These Are The Best Small-Town High School Football Teams In America, Ranked

Small-town living Is vastly different than city life. Small towns throughout the U.S. are known for their traditions and bonds within each community, and a select few of these towns have some of the best high school football teams, regardless of population size.

Defining a small town as one that has a population of approximately 10,000 or fewer residents, we’ve ranked the absolute best small-town high school football programs in each state in the country. Some of these are well-known powerhouses, but others are up-and-comers worth keeping an eye out for…

50. North Dakota – Velva High School

With a population of just over 1,000, Velva is located in the north-central of the state. The team has a winning percentage of nearly .750 since 2010. It has ten state championships, including eight in this century already.

Head coach Larry Sandy got the job back in 1990 and has been at the helm ever since. He has led the team to nine state championships, including several when the school was playing as Velva-Sawyer in a co-op with a nearby community.

49. Montana – Highwood High School

Highwood is situated in the center of the state and has a minuscule population of 176. Due to the small student body, the school participates in 6-man football. The team has won 13 state championships.

It won 11 state titles on its own, and its last two as a co-op team with rival Geraldine, although they split up again after the 2018 season. Highwood holds the state record for most unbeaten seasons with eight.

48. Wyoming – Cokeville High School

Close to the western border of the state, Cokeville has approximately 550 residents. The high school team has an incredible 94-16 record since 2010, which equates to a .854 winning percentage.

With 22 state championships, Cokeville has won them playing 11-man, 9-man, and 6-man football. They’ve also won at least one state title in every decade since the 1960’s, with the 1990’s being their most dominant decade, when they won eight.

47. Minnesota – Mahnomen-Waubun High School

Aside from Shooting Star Casino, Mahnomen-Wauben may be the biggest crowd generator for the town of approximately 1,250. The football team has won over 90% of its games since 2010, securing three of nine total state titles.

Mahnomen won its ninth state title in 2018 in the first year of a co-op with former rival Waubun, going undefeated under head coach John Clark. The Clark family has deep ties to the school, as two generations have coached the team.

46. Nebraska – Howells High School

Howells has under 600 residents and is located in the eastern part of the state. The football team has won nine state titles, all since the start of the new millennium. When head coach Mike Speirs started in 1996, the program didn’t meet enrollment qualifications to play for the Nebraska School Activities Association state championships.

The school eventually won six consecutive state titles in 8-Man Division I from 2000 to 2005, added three more from 2008 to 2010, and then consolidated to become Howells-Dodge in order to participate in 11-man football. Howells’ six straight state titles are tied for the state record, on any level.

45. Rhode Island – Burrillville High School

It takes just over thirty minutes to drive southeast from Harrisville, where the school is located, to Providence. The town of just over 1,600 has won an incredible 24 state championships.

Rhode Island hasn’t always given state titles the same way, but Burrillville began winning them in the 1930s. Recently, the school won six state titles from 2000 to 2017, including three since 2014.

44. Colorado – Limon High School

With a Colorado record of 19 state championships for a town of less than 2,000, Limon has a decorated football program. Limon is southeast of Denver along Interstate 70.

During the 1960s and 1970s, coach Lloyd Gaskill earned a reputation for having a “hazy” grasp of recruiting rules. This may be the reason the team won six straight titles from 1963 to 1968.

43. Oregon – Vale High School

Vale High owns 12 state titles, the most in Oregon history. The school is situated in a town of around 1,800 near the border shared with Idaho. Two of the most famous alumni to play for Vale were the Wilcox brothers.

John played in the 1958 Rose Bowl with the University of Oregon and won an NFL championship with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960. Dave, arguably the greatest high school football player in state history, also played for Oregon, then played 11 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker. In 2000, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

42. Alaska – Soldotna High School

Soldotna is south of Anchorage. With a population of over 4,700, it’s large compared to every other town mentioned thus far. The high school’s winning percentage since 2010 is an astounding .962. Soldotna holds 12 state titles, all won since 2006 and is regarded as the greatest dynasty in the state.

