Which team currently in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings holds a state record for most state championships, yet has never won a playoff championship game?
The answer is an easy one –
Washington (Massillon, Ohio). The Tigers simply dominated high school football in the Buckeye state for over 70 years but they have not won a championship game since Ohio began holding state playoffs in 1972.
That could change this year, however. The Tigers are 7-0 on the season and ranked No. 16 nationally by MaxPreps. Washington is also ranked No. 2 in the Ohio Division 2 state rankings behind
Archbishop Hoban (Akron).
Since Ohio instituted state playoffs in 1972, Massillon Washington has reached the championship game six times but lost in each appearance, including this 2020 Division 2 title contest against Archbishop Hoban. (Photo: Jeff Harwell)
The Tigers finished ranked No. 1 in the state 24 times in their history, including 1972 when they lost in the first state playoffs to
Princeton (Cincinnati). The first state championship came in 1908 when they were crowned by "popular acclaim" after finishing 9-0-1.
Ohio crowned state champions via popular acclaim until 1947 when the Associated Press began ranking teams in the state. The AP recognized state champions until the playoffs began in 1972.
Washington won seven straight state championships between 1935 and 1941 with future NFL Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown guiding the first six teams in that string. The Tigers added seven more in a row from 1948 to 1954.
Washington, however, does not hold the record for most state championships without actually winning a state playoff championship. That honor goes to Phoenix Union of Arizona, which won 25. The Coyotes will never have the opportunity to win a state title either, as the school closed in 1982.
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Out in California,
Fall River (McArthur) recently lost to
Redding Christian (Palo Cedro), ending a 34-game win streak dating back to the 2019 season (the Bulldogs did not play in 2020). The Northern Section record of 36 in a row by
Willows from 1949 to 1953 may seem rather insignificant compared to the state record of 151 in a row by
De La Salle (Concord), but the Honkers' record is not without some significance.
When Willows ran its streak to 36 in a row in 1953, it set the state record, breaking the previous record by 10 games. According to the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book by Nelson Tennis and Mark Tennis, Willows held the record for nine years when
Willow Glen (San Jose) broke the mark and finished with 42 in a row.
It should be noted that Polytechnic (San Francisco) tied Willows' record at 36 in a row in 1954. Poly had held the record of 26 prior to Willows breaking the record.
The state record eventually grew to 47 in a row by
Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) in 1977 before the Spartans annihilated the record in the 1990s-2000s.
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In Kansas,
Andale defeated
Nickerson 85-7 last week to extend the nation's longest win streak to 56 games. The blowout win might not have necessarily been noteworthy except for who was doing the scoring. Andale's
Marlo Sullivan and Nickerson's
Ayla Ontjes each converted an extra point, marking just the second time in state history that two females have scored for opposing teams.
The first time, according to information on the
LuckyShow.org website, occurred in 2005 when Anne Schafer of
Topeka kicked a field goal and Abby Vestal of
Lawrence kicked three extra points in a 57-3 Lawrence win.
According to LuckyShow.org, there have been approximately 75 games in which two females have scored, either for the same team or opposing teams. The first duo to score in a game is believed to be Jacqueline Gainer and Susan Price of
Valley Stream Central (Valley Stream, N.Y.) in a 32-0 win over
Hicksville (N.Y.) in November 1991.
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Towns McGough of
Auburn (Ala.) is ranked as one of the top kickers in the nation this year and last week in a win over defending Class 5A state champion
Ramsay (Birmingham), McGough booted a national-leading 60-yard field goal in a 13-7 win.
According to the account on AL.com, McGough's kick was good from 59 yards, however the length of the kick is listed as 60 yards according to the statistics submitted by the head coach.
The 60-yard boot is just one yard short of the state record of 61, set by Sage Ledbetter of
Auburn in 2015 and tied by Alex McPherson of
Fort Payne in 2021.
McGough, who was selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game, has three field goals of 50 or more yards this year, making him just the third kicker in Alabama history to have more than two 50-plus field goals in their career. McPherson leads with five while Kevin Gentle of
Guntersville had four.
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Dick Butkus, former Chicago Bear Hall of Fame linebacker, passed away on Thursday at the age of 80. While known as a ferocious linebacker at the pro level, Butkus was a multi-position player during his high school career at
Chicago Vocational.
A defensive tackle as a sophomore, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Butkus, known as Rich in high school, played fullback and linebacker as a junior and senior while earning All-American honors from Teen Magazine, Wigwam Wiseman and Scholastic Magazine.
However Butkus was also Vocational's punter and placekicker. As a junior, Vocational beat Taft 3-0 on Butkus' 26-yard field goal.
