And so it comes to this.
With a mass of upsets involving the top-ranked teams in Texas last weekend, AllSportsPeople High School Football Top 25 suddenly features two undefeated teams from Georgia in the top two spots. And here's the best part:
They play each other Tuesday night for Georgia's GHSA Class 6A state championship.
The winner will also be in the driver's seat for the title of AllSportsPeople High School Football National Champion, an announcement that will be made on Friday, December 19, when all the relevant results from around the country have been considered. But make no mistake about it – this game has the feel of a national championship game.
We'll take a deep breath when it's all over, and our team will huddle to review the relevant results. And then a decision will be made. But this just might be the biggest game in Georgia high school football history when it's all said and done.
Understanding the SN Top 25 through transparency
Like any set of rankings, things may not always make sense at first glance, and there are as many approaches to ranking teams as there are selectors. Some rankings are simply a reflection of what has happened to date, and many of these are algorithm-based, subject to wild weekly swings like the Massey Ratings that are part of AllSportsPeople Composite Rankings released on Wednesdays.
Other rankings are more predictive – an attempt to account for what has happened, while attempting to line up teams in a way that will reflect potential future results. SN's approach falls somewhere in line with this way of thinking, and each week we first attempt to rank the teams by resume before considering wins and losses and head-to-head results. No system is perfect, but at least understanding our approach can help understand why we have the teams where we do.
MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HEADLINES
AllSportsPeople High School Football Top 25
SN No. 1 Buford [GA] Wolves
2025 Record: 14-0
Last Week: SN No. 1
Next Game: 12/16/2025 — vs. No. 3/SN No. 5 Carrollton [GA] Trojans
Last Game: 12/5/2025 — Buford 39, NR Valdosta [GA] Wildcats 7 (12-2)
W/L Streak: 14 wins
Buford was technically off last week with Tuesday representing the start of a new week, but they maintain their No. 1 position heading into Tuesday night's massive showdown against the No. 2 Carrollton [GA] Trojans. The winner will have made a huge statement in the race for the national championship. Will it be enough? We'll make the official announcement on Friday, December 19.
SN No. 2 Carrollton [GA] Trojans
2025 Record: 14-0
Last Week: SN No. 5
Next Game: 12/16/2025 — vs. No. 1/SN No. 1 Buford [GA] Wolves (14-0)
Last Game: 12/5/2025 — Carrollton 48, NR North Gwinnett [Suwanee, GA] Bulldogs 21 (12-2)
W/L Streak: 14 wins
Like Buford, Carrollton was officially off, but they jump to No. 2 this week on the strength of their quarterfinal and semifinal wins in Georgia's playoffs. It's enough to propel them above No. 3 St. Frances and No. 4 IMG Academy, and as noted above, they'll take on No. 1 Buford for the Peach State's Class 6A title... And possibly the national title.
SN No. 3 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers
2025 Record: 9-1
Last Week: SN No. 4
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/10/2025 — St. Frances Academy 37, NR Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers 20 (12-2)
W/L Streak: 8 wins
Credit St. Frances Academy for not resting on its laurels and taking on the Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers in the Overtime Nationals Championship. The Panthers won comfortably in a game that was billed as a national championship game. Is it enough for St. Frances Academy to warrant consideration for at least a share of the national championship?
SN No. 4 IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders
2025 Record: 9-0
Last Week: SN No. 2
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 11/1/2025 — IMG Academy 31, NR Hun [Princeton, NJ] Raiders 13 (7-4)
W/L Streak: 10 wins
IMG Academy continues to slide down the rankings after canceling its regular-season finale vs. The current No. 3 St. Frances Academy. They've probably dropped about as far as they will, but canceling that game may have cost the Ascenders a share of the national title.
SN No. 5 Duncanville [TX] Panthers
2025 Record: 12-1
Last Week: SN No. 12
Next Game: 12/20/2025 — vs. SN No. 25 North Shore [Houston, TX] Mustangs (13-2)
Last Game: 12/13/2025 — Duncanville 31, SN No. 6 Allen [TX] Eagles 9 (14-1)
W/L Streak: 11 wins
Duncanville's only loss this season is a 28-27 setback against Waxahachie way back on September 19. Their opponents this coming weekend from North Shore have two losses, and the two teams will battle Saturday afternoon for the Texas UIL Class 6A Division I state title.
SN No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders
2025 Record: 14-1
Last Week: SN No. 8
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/11/2025 — St. Thomas Aquinas 29, NR Lakeland [FL] Dreadnaughts 0 (12-3)
W/L Streak: 14 wins
For the second straight season, the Raiders concluded their season with a shutout win over the Lakeland Dreadnaughts for Florida's FHSAA Class 5A state championship. It marks the Raiders' seventh consecutive Florida state title.
