High school flag football rankings: Nos. 1 and 2 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25, JSerra Catholic faces Orange Lutheran on Tuesday

Los Gatos and Mater Dei of California, Chaparral of Colorado join this week's rankings.

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Sep 21, 2026, 11:00am
A showdown between No. 1 JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and No. 2 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) on Tuesday is sure to have major ramifications for the MaxPreps Top 25 high school flag football rankings as the season progresses.

JSerra Catholic has owned the top spot in the fall rankings since last season when the Lions went 28-0 and defeated Orange Lutheran for the Southern Section Division I championship. The Lions are riding a 45-game win streak as sophomore quarterback Kate Meier leads the nation in passing with 4,445 yards and has accounted for 69 total touchdowns.

Over the past three seasons, Orange Lutheran has gone 62-6. JSerra has been responsible for five of those defeats, including three last year and one earlier this season. The Lancers' last win over their Trinity League rival was Sept. 26, 2024.

Junior Ava Harrison leads Orange Lutheran with 13 sacks, 1,185 receiving yards and 20 touchdown catches. The Lions and Lancers will meet again to wrap up regular season play Oct. 13.

Arizona, Georgia teams enter the chat

No. 5 Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), No. 8 North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.), No. 15 Greenbrier (Evans, Ga.) and No. 18 Pope (Marietta, Ga.) have all remained in the MaxPreps Top 25 since the start of the season despite not playing a game until last week. All four teams are defending state champions that finished inside last year's top 10 during the fall.

Hamilton is 2-0 after victories over Gilbert and Canyon View (Waddell). The two wins put the program's win streak to 40 in a row dating back to the start of the 2024 season. Junior Christiana Rust already has eight sacks to lead the defense.
Hamilton sophomore Harmony Cosby is congratulated after scoring touchdowns during the Huskies' 2-0 start to 2026. No. 5 Hamilton enters the week with 40 straight wins. (PHOTO: Jack Beasley)
Hamilton sophomore Harmony Cosby is congratulated after scoring touchdowns during the Huskies' 2-0 start to 2026. No. 5 Hamilton enters the week with 40 straight wins. (PHOTO: Jack Beasley)
Greenbrier, the three-time defending Division 2 state champion in Georgia, opened with a 13-7 win over Milton, which was a state runner-up a year ago. Junior Addisen Odom passed for 3,713 yards and 58 touchdowns in 2025.

North Oconee, which went 22-3 last year on its way to its first state title, opens its season Monday with games against Jackson (Atlanta) and South Forsyth (Cumming). Reigning three-time state champ Pope (Marietta) opens up Saturday across state lines with a pair of games against Enterprise (Ala.) and No. 13 Central (Phenix City, Ala.).

St. Charles North rapidly rising

St. Charles North (St. Charles, Ill.) jumped to No. 6 after a 4-0 week and a 15-0 overall start to 2026. The North Stars exacted revenge on Oswego East (Oswego), the team that eliminated them from the postseason last year, with a 33-0 win Sept. 10.

Kaelie Tomalak has thrown for 2,749 yards and 50 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Alexzandria Richardson leads the team with 1,047 rushing yards, 13 scores, 106 flag pulls and 15 sacks while Adeline Shook has team-highs of 1,231 receiving yards, 27 TDs and 11 interceptions.

Elsewhere in Illinois, Evanston has a chance to make a MaxPreps Top 25 push this week with games against No. 17 Glenbrook South (Glenview) on Wednesday and No. 7 Willowbrook (Villa Park) on Saturday.

Los Gatos, Chaparral and Mater Dei enter Top 25

No. 11 Los Gatos (Calif.) made one of the biggest leaps after big wins over previous No. 9 Merced, California (San Ramon) and Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton). The Wildcats (6-0) are led by Helena Younan (1,281 passing yards, 17 touchdowns), Sophie Riese (531 receiving yards, 10 TDs, six interceptions) and Paige Purcell (306 receiving yards, 37 flag pulls).

No. 22 Chaparral (Parker, Colo.) is new to the rankings this week after an 8-0 start. Junior twin sisters Zoey and Paige Fink lead the offense with Paige collecting 13 of Zoey's 36 touchdown passes. The Wolverines' week includes MaxPreps Top 25 matchups with No. 21 Legend (Parker) on Monday and No. 20 Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) on Saturday.

No. 23 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) continues to rise, owning victories over No. 24 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) and then-ranked Saint Joseph (Lakewood). After an 0-2 start, the Monarchs have gone 10-2 with those losses coming against No. 1 JSerra Catholic and No. 2 Orange Lutheran. Rematches with both are ahead in the next two weeks.

Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.

MaxPreps Top 25

1. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Record: 17-0 | Last week: 1

2. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 2

3. Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Record: 15-3 | Last week: 3

4. Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Record: 13-3 | Last week: 7

5. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 5

6. St. Charles North (St. Charles, Ill.)
Record: 15-0 | Last week: 18

7. Willowbrook (Villa Park)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 4

8. North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 8

9. Moody (Ala.)
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 10

10. Mountain View (Loveland, Colo.)
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 6

11. Los Gatos (Calif.)
Record: 6-0 | Last week: NR

12. Merced (Calif.)
Record: 13-2 | Last week: 9

13. Central (Phenix City, Ala.)
Record: 6-2 | Last week: 11

Record: 5-0 | Last week: 13

15. Greenbrier (Evans, Ga.)
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 14

16. Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.)
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 15

17. Glenbrook South (Glenview, Ill.)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 23

18. Pope (Marietta, Ga.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 16

19. Grandview (Aurora, Colo.)
Record: 9-1 | Last week: 19

20. Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 20

21. Legend (Parker, Colo.)
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 21

22. Chaparral (Parker, Colo.)
Record: 8-0 | Last week: NR

Record: 10-4 | Last Week: NR

24. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Record: 12-4 | Last week: 25 

Record: 14-2 | Last week: 22

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