Before all the championships, they finished as runner-up four times since Alaska began having informal state championships in the 1980s. The team had a record 59-game winning streak over five seasons and has produced four Alaska Gatorade Players of the Year.

41. Connecticut – Woodland Regional High School

Another larger small town, Beacon Falls is home to 6,168 people and Woodland Regional High School. Small towns in Connecticut don’t win many state titles, but one of the few schools to have broken through is this one.

The Hawks won back-to-back Class S state titles in 2004 and 2005 under former head coach Tim Shea. They also finished as state runner-ups in 2013 under the same coach.

40. Massachusetts – Nashoba Regional High School

The population of Bolton is nearly 5,000. Bolton to Boston is about an hour’s drive, as the small town is inland and northwest of Boston.

For some reason, Massachusetts didn’t go to an actual state championship until 2013, previously giving out Eastern, Central, and Western state titles. Nashoba Regional has had success both ways, with five state titles and six runner-up finishes. All of those titles have come with either Ken Tucker or his son, Jamie, as the coaches.

39. Indiana – Sheridan High School

Almost directly north of Indianapolis, Sheridan is a town of barely 3,000 people. Sheridan High has won 9 state titles, all under legendary head coach Larry “Bud” Wright, who has been coaching for over 50 years. He has 417 career wins, which, along with the titles, are the most of any high school football coach in Indiana history.

Alumni Brad Maynard became one of the greatest punters in NCAA history at Ball State as a two-time consensus All-American. He made a name for himself in the NFL, too, and still holds NFL records for most punts in a Super Bowl, most punts by a rookie, and most punting yards by a rookie. Maynard also led the NFL in punting in three seasons.

38. New Hampshire – Plymouth Regional High School

Located in the middle of the state along Interstate 93, Plymouth has a population of approximately 4,500. In total, Plymouth Regional has won 24 state titles, most recently of the back-to-back-to-back variety from 2016 to 2018.

The greatest high school football coach in New Hampshire history is Plymouth Regional head coach Chuck Lenahan. He didn’t win a single game in his first season back in 1971 but went on to win 19 state championships over 39 years. This included 13 undefeated seasons and two different win streaks of 57 and 46 games.

37. New York – Dobbs Ferry High School

One of only a few small towns to have a population of slightly over 10,000 on this list, Dobbs Ferry Sits along the Hudson River. It’s north of New York City.

Prior to 1988, when New York began using a playoff system to determine its state champion, Dobbs Ferry won four straight titles. They’ve won six titles since then for good measure. The team was also a co-op with Hastings until 2000 and they’ve won four titles since then.

36. North Carolina – Robbinsville High School

Robbinsville is in the west part of the state near the border with Tennessee. Turning back the population dial, this small town clocks in at just 620 people.

The high school has 14 state championships. Coach Bob Colvin still holds the state record with 11 of those state titles, including five straight from 1979 to 1983.

35. Vermont – Hartford High School

The Connecticut River divides Vermont and New Hampshire. Hartford High is about as east Vermont as it gets, sitting a stone’s throw from the river. It’s fitting that the town with approximately 2,300 residents is called White River Junction.

Former coach Mike Stone built a dynasty coming from one of the smaller schools in Vermont’s Division I, including back-to-back unbeaten seasons in 2011 and 2012. He won a state title in 1986, his first season, then won four straight from 1990 to 1993 and three straight from 2010 to 2012. Hartford, with 12 total state titles, has had five Gatorade Player of the Year winners, including three in the last decade.

34. Maine – Marshwood High School

South Berwick is the hometown of Marshwood and has a population of around 7,500. It’s another town near the border of another state, as the school lines the Salmon Falls River, which separates Maine from New Hampshire.

The football team has 20 state championships. Former head coach Rod Wotton led the team to six straight state titles from 1974 to 1979 and the school won eight state titles altogether that decade. The 1980s were almost as good, with seven state titles, including four straight from 1983 to 1986. Current coach Alex Rotsko has brought back the glory years, as Marshwood has won four state titles in nine seasons. Rotsko’s teams went 38-2 from 2017 to 2019 with two state titles.

