High school football rankings: State and national title on the line as No. 1 Carrollton faces No. 5 Buford in MaxPreps Top 25 showdown

The biggest high school football game of the season takes place Tuesday in the Georgia Class AAAAAA state championship as No. 1 Carrollton faces No. 5 Buford at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The title clash will be streamed live at 8 p.m. on the NFHS Network and the winner will finish No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25. 

Carrollton sprung to the top spot after a 34-14 win over then-No. 1 Grayson (Loganville) in the quarterfinals and followed that with a dominant 48-21 win over North Gwinnett (Suwanee) to advance to its third state championship game over the last four years. 

Buford seeks its first state title since 2021 and 15th overall. The Wolves improved to 14-0 with a 39-7 win over Valdosta in the semifinals, the eighth time this season they held their opponent to seven points or less. In California, Carson Palmer led No. 4 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) to an 11-3 record and CIF Open Division state championship in his first year as head coach. The Eagles cruised to a 47-13 win over De La Salle (Concord) to win their first state title in 14 years. USC-bound wide receiver Trent Mosley closed out his career with 11 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score. 

No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) ended its season with an impressive 37-20 win over Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) to finish 9-1. The Panthers showed why they have one of the best defenses in the country, holding the high-powered Utah squad out of the end zone until the game was out of hand in the fourth quarter. That unit allowed just 9.6 points per game this season.

No. 6 Edna Karr (New Orleans) capped its second consecutive 14-0 season with a 49-14 win over St. Augustine (New Orleans) in Louisiana's Division I Select state championship. West Virginia-bound quarterback John Johnson accounted for five touchdowns while the defense forced five turnovers. 

No. 10 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) extended its Florida-best streak of consecutive state titles with its seventh in a row, beating Lakeland 29-0. Senior quarterback Mason Mallory racked up over 350 yards of total offense. 

Weekend results opened the door for No. 18 Creekside (Fairburn, Ga.), No. 19 Duncanville (Texas), No. 22 Basha (Chandler, Ariz.), No. 23 DeSoto (Texas) and No. 24 Raines (Jacksonville, Fla.) to join this week's national rankings. 

Record: 14-0 | Last week: 1

Last week: Idle

This week: Tuesday vs. No. 5 Buford

Record: 9-1 | Last week: 2

Last week: Beat Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 37-20

Season complete.

Record: 11-3 | Last week: 5

Last week: Beat De La Salle (Concord) 47-13

Season complete.

Record: 14-0 | Last week: 6

Last week: Idle

This week: Tuesday vs. No. 1 Carrollton

Record: 14-0 | Last week: 7

Last week: Beat St. Augustine (New Orleans) 49-14

Season complete.

Record: 9-0 | Last week: 6

Season complete.

Record: 11-2 | Last week: 9

Season complete. 

Record: 8-3 | Last week: 10

Season complete.

Record: 14-1 | Last week: 11

Last week: Beat Lakeland 29-0

Season complete.

Record: 15-0 | Last week: 12

Last week: Beat Clayton 24-14

Season complete.

Record: 12-1 | Last week: 13

Season complete.

Record: 11-0 | Last week: 14

Season complete.

Record: 13-0 | Last week: 16

Season complete.

Record: 12-0 | Last week: 17

Season complete.

Record: 10-1 | Last week: 18

Season complete. 

Record: 9-2 | Last week: 19

Season complete.

Record: 14-0 | Last week: NR

Last week: Idle

This week: Monday vs. Benedictine (Savannah)

Record: 12-1 | Last week: NR

Last week: Beat Allen 31-9

This week: Saturday vs. North Shore (Houston)

Record: 15-0 | Last week: 22

Season complete.

Record: 14-0 | Last week: 25

Season complete.

Record: 12-1 | Last week: NR

Season complete.

Record: 12-3 | Last week: NR

Last week: Beat Southlake Carroll (Southlake) 57-44

This week: Saturday vs. King (Houston)

Record: 14-1 | Last week: 3

Last week: Lost 57-41 to DeSoto

Season complete.