MaxPreps Cup: St. Thomas Aquinas closes the gap on Carmel in updated standings

In the battle to be crowned the nation's top high school sports program, Florida powerhouse surges behind nationally-ranked baseball and boys lacrosse teams.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Kevin Askeland
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May 21, 2026, 11:00am
Carmel (Ind.) held a nearly a 300-point lead in the MaxPreps Cup standings following the winter sports season but that margin has now shrunk to just 37 points with the addition of spring sports national rankings to the algorithm.

Points for appearances in national rankings for baseball, softball, golf, lacrosse and soccer have been added to the point totals aggregated after the winter sports season. With 2,035 points after the winter season, Carmel did not appear in any of those national rankings but St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is ranked No. 5 in boys lacrosse and No. 18 in baseball. That allowed the Florida school to climb from No. 3 to No. 2 with 1,998 points.

The final MaxPreps Cup standings will be released in July with spring state championships and runner-up finishes added to the mix along with updated final national rankings.
St. Thomas Aquinas celebrates after winning Florida's Class 6A state championship last week. The Raiders are ranked No. 18 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25, helping their school close the gap on Carmel in the MaxPreps Cup standings. (PHOTO: Randy Starkey)
St. Thomas Aquinas celebrates after winning Florida's Class 6A state championship last week. The Raiders are ranked No. 18 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25, helping their school close the gap on Carmel in the MaxPreps Cup standings. (PHOTO: Randy Starkey)
Defending MaxPreps Cup champion Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) made the biggest jump in the latest update. The Bruins are ranked No. 10 in boys lacrosse and moved from No. 40 in the winter standings to No. 21.

The MaxPreps Cup is a competition aimed at determining the top overall high school sports program in the nation. Standings are based on state championships, state runner-up finishes and placement in national rankings.

The top 25 teams in the MaxPreps Cup standings for May are listed below with updated point total and their winter standing in parenthesis.

MaxPreps Cup standings

1. (No. 1 last update) Carmel (Ind.), 2,035
2. (3) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 1,998
3. (2) Greenwich (Conn.), 1,764
4. (4) Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 1,617
5. (6) Marvin Ridge (Waxhaw, N.C.), 1,544
6. (5) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 1,501
7. (7) Pioneer (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 1,411
8. (9) Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), 1,403
9. (8) St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.), 1,399
10. (10) Edina (Minn.), 1,300
11. (11) Carl Albert (Midwest City, Okla.), 1,298
12. (16) Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), 1,287
13. (13) Hoover (Ala.), 1,272
14. (19) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 1,252
15. (26) Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.), 1,206
16. (12) Champlain Valley Union (Hinesburg, Vt.), 1,198
17. (28) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 1,198
18. (20) Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 1,185
19. (14) Pinkerton (Derry, N.H.), 1,154
20. (15) La Salle Academy (Providence, R.I.), 1,151
21. (40) Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.), 1,142
22. (32) Hoggard (Wilmington, N.C.), 1,137
23. (17) Haddonfield (N.J.), 1,133
24. (38) Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio), 1,122
25. (18) Lake Norman Charter (Huntersville, N.C.), 1,110

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