33. South Dakota – West Central High School

Just outside of Sioux Falls along Interstate 90, Hartford is home to West Central High School. 3,354 people call Hartford home. West Central has 12 state championships, but the 1997 team put together one of the greatest seasons in South Dakota prep football history.

That team, led by head coach Jim Uttecht and defensive coordinator Kent Mueller, who eventually took over for Uttecht, went 12-0 with seven shutouts, including shutouts in all four postseason games. Over the course of that season, the defense gave up over eight points just once and that was in the season opener.

32. Illinois – Illini West High School

Carthage is home to Illini West and has nearly 2,500 residents. It’s yet another small town near a river that separates two states. In this case, it’s the Mississippi River that separates Illinois from Iowa.

For 25 years, Jim Unruh coached Carthage High School, which eventually became Illini West. His teams reached 10 state championship games and won six of them. Unruh retired after winning the state title in 2010 while going 14-0. The school hasn’t won a state title since.

31. Delaware – Delmar High School

What is it with these schools on the outskirts of states? The town of Delmar literally touches Maryland and is home to around 1,600 people. The school has seven state championships. David Hearn has led the program for three decades and won five of those titles.

Two Delmar alumni are currently trying to make it in the NFL. Tight end Alex Ellis has bounced around with teams since 2016. Wide receiver Shane Leatherbury was on the Arizona Cardinals roster earlier this year. Both are currently free agents.

30. Washington – Royal High School

Royal City is located in the middle of the state and has a population of 2,230. The football team has won nearly 90% of its games since 2010, including four of its nine total state championships.

Willey Allred has won eight of those titles as the head coach, including one this last season in 2019, when the team went 14-0. Royal High has now won four titles in five years.

29. Arizona – Blue Ridge High School

A town of less than 4,500 people, Pinetop-Lakeside is home to Blue Ridge High. The school has 15 football state championships. All but two of them have been won with one head coach.

Paul Moro, who passed away in January 2019, won 13 of those state championships and has a career record for wins with 336. His greatest player was linebacker and running back Jimmy Sprotte, who later played for the University of Arizona and for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL.

28. Maryland – Urbana High School

It takes less than an hour to get from Ijamsville, where Urbana High is located, to both Washington, DC, and Baltimore. The town is home to approximately 6,700 residents.

Maryland doesn’t lend itself to small-town football success due to its congested population centers, but Urbana has found a way to win five state championships. Head coach Dave Carruthers led Urbana to four straight state titles from 1998 to 2001. His teams won 38 consecutive games at one point, establishing a state record.

27. New Mexico – Eunice High School

Eunice, a town of barely over 3,000 people, is located as easy as it gets before hitting Texas. The high school has won 15 state championships since the 1950’s, and, with the exception of the 1980’s, the Cardinals have won at least one championship in every decade since.

Those titles have been won under eight different coaches, including three consecutive state titles from 2017 to 2019. During that time, the team went 36-1 and had a 25-game winning streak.

26. Virginia – Gate City High School

Another border town, Gate City is barely north of Tennessee. Around 2,000 people live there. While the football team hasn’t been as successful recently, winning less than 50% of its games since 2010, it does have five state championships in the trophy closet.

Football means a lot to the school, as the street in the school’s address is named for Harry Fry, the school’s legendary football coach. Gate City’s tradition of great coaching hopes to continue under new coach Jeremy Houseright, who is the son of former coach Bill Houseright. The father led the team to a state title in 2010, and two of his sons went on to play for Virginia Tech.

25. Kentucky: Mayfield High School

Similar to Gate City, Mayfield is also near the border with Tennessee. The town sits along Interstate 69 and is home to over 10,000 people, making it one of the few larger small towns on this list.

Mayfield’s winning percentage since 2010 is almost 93% and they haven’t lost more than two games in a season dating back to 2008. In fact, the Cardinals haven’t had a losing season since 1963. The school has won 12 state titles and finished as runner-up 11 times, including three straight unfortunate losses in the title game from 2017 to 2019. However, Mayfield did win four straight from 2012 to 2015.

