The Great Lakes
states are defined - in large - by silos, steeples and Friday night
stadium lights. With kickoff approaching, here's our updated take on
our annual and weekly list of the top high school football programs in
the region. Also listed below are the MaxPreps computer
rankings for every Great Lakes state.
Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin started regular season play last week. Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York
kick off this week. Minnesota follows Sept. 3.
National acclaim and big-time talent. North Coast football is a force.
Previous @EFrantzMP Great Lakes Region Rankings Champions (final rankings in link)
2020:
St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.)2021:
Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.)2022:
St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)2023:
Massillon (Ohio)2024:
East St. Louis (Ill.)2025:
Brownsburg (Ind.)2026: TBD
@EFrantzMP's High School Football Great Lakes Regional Rankings: 9/14/26 Poll
Last week’s ranking in parenthesis
1 (1). Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 3-0 – beat then-No. 23 Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pa.) 48-24
2 (2). Brownsburg (Ind.), 4-0 – beat Avon (Ind.) 49-7
3 (3). Massillon (Ohio), 4-0 – beat Canisius (Buffalo, N.Y.) 42-0
4 (4). Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio), 4-0 – beat LaSalle (Cincinnati, Ohio) 35-0
5 (5). Catholic Central (Novi, Mich.), 3-0 – beat Holy Name (Ontario, Canada) 56-14
6 (6). East St. Louis (Ill.), 3-1 – beat O’Fallon (Ill.) 64-6
7 (8). Mount Carmel (Chicago, Ill.), 3-1 – beat Marist (Chicago, Ill.) 55-26
8 (11). Bishop Watterson (Columbus, Ohio), 4-0 – beat Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) 35-13
9 (9). St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 4-0 – beat Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) 17-14
10 (7). St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), 1-1 – lost 33-3 to Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)
11 (10). Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.), 3-0 – Southeastern (Detroit, Mich.) 46-0
12 (13). Westfield (Ind.), 4-0 – beat Noblesville (Ind.) 39-7
13 (12). Princeton (Cincinnati, Ohio), 4-0 – beat Sycamore (Cincinnati, Ohio) 56-7
14 (16). Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.), 4-0 – beat then-No. 21 Brother Rice (Chicago, Ill.) 27-24
15 (17). Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 4-0 – beat St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 31-24
16 (14). Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio), 4-0 – beat Hamilton (Ohio) 42-7
17 (15). Big Walnut (Sunbury, Ohio), 4-0 – beat Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) 46-0
18 (18). Saline (Mich.), 3-0 – beat Pioneer (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 48-13
19 (19). Moorhead (Minn.), 2-0 – beat Woodbury (Minn.) 42-26
21 (20). Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort, Ill.), 4-0 – beat Bradley-Bourbonnais (Ill.) 50-7
21 (22). Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.), 4-0 – beat Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 47-7
22 (NR). Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.), 1-2 – beat DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 14-7
23 (NR). Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2-1 – beat then-No. 24 ranked Malvern Prep (Pa.) 27-21
24 (25). Arrowhead (Wisc.), 4-0 – beat Brookfield East (Wisc.) 45-21
25 (NR) Anderson (Cincinnati, Ohio), 3-1 – beat Lebanon (Ohio) 52-13
Dropped Out:
21. Brother Rice (Chicago, Ill.), 2-2 – lost 27-24 to then-No. 16 Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Il.)
23. Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pa.), 2-1 – lost 48-24 to then-No. 1 Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
24. Malvern Prep (Pa.), 1-1 – lost 27-21 to Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Keep an Eye On:
* Iona Prep (New Rochelle, NY), 2-0
* James Monroe (Rochester, NY), 2-0
* King (Detroit, Mich.), 3-0
* Muskego (Wisc.), 4-0
* Notre Dame Academy (Green Bay, Wisc.), 4-0
MaxPreps Computer RankingsBelow are the Top 25 teams in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings in each of the Great Lakes states.
Illinois State Rankings
Indiana State Rankings
Michigan State Rankings
Minnesota State Rankings
New York State Rankings
Ohio State Rankings
Pennsylvania State Rankings
Wisconsin State Rankings