High school flag football rankings: Orange Lutheran, Legend and Grandview rise in this week's MaxPreps Top 25

Saint Joseph and Merced of California earn spot in the rankings after unbeaten starts.

By
Sep 7, 2026, 12:00pm
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), Central (Phenix City, Ala.) and Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) held steady in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school flag football rankings, occupying the top three spots for the second week in a row.

All three of those teams are headed to the inaugural Flag Football Showdown in Chula Vista, Calif., this week. In all, eight nationally-ranked teams will be in the field with No. 4 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), No. 14 Huntington Beach (Calif.), No. 20 Bonita Vista (Chula Vista, Calif.), No. 22 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and No. 25 Merced (Calif.) joining the aforementioned trio.

FLAG FOOTBALL SHOWDOWN: Bracket, schedule

Orange Lutheran climbs to No. 4 after going 3-0 last week. Senior quarterback Alyssa McClure has thrown for 1,718 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 203 yards. Defensively, the Lancers are led by Capriana Cuneo and Claire Dahman, who both reside in the nation's top 10 with 13 and 11 interceptions, respectively.
Orange Lutheran's Ava Harrison (1) and Claire Dahman (5) celebrate during a recent victory. The Lancers climbed to No. 4 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25. (PHOTO: Marc Gewertz)
Orange Lutheran's Ava Harrison (1) and Claire Dahman (5) celebrate during a recent victory. The Lancers climbed to No. 4 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25. (PHOTO: Marc Gewertz)
No. 7 Legend (Parker, Colo.) enters the rankings for the first time after a 5-0 start. Quarterback Addyson Law is averaging more than 230 passing yards per game with Ella Smith as her favorite target, accounting for 350 yards and seven touchdowns. Tori Curdie leads the Titans defensively with 14 sacks and 18 flag pulls.

Elsewhere in Colorado, Grandview (Aurora) scored a huge win over then-No. 6 Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch), snapping a 41-game win streak for the Golden Eagles that spanned two-plus seasons. Brooke Sullivan threw for 143 yards and three touchdowns while adding 146 rushing yards in the 33-26 win over the two-time defending state champs.

MaxPreps Top 25 newcomers from California include No. 17 Saint Joseph (Lakewood) and No. 25 Merced. 

Saint Joseph (9-0) is powered by quarterback Lexi Loya (1,160 passing yards, 21 TDs) and Jaclynn Brennan (six receiving TDs, three interceptions). 

Merced (9-0) is led by quarterback Antonia Lejarde, who has 1,919 passing yards and 33 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Receiver Averie Steverson has 749 yards in the air with 19 scores and six interceptions on defense.

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

MaxPreps Top 25

1. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 1

2. Central (Phenix City, Ala.)
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 2

3. Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Record: 10-1 | Last week: 3

4. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 10-1 | Last week: 8

5. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 4

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 9

7. Legend (Parker, Colo.)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: NR

8. North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 7

9. Western Christian (Upland, Calif.)
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 10

10. Mountain View (Loveland, Colo.)
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 15

11. Moody (Ala.)
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 13

12. Greenbrier (Evans, Ga.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 11

13. Wakefield (Raleigh, N.C.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 12

14. Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Record: 7-2 | Last week: 18

15. Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 14

16. Pope (Marietta, Ga.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 17

17. Saint Joseph (Lakewood, Calif.)
Record: 9-0 | Last week: NR

18. St. Charles North (St. Charles, Ill.)
Record: 7-0 | Last week: 19

19. Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.)
Record: 10-2 | Last week: 22

20. Bonita Vista (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Record: 5-2 | Last week: 24

21. Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Record: 8-3 | Last week: 23

22. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Record: 7-2 | Last week: 25

23. Grandview (Aurora, Colo.) 
Record: 5-1 | Last week: NR

24. Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
Record: 4-1 | Last week: 6

Record: 9-0 | Last week: NR

Related Content