High school football rankings: Middletown headlines Delaware Preseason MaxPreps Top 25

The 2021 high school football season in Delaware kicks off next week and MaxPreps has your look at the state's top teams. Coming off a 7-1 campaign last fall, Middletown owns the No. 1 spot in our preseason rankings.

The Cavaliers outscored their opponents 230-100 en route to the DIAA Division I state championship game last season. They come into the year as the favorite to capture their first state championship since 2012 behind the state's top two prospects in 6-foot-5, 195-pound quarterback Braden Davis, a four-star South Carolina pledge and three-star Kentucky commit Tomiwa Durojaiye, a 6-4, 255-pound defensive lineman.

Smyrna debuts at No. 2 in the state, ending 2020 with a 6-1 record after a devastating state semifinal loss to eventual state champion Sussex Central 38-34. The Eagles feature the fourth-ranked player in the state in 6-2, 260-pound defensive lineman Elijah Statham.

Defending state champions include preseason No. 3 Sussex Central (D-I) and preseason No. 4 Howard (D-II).

See the complete list below.

1. Middletown, 7-1 record in 2020

2. Smyrna, 6-1

3. Sussex Central (Georgetown), 7-2

4. Howard (Wilmington), 7-0

5. Archmere Academy (Claymont), 8-1

6. Cape Henlopen (Lewes), 4-3

7. Woodbridge (Bridgeville), 5-1

8. Caesar Rodney (Camden), 5-2

9. Salesianum (Wilmington), 3-4

10. St. Georges Tech (Middletown), 5-3

11. Dover, 2-4

12. Red Lion Christian Academy (Bear), 5-2

13. William Penn (New Castle), 2-3

14. Milford, 2-3

15. Appoquinimink (West Middletown), 3-4

16. Delmar, 3-1

17. Hodgson Vo-Tech (Newark), 5-2

18. St. Mark's (Wilmington), 6-1

19. Concord (Wilmington), 3-4

20. Laurel, 4-2

21. Delaware Military Academy (Wilmington), 4-2

22. Sussex Tech (Georgetown), 1-4

23. Newark, 5-1

24. St. Andrew's (Middletown), 0-0

25. Lake Forest (Felton), 2-4