Rank: 27.8
MaxPreps Top 25: NR
USA Today: 18
High School Football America: NR
CalPreps: 13
24. Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pa.)Average Rank: 28.5
MaxPreps Top 25: NR
USA Today: 24
High School Football America: NR
CalPreps: 10
25. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.)Average Rank: 30.3
MaxPreps Top 25: NR
USA Today: 20
High School Football America: NR
CalPreps: 21
Ranked in two polls
Ranked in one poll