24. Nevada – Pahranagat Valley High School

North of Las Vegas by a long shot is Alamo. It’s actually close to Area 51 and has a population of a tad over 1,000. The town is home to the juggernaut football team from Pahranagat Valley High School.

With 21 state championships and a winning percentage of .974 since 2010, the school set the national 8-man record with 104 straight wins from 2008 to 2016. Pahranagat Valley also holds the record for most state titles on any level. Former coach Ken Higbee also holds the coaching record with 10 state titles.

23. California – Paradise High School

Paradise, located at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, may ring a bell for some if they recall the devastating fire that ravaged the town of approximately 4,500. There used to be more than 25,000 residents, but the Camp Fire destroyed a lot of the town in 2018.

Somehow, the football team played that next season. It was such an incredible run that Bill Plaschke wrote a book called “Paradise Found” about Paradise High’s stunning run to the Northern Section Division III championship game. A movie is already in the works. While the team lost and also doesn’t have any state championships from the past, no other team in the state has more heart.

22. Utah – Millard High School

Located in the middle of the state along Interstate 15, Fillmore is home to around 2,600 and Millard High. The school’s football team has won 13 state titles, but only one since 2000.

Taft Watts led the program to six state championships from 1950 to 1960, including four straight to start the decade. His 1958 team still holds the single-game record for defense by somehow giving up only 15 yards in a game.

21. Idaho – Fruitland High School

Fruitland, and its 5,388 residents, are located next to the Snake River, which separates Idaho from Oregon. The school’s football team has five state championships.

It won four of those titles in the last 15 years alone, including three championships in the 2010’s. Offensive tackle Jordan Gross, the number eight pick in the 2003 NFL draft, is the most famous alumni. A six-time Pro Bowler, Gross started all 167 games he played over 11 seasons for the Carolina Panthers.

20. West Virginia – Bluefield High School

Bluefield might as well be in Virginia with how close it is to the border. It’s another town stretching the definition of “small” with nearly 10,500 people living there. The football team has won 11 state championships.

Bluefield High alum Fred Simon became head coach in 1986 and has led the program to five of those state championships. Thanks in part to him, the school has now won a state title in seven consecutive decades dating all the way back to the 1950’s.

19. Kansas: Smith Center High School

Smith Center is in the north part of the state, about a thirty-minute drive to the Nebraska border. The town of 1,665 has seen its team win 10 state championships and also be the inspiration for a New York Times bestseller. Joe Drape authored “Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains.” Smith Center’s 79-game win streak from 2004 to 2009 is still one of the longest in history.

Similar to Gate City, Smith Center High named its street after a famous head coach, Roger Barta, who was National Coach of the Year in 2007. Alumni Mark Simoneau went on to Kansas State, where he was a consensus All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 before playing over a decade in the NFL.

18. Iowa – Harlan High School

Harlan is almost directly west of Des Moines and has a population of just over 5,000. Harlan High has won 12 state titles and owes 11 of them in part to head coach Curt Bladt. He has been part of the coaching staff since the 1960s.

Billy Cundiff, a former NFL All-Pro kicker, was also the quarterback on the 1997 state championship team. So far, he’s the only Harlan alumni to make it to the NFL.

17. Ohio – Marion Local High School

Northwest of both Dayton and Columbus is the town of Maria Stein, the home of Marion Local High. Around 2,300 people live there and witness some great football at the school.

The school has 11 state championships and has won nearly 90% of its games since 2010. In 2019, Marion Local tied Cleveland St. Ignatius for the most state titles in Ohio history with its eleventh. That total is even more impressive considering the school didn’t win its first state title until 2000. Tim Goodwin is responsible for coaching all 11 teams to victory.

16. Wisconsin: Arrowhead High School

West of Milwaukee and surrounded by lakes is the town of Hartland. With a population of approximately 9,300, most kids in the area attend Arrowhead High.

