Most Texas high school football playoff appearances in history, by division

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With four weeks remaining in the UIL football regular season, the jockeying for coveted playoff berths is in full swing.

Playoff qualification is simply routine for some fortunate schools.

Highland Park (Dallas) is the all-time state leader with 57 postseason qualifications in 91 seasons of 11-man football, dating back to 1924. The Scots, with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' grandson John Stephen Jones at quarterback, are well on their way to making it 58 this fall with a 3-0 start in District 15-5A.

Three playoff appearances behind Highland Park is Amarillo with 54. The Golden Sandstorm from the state's panhandle have played three more seasons than Highland Park, starting in 1921.

By comparison, two of the most successful schools in the largest classification in the last two decades, Katy and Carroll (Southlake), have each made 33 playoff appearances. Katy's 11-man history dates to 1948 and Carroll to 1963.

Football was officially added as a UIL-sanctioned sport in 1920. Over the years, the UIL has become more liberal with the number of teams from each district that make the playoffs. For the first six decades, only the district champion advanced to the playoffs.

Here are the top five schools for 11-man playoff appearances in their current classification (statistical information courtesy of Joe Lee Smith's Texas High School Football History.com) along with 2016 district record.

Class 6A
1. Plano, 49, 0-3 in District 6-6A
2. Longview, 41, 3-0 in District 11-6A
3t. Lamar (Houston), 39, 2-0 in District 18-6A
3t. Harlingen, 39, 3-0 in District 32-6A
5. Judson (Converse), 38, 2-1 in District 27-6A

Class 5A 1. Highland Park (Dallas), 57, 3-0 in District 15-5A
2. Amarillo, 54, 2-1 in District 3-5A
3t. Gregory-Portland (Portland), 42, 1-3 in District 30-5A
3t. Temple, 42, 3-0 in District 18-5A
3t. Wichita Falls, 42, 0-3 in District 5-5A

Class 4A
1. Hondo, 49, 0-0 in District 13-4A DII
2. Jasper, 45, 1-0 in District 8-4A DII
3t. Brownwood, 42, 0-1 in District 3-4A DI
3t. Yates (Houston), 42, 3-0 in District 11-4A DI
5t. Carter (Dallas), 37, 0-1 in District 6-4A DI
5t. Port Isabel, 37, 0-1 in District 16-4A DII
5t. Sinton, 37, 1-0 in District 15-4A DII

Class 3A
1. Breckenridge, 44, 1-0 in District 4-3A DI
2. Cameron Yoe (Cameron), 42, 3-0 in District 10-3A DI
3t. Littlefield, 41, 1-0 in District 1-3A DI
3t. Newton, 41, 1-0 in District 10-3A DII
5. Rogers, 40, 0-1 in District 13-3A DII

Class 2A
1. Refugio, 47, 1-0 in District 15-2A DI
2. Mart, 46, 1-0 in District 8-2A DI
3. Groveton, 43, 1-0 in District 12-2A DI
4. Albany, 42, 1-0 in District 6-2A DII
5. Wink, 40, 1-0 in District 5-2A DII