The rankings say one thing. The scoreboard says another. For 10 high school football teams, victories over opponents that remain well ahead of them in the MaxPreps state rankings stand out among the biggest surprises identified this season.
Lamar, currently ranked No. 405 in Texas, piled up 529 yards of total offense against a Crowley team, ranked No. 135, that still holds a substantial advantage in the current state rankings.
Vidor had plenty to celebrate back on Sept. 11 when it upset Navasota. The run-heavy Pirates are 4-3 on the season and ranked No. 451 in the state of Texas. (FILE PHOTO: Julie Isbell)
The upsets were measured by subtracting the losing team’s current MaxPreps state ranking number from the winner’s. The greater the difference, the bigger the upset. This week’s rankings were used for all games because historical weekly rankings were unavailable for the review.
The approach adds an interesting wrinkle: Even after accounting for the head-to-head result, the rankings still place the losing team ahead of the winner. Subsequent games also affect those positions, making this a comparison against current rankings rather than pregame expectations.
Upsets happen often enough to keep favorites on their toes.
Few victories, however, feature a performance like the one
Collin Brooks delivered in a 61-56 win for
Maypearl over
Fairfield in Texas. Brooks rushed for 250 yards and six touchdowns and passed for 226 yards and three scores. His two-yard touchdown run with fewer than 40 seconds remaining provided the winner.
Top 10 biggest upsets of 2026
1. Lamar (Arlington, Texas) def. Crowley (Texas), 35-31Date: Sept. 3
Winning team rank: 405
Losing team rank: 135
Ranking difference: 270
Highlights: Tayrone Thomas rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard run.
Brian Williams passed for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
T2. Highlands (North Highlands, Calif.) def. Woodland Christian (Woodland, Calif.), 40-34Date: Oct. 9
Winning team rank: 717
Losing team rank: 483
Ranking difference: 234
Highlights: Frank Cady threw for 160 yards and four touchdowns, adding 58 rushing yards.
Roshad Burleson caught two touchdown passes.
T2. Maypearl (Texas) def. Fairfield (Texas), 61-56Date: Aug. 28
Winning team rank: 507
Losing team rank: 273
Ranking difference: 234
Highlights: Collin Brooks accounted for nine touchdowns with six coming on the ground as part of a 250-yard performance and three passing with 226 yards. His two-yard touchdown run with under 40 seconds remaining won the game.
4. Vidor (Texas) def. Navasota (Texas), 34-31Date: Sept. 11
Winning team rank: 453
Losing team rank: 248
Ranking difference: 205
Highlights: Rylan Chesser threw touchdown passes to
Jett Brucia and
Kolt Holden. Brucia also rushed for a touchdown.
Bryce Collins contributed a rushing touchdown and an interception while Blake Safer intercepted a pass in the end zone.
5. King/Drew (Los Angeles) def. Cathedral (Los Angeles), 13-12Date: Sept. 11
Winning team rank: 285
Losing team rank: 82
Ranking difference: 203
Highlights: Alejandro Carranza kicked the winning field goal with 10 seconds remaining.
6. Woodside (Calif.) def. Wilcox (Santa Clara, Calif.), 28-26Date: Sept. 25
Winning team rank: 382
Losing team rank: 211
Ranking difference: 171
Highlights: Charlie Dalrymple passed for 164 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 attempts.
J.J. Lange rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown.
7. St. Anthony (Long Beach, Calif.) def. La Salle (Pasadena, Calif.), 17-14Date: Oct. 9
Winning team rank: 631
Losing team rank: 464
Ranking difference: 167
Highlights: Aidan Jones threw the winning touchdown pass to Marcos Mendoza on fourth-and-13 with 75 seconds left. Travis Davis intercepted two passes, with his second sealing the victory.
8. Pierce (Arbuckle, Calif.) def. Middletown (Calif.), 10-7Date: Aug. 28
Winning team rank: 492
Losing team rank: 350
Ranking difference: 142
Highlights: Demian Vega kicked the winning 18-yard field goal after Pierce called timeout with 10 seconds left.
Austin Jorge tore off an 18-yard run on third-and-eight that helped set up the kick.
9. Waco (Texas) def. Granbury (Texas), 28-24Date: Sept. 4
Winning team rank: 974
Losing team rank: 876
Ranking difference: 98
Highlights: Eric Taylor Jr. rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Jordan Alverez passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
10. Locust Valley (N.Y.) def. Manhasset (N.Y.), 7-6Date: Sept. 25
Winning team rank: 303
Losing team rank: 209
Ranking difference: 94
Highlights: Marcus Houghtaling caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Nolan McDonald. Joe Lagalante and Christian Alfaro stopped Manhasset’s two-point rushing attempt with no time remaining to preserve the win.