Head coach Tom Taraska guided the football team to the state championship game nine times in 29 seasons, winning four of the six state titles in school history. Offensive lineman Ben Bredeson attended Arrowhead and went on to play for the University of Michigan. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and was taken in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

15. Georgia – Lincoln County High School

Lincoln County High is part of Lincolnton, which is situated in the northeast of the state near the Savannah River that separates Georgia from South Carolina. Less than 1,600 people call it home.

Larry Campbell coached the football team for 41 seasons until 2012 and had an absurd 470 career victories and eight unbeaten seasons. He led his teams to 11 of the 14 state titles in school history. The greatest alumni was running back Garrison Hearst, a Heisman Trophy finalist who starred at the University of Georgia. He then played a decade in the NFL and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year twice.

14. Louisiana – Haynesville High School

Haynesville is only five minutes south of the Arkansas border and has a population of around 2,000. Haynesville High has 17 state titles and nine state runner-up finishes. Coach Alton “Red” Franklin won 11 state championships and was named Louisiana Coach of the Year four times over the course of his tenure.

The Evans family has helped define Haynesville football. Demetric played nine seasons in the NFL. Doug played 11 seasons in the NFL and started in 1996 for the Packers in their Super Bowl win. Bobby Ray played nine years in the CFL. Joseph won a national championship with LSU in 2019.

13. Arkansas: Greenwood High School

Southeast of Fort Smith and approximately a twenty-minute drive to the Oklahoma border lies Greenwood. The town of 9,397 has enjoyed some great high school football to the tune of a .901 winning percentage since 2010.

Rick Jones built a dynasty at Greenwood High over 16 seasons, winning eight of the nine state titles in school history. He recently left to be a consultant with the University of Missouri football program. One of his best players was quarterback Tyler Wilson, who led Greenwood to back-to-back state titles, then starred at the University of Arkansas before a brief stint in the NFL.

12. Alabama – Hazlewood High School

Unique in that Hazlewood closed back in 2010, it was located in Town Creek. The small town of just over 1,000 is near the Tennessee River in northern Alabama.

Even though the school has been closed for a decade, it still tops the state for most high school football state championships with 11. The first title came in 1970 and the football team won at least one state title in every decade until the school closed. The most dominant run was from 1988 to 1992 when Hazlewood won five straight state titles. It also had its greatest player, Antonio Langham, during that time. He went on to help lead the University of Alabama to the 1992 national title and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back the next year.

11. South Carolina – James F. Byrnes High School

Located between Greenville and Spartanburg, the town of Duncan is home to Byrnes High and its 11 state titles. The population of Duncan is 3,181.

Byrnes won eight state championships from 2002 to 2011. The first four came under Bobby Bentley and the last four under Chris Miller. In 2009, the school started the season as the number-one team in the nation but missed out on a state title. Byrnes’ greatest player was running back Marcus Lattimore. He was set to be an early NFL draft pick until he suffered a devastating knee injury while with the University of South Carolina in 2012.

10. Michigan – St. Mary’s Preparatory

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Orchard Lake Village is surrounded by lakes. The town of approximately 2,500 is home to St. Mary’s Prep and is northwest of Detroit.

George Porritt has won seven of the school’s eight state championships in 30 years as head coach. He also made it to the state championship game six more times. His best run came in the 2010s, with four state titles, including three in a row from 2014 to 2016. Perhaps the best player in the school’s history is wide receiver Allen Robinson, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree at Penn State who led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2015 for the Chicago Bears.

9. Mississippi – South Panola High School

South Panola High has won 11 state championships and is situated in Batesville. The town of approximately 7,500 is in the northern part of the state along Interstate 55.

Even though the 2010 team won a national title, the 1993 team was arguably the greatest in school history. Willis Wright coached that squad to a 15-0 record and the first state title in school history. There were two future NFL players Dwayne Rudd and Deshea Townsend. Rudd was voted an NFL All-Pro in 1998 and Townsend won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers during his pro career.

8. Oklahoma – Clinton High School

Almost directly west of Oklahoma City lies Clinton. Its population is a hair over 9,000 and its high school football team has 16 state titles. That is second among all schools in the state. The most recent nine of those all came during the tenure of Hall of Fame coach Mike Lee.