SN No. 7 Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams
2025 Record: 13-1
Last Week: SN No. 7
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 11/28/2025 — SN No. 10 Carrollton [GA] Trojans 34 (13-0), Grayson 14
W/L Streak: 1 loss
It was an admirable run for Grayson. After losing their 5-star QB Travis Burgess for the season back in August, they turned the reins over to Deuce Smith who guided the Rams all the way to Georgia's Class 6A quarterfinals. It ended there, and with it, Grayson lost its best chance yet to capture an elusive national title. The good news for the Rams is they'll probably be right back in the thick of it again next year. But that's little consolation right now for a team that had a title within reach.
SN No. 8 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels
2025 Record: 11-1
Last Week: SN No. 9
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 11/25/2025 — Bishop Gorman 44, NR Arbor View [Las Vegas, NV] Aggies 7 (9-3)
W/L Streak: 7 wins
Bishop Gorman throttled the Arbor View Aggies in Nevada's Open Division state championship game. It wasn't enough to lift them into the national title conversation, but the Gaels will be back next year for another run at national glory.
SN No. 9 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles
2025 Record: 11-3
Last Week: No. 15
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/13/2025 — Santa Margarita 47, NR De La Salle [Concord, CA] Spartans 13 (12-1)
W/L Streak: 6 wins
Santa Margarita ran roughshod over the previously undefeated De La Salle Spartans, illustrating again just how wide the gap remains between California's top Southern Section schools and the kings of Northern California. The title comes in the first year under Eagles' alum Carson Palmer, a Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL All-Pro quarterback. It marks the first time Santa Margarita has won a state championship in 14 years, dating back to 2011.
SN No. 10 DeMatha [Hyattsville, MD] Stags
2025 Record: 11-0
Last Week: SN No. 10
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 11/23/2025 — DeMatha 20, NR Gonzaga [Washington, DC] Eagles 13 (7-5)
W/L Streak: 21 wins
DeMatha captured the WCAC championship in a hard-fought win over the Gonzaga Eagles. It should be enough to keep them here in the national Top 10 when the dust settles on the playoffs around the rest of the country.
SN No. 11 Edna Karr [New Orleans, LA] Cougars
2025 Record: 14-0
Last Week: SN No. 11
Next Game: 12/5/2025 — Edna Karr 17, NR Catholic [Baton Rouge, LA] Bears 10 (10-3)
Last Game: 12/13/2025 — vs. NR St. Augustine [New Orleans, LA] Purple Knights (12-1)
W/L Streak: 28 wins
After Edna Karr's hard-fought 17-10 win over the Catholic [Baton Rouge, LA] Bears in Louisiana's LHSAA semifinals, their blowout win in last weekend's state championship game over St. Augustine felt anticlimactic – more like the after party following the main event with the Purple Knights being unwelcome guests who were asked to leave. The Cougars will enter 2026 having gone wire to wire in back-to-back years, adding up to a 28-game win streak in Louisiana's top division.
SN No. 12 Randle [Richmond, TX] Lions
2025 Record: 15-0
Last Week: SN No. 14
Next Game: 12/20/2025 — vs. SN No. 18 South Oak Cliff [Dallas, TX] Bears (14-1)
Last Game: 12/12/2025 — Randle 40, NR Boerne [TX] Greyhounds 16 (13-2)
W/L Streak: 31 wins
Randle is now just one win away from matching Edna Karr's back-to-back unblemished records in the Texas 5A Division II ranks. They'll face the South Oak Cliff Bears in a rematch of last year's 38-35 shootout won by the Lions.
SN No. 13 Creekside [Fairburn, GA] Seminoles
2025 Record: 15-0
Last Week: SN No. 23
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/15/2025 — Creekside 42, NR Benedictine [Savannah, GA] Cadets 39 (11-43)
W/L Streak: 15 wins
Creekside wrapped up one of the most successful seasons in Georgia prep football history, setting a new record for points scored in a season with 845 while claiming Georgia's GHSA Class 4A title in a wild 42-39 win over Benedictine in the finale.
SN No. 14 Grimsley [Greensboro, NC] Whirlies
2025 Record: 15-0
Last Week: SN No. 17
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/12/2025 — Grimsley 24, NR Clayton [NC] Comets 14 (12-3)
W/L Streak: 31 wins
Grimsley finished consecutive unbeaten seasons in a 24-14 win over Clayton to capture North Carolina's NCHSAA Class 7A state championship.