The first two state titles for Clinton were earned in 1965 and 1967 and featured running back Roy Bell, one of the greatest players in team history. Bell also won a CFL Grey Cup with the Edmonton Eskimos and was an All-Star twice.

7. Hawaii: Kahuku High School

Kahuku and its high school are located along the famous North Shore of Oahu. The football team has recently represented the town of 2,614 well, winning all 8 of its state titles since 2000.

The Red Raiders have also appeared in the championship game 12 times, which, along with the number of state titles, are both state records. Kahuku has produced several Division I and NFL athletes, most notably longtime New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Chris Naeole. He played 11 seasons in the NFL after an All-American career at the University of Colorado.

6. Florida – Pahokee High School

The town of Pahokee sits up against Lake Okeechobee in the southern part of the state. Pahokee High has won six state championships for the town of just over 6,300.

In 2017, the school was forced to vacate its seventh state title for the use of an ineligible player. Pahokee’s greatest player is Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson. He was a five-time NFL All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl six times.

5. Tennessee – Alcoa High School

South of Knoxville is Alcoa, a town of approximately 10,000. The high school that shares the town’s name has 18 state titles, including an almost 90% winning percentage since 2010.

The two longest state championship streaks in Tennessee belong to Alcoa, who won seven straight from 2004 to 2010 and five straight from 2015 to 2019. Head coach Gary Rankin is the state’s career leader with over 400 wins. He has won 14 state titles, including 10 since taking over in 2005. Wide receiver Randall Cobb is arguably the school’s greatest player. The former Tennessee Mr. Football has played a decade in the NFL and made the Pro Bowl in 2014.

4. Missouri – Webb City High School

Webb City is in the southwest of the state and approximately a 15-minute drive to the border shared with Kansas. It holds the honor of being the biggest small town on this list with a population of nearly 11,000. With 15 state titles and a 97% winning percentage since 2010, the high school football team is stacked.

Head coach and alumni John Roderique has won 11 of those state titles. His son, John, quarterbacked the school to back-to-back state championships in 2011 and 2012. Webb City’s greatest player is defensive end Grant Wistrom, who was a two-time All-American and three-time national champion at the University of Nebraska. In the 1998 draft, he was picked sixth overall by the St. Louis Rams.

3. New Jersey – Saint Joseph Regional High School

North of New York City and across the Hudson River sits Montvale. This border town is home to 8,570 residents and Saint Joseph Regional High. While New Jersey schools compete for “group” and “section” titles, the school technically has 19 of those titles.

Head coach Tony Karcich has won 17 of those championships. The best player in Saint Joseph’s history is New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty, a three-time Super Bowl winner, three-time NFL All-Pro selection, and two-time Pro Bowler. However, let’s not forget about his twin brother, Jason, who also played at Saint Joseph and is currently Devin’s teammate on the Pats.

2. Pennsylvania – Southern Columbia Area High School

Southern Columbia Area High is pretty far south from downtown Catawissa but is still considered part of the town of under 1,500 people. The school has won an insane 93.2% of its games since 2010 (138-10) and has ten state titles in the trophy closet.

Jim Roth has been the head coach since 1984 and is responsible for every single one of those state championships. Southern Columbia had a 48-game winning streak going into the 2020 season after three straight undefeated seasons. Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming, who just graduated in 2020, maybe the best alumni ever. He holds state records for career yards (5,481) and receiving touchdowns (78) and is second all-time in catches (256).

1. Texas – Aledo High School

Aledo is slightly south and west of both Dallas and Fort Worth. The population of the town is 2,716. The high school football team has been on a tear over the past decade, with a record of 146-9, which translates to a .941 winning percentage.

The Bearcats are the greatest high school football dynasty in the state, which means a lot considering Texas is known for its football. They’ve won a record nine state championships, with eight of them won between 2009 and 2019. In 2013, the parent of an opposing player filed bullying charges with the school district after a 91-0 loss to Aledo. That pretty much sums up how strong the program is.