SN No. 15 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies
2025 Record: 11-2
Last Week: SN No. 16
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 11/28/2025 — SN No. 25 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles (10-3) 42, Centennial 7
W/L Streak: 1 loss
There was only one team Centennial couldn't beat in 2025, and unfortunately, they had to face them twice. In a season when the Huskies finally beat their nemesis Mater Dei twice, they also suffered two losses of their own to one team as Santa Margarita beat them, 33-27, in overtime on August 28 before blowing them out, 42-7, last in the Southern Section championship at the Rose Bowl. That second loss ended the Huskies' season, unfortunately, and they'll spend the offseason ruing their inability to avenge that earlier loss to Santa Margarita.
SN No. 16 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs
2025 Record: 8-3
Last Week: SN No. 18
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 11/21/2025 — SN No. 3 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies (11-1) 28, Mater Dei 27
W/L Streak: 1 loss
The Monarchs have finally, officially, abdicated their throne, and it came much earlier than anybody could have expected for a program that entered the season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. Mater Dei's loss to Centennial ended their back-to-back run of national titles, but ultimately, the Monarchs will be fine in the long run. They have the best talent in the country in any given year, and they've got a lot of young prospects who should be able to right the ship pretty quickly.
SN No. 17 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves
2025 Record: 9-2
Last Week: SN No. 19
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 11/14/2025 — NR Orange [CA] Lutheran Lancers 20 (3-8), St. John Bosco 19
W/L Streak: 2 losses
After a flashy 9-0 start that carried them into the No. 1 position in the SN Top 25, the Braves' season only lasted two more games. First, there was the loss to archrival Mater Dei in the regular-season finale. Then on a rainy Friday night in Southern California, the Braves were ousted from California's Southern Section playoffs in one of the most shocking postseason results in Golden State history. A season that once appeared destined to end in another national championship for St. John Bosco terminated instead in the opening round of California's postseason, and the Braves will spend the offseason assessing how it all unraveled so quickly.
SN No. 18 South Oak Cliff [Dallas, TX] Bears
2025 Record: 14-1
Last Week: SN No. 20
Next Game: 12/20/2025 — vs. SN No. 12 Randle [Richmond, TX] Lions (15-0)
Last Game: 12/12/2025 — South Oak Cliff 35, NR Melissa [TX] Cardinals 17 (13-2)
W/L Streak: 13 wins
You can be sure of one thing – after losing, 38-35, in last year's state championship game to Randle, this is the rematch the Bears wanted. But it might be a case of 'be careful what you wish for' because now the Bears have to figure out a way to stop the Lions' star RB Landen Williams-Callis. And nobody has managed to do that, yet.
SN No. 19 Bixby [OK] Spartans
2025 Record: 13-0
Last Week: SN No. 21
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/6/2025 — Bixby 31, NR Owasso [OK] Rams 17 (10-3)
W/L Streak: 16 wins
Bixby got a little bit of a fight from Owasso last Saturday, but it takes more than that to take down this group of Spartans who are now Oklahoma's OSSAA Class 6A Division I champions.
SN No. 20 Baylor [Chattanooga, TN] Red Raiders
2025 Record: 12-0
Last Week: SN No. 22
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/4/2025 — Baylor 28, NR Brentwood [TN] Academy Eagles 24 (11-1)
W/L Streak: 12 wins
Baylor and Brentwood Academy put on quite a show in the rain, but in the end, it was the Red Raiders' night in what was the Red Raiders' season. They are your Tennessee TSSAA Division II-AAA state champions.
SN No. 21 Clay-Chalkville [Pinson, AL] Cougars
2025 Record: 15-0
Last Week: SN No. 24
Next Game: Season has concluded
Last Game: 12/5/2025 — Clay-Chalkville 38, NR Saraland [AL] Spartans 21 (13-1)
W/L Streak: 15 wins
Clay-Chalkville finished off a perfect season last Friday night in a 38-21 win over Saraland, and they conclude the 2025 season as the top-ranked team in Alabama as the AHSAA Class 6A champions.
SN No. 22 DeSoto [TX] Eagles
2025 Record: 12-3
Last Week: Unranked
Next Game: 12/20/2025 — vs. NR King [Houston, TX] Panthers (13-2)
Last Game: 12/13/2025 — DeSoto [TX] Eagles 57, SN No. 3 Southlake [TX] Carroll Dragons 44 (14-1)
W/L Streak: 9 wins
It seems impossible that, at one point this season, the DeSoto Eagles were just 3-3 which included a 70-28 loss to the current SN No. 13 Creekside Seminoles. But nine consecutive wins later, this doesn't even feel like the same team that was.500 more than halfway through the regular season, and against all odds, they are now the favorites to win the Texas UIL Class 6A Division II state championship. They've got a salty King Panthers' squad standing in their way, but who's going to seriously bet against this DeSoto squad finishing the job at this point?
SN No. 23 Lone Star [Frisco, TX] Rangers
2025 Record: 15-0
Last Week: Unranked
Next Game: 12/19/2025 — vs. NR Smithson Valley [Spring Branch, TX] Rangers (14-1)
Last Game: 12/12/2025 — Lone Star 56, SN No. 13 Aledo [TX] Bearcats
W/L Streak: 15 wins
Lone Star has been on the fringe of The SN Top 25 for weeks now in the NEXT 25 "bubble" rankings, and they finally got the marquee win they needed against the previous SN No. 13 Aledo Bearcats to earn a promotion to the national Top 25. Now, to hold onto it, they'll have to beat another group of Rangers from Smithson Valley – the defending state champions in the Texas UIL Class 5A Division I ranks.
SN No. 24 Southlake [TX] Carroll Dragons
2025 Record: 14-1
Last Week: SN No. 3
Next Game: 12/6/2025 — Southlake Carroll 51, NR Guyer [Denton, TX] Wildcats 19 (11-3)
Last Game: 12/13/2025 — No. 31 DeSoto [TX] Eagles 57 (12-3), Southlake Carroll 44
W/L Streak: 1 loss
The Dragons had spent the entire season climbing their way from the preseason SN No. 24 position all the way to the SN No. 3 position with a potential shot at a national title. That all fell apart last week in a 57-44 loss to DeSoto sending the Dragons plunging all the way back to... That same No. 24 position they occupied at the start of the season.
SN No. 25 North Shore [Houston, TX] Mustangs
2025 Record: 13-2
Last Week: Unranked
Next Game: 12/20/2025 — vs. SN No. 5 Duncanville [TX] Panthers (12-1)
Last Game: 12/13/2025 — North Shore 28, NR Lake Travis [Austin, TX] Cavaliers 6 (14-1)
W/L Streak: TBD
It was hard to see this coming back on November 7 in the wake of North Shore's 27-0 loss to the Summer Creek [Houston, TX] Bulldogs. But here we are, and the Mustangs have worked their way all the way to the Texas UIL Class 6A Division I state championship game where they'll get a shot at the SN No. 5 Duncanville Panthers. It's a tall order, and their only other loss is a 41-31 setback to the South Oak Cliff Bears way back in the season opener on August 29. One week after that, the Bears lost on September 5 to the... Duncanville Panthers. But that's three-and-a-half months ago, and this Mustangs' squad has proven that they can win when it counts. And nothing counts more than Saturday night's championship game in Arlington, Texas.
Weekly Top 25 Schedule
NR – Not ranked
__________
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
__________
- SN No. 1 Buford [GA] Wolves (14-0) vs. SN No. 2 Carrollton [GA] Trojans (14-0) — 8 p.m. EST local
__________
Friday, December 19, 2025
__________
- SN No. 23 Lone Star [Frisco, TX] Rangers (15-0) vs. NR Smithson Valley [Spring Branch, TX] Rangers (14-1) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
__________
Saturday, December 20, 2025
__________
- SN No. 12 Randle [Richmond, TX] Lions (15-0) vs. SN No. 18 South Oak Cliff [Dallas, TX] Bears (14-1) — 12 noon EST (11 a.m. CST local)
- SN No. 5 Duncanville [TX] Panthers (12-1) vs. SN No. 25 North Shore [Houston, TX] Mustangs (13-2) — 4 p.m. EST (3 p.m. CST local)
- SN No. 22 DeSoto [TX] Eagles (12-3) vs. NR King [Houston, TX] Panthers (13-2) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
__________
IDLE
SN No. 3 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers (9-1); SN No. 4 IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders (9-0); SN No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders (14-1); SN No. 7 Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams (12-1); SN No. 8 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels (11-1); SN No. 9 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles (11-3); SN No. 10 DeMatha [Hyattsville, MD] Stags (11-0); SN No. 11 Edna Karr [New Orleans, LA] Cougars (14-0); SN No. 13 Creekside [Fairburn, GA] Seminoles; SN No. 14 Grimsley [Greensboro, NC] Whirlies (14-0); SN No. 15 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies (11-2); SN No. 16 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs (8-3); SN No. 17 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves (9-2); SN No. 19 Bixby [OK] Spartans (13-0); SN No. 20 Baylor [Chattanooga, TN] Red Raiders (12-0); SN No. 21 Clay-Chalkville [Pinson, AL] Cougars (15-0)
MORE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF HEADLINES
- Florida 2025 playoff brackets (7A/6A/5A/4A)
- Georgia 2025 playoff brackets (6A/5A/4A)
- Louisiana 2025 playoff brackets (Division I/II)
- Texas 2025 playoff brackets (6A/5A/4A)