Preseason 2026 Missouri High School Football Top 25 Rankings

With the earliest practice sessions kicking off this week across the country, preseason rankings are also starting to roll out as the countdown to the first week of action begins. As the first batch of high school football preseason rankings rolls out, the next state on the agenda is Missouri. Looking forward to the 2026-27 Missouri high school football season, Blue Springs South (Mo.) surprisingly enters the year as the state title favorite according to Massey Ratings, despite their significant underperformance in the playoffs over the last number of years. During the 2025 season, the Jaguars entered the playoffs with a 9-0 record and were one of the contenders for the state championship, losing in the quarterfinals to their biggest rivals in Blue Springs (Mo.) in the district semifinals. Outside of the No. 1 team, here’s how Massey ranked the best teams in the state of Missouri before the season begins. The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory. 1. Blue Springs South Jaguars Entering the 2026 season at number one, Blue Springs South has established itself as one of the top teams in the state following the appointment of Alan Wilmes, who took over the Jaguars after a 0-10 season in 2021. Despite that, the top team in Missouri is yet to put together a state championship run under the current head coach, with their deepest run ending at the district final stages. In recent years, while they have been able to deal with the top teams in the state during the regular season, defeating Lee’s Summit North (Mo.) and Liberty North (Mo.) in 2025, they have been unable to put together the same performances in the playoffs. The Jaguars enter 2026 with the return of the number one player in the state, Ohio State commit Prince Goldsby, who put up 13.5 sacks in 2025. This helped guide Blue Springs South to a 9-1 record, ranked the No.1 team in Missouri in 2025. 2. Christian Brothers College Cadets The top team in the state to get as far as the MHSAA Class 6 playoffs in 2025 after Blue Springs South crashed out at the district stages, Christian Brothers College continued the trend set by the Jaguars. Falling in a shocking 45-42 loss to Jackson (Mo.), who finished 2025 ranked No.6 in the state, going into 2026 at No.13. After graduating a significant amount of senior talent, including three-star safety Nick McClellan and edge rusher Jake Plummer, the Cadets have a bounty of offensive weapons prepared to step up in 2026, including wide reciever Kingston McPike, who had to play junior varsity in 2025 due to eligiblity rules, where he put up 843 recieving yards and 15 touchdown’s, as well as 388 return yards. The Cadets finished the 2025 season with a 12-1 record and No. 2 nationally. 3. Nixa Eagles The only team in the top three to reach the 6A state championship in 2025, the Eagles have both a significant amount of losses and returning stars ahead of the upcoming season. Most notably, there will be a glaring gap on the offensive line after the graduation of the number one player nationally from the class of 2026, according to Rivals Industry Rankings, in Jackson Cantwell. Despite that, they return a number of defensive pieces, including cornerback Carter Mabe and linebackers Reed Wilson and Weston Weldon. Additionally, they also return their starting quarterback, who threw for 23 touchdowns and 1839 yards last season, behind the offensive line led by Cantwell in Adam McKnight. 4. Liberty North Eagles Entering into 2026, Liberty North (Mo.) might be the only top-five team entering the 2026-27 Missouri high school football season without any glaring roster omissions. Despite the graduation of their best offensive weapon, Zemar Cheatam, who put up 1573 yards last season, the Eagles have a great deal of offensive talent who could make a step up in 2025. Included in that is starting quarterback Brennan Smith, who threw for 1375 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025, as well as wide receiver Jaxen Proden, who put up 754 yards and six touchdowns last year, also able to play on the defensive side of the ball as a three-star safety committed to Iowa State. In 2025, the Eagles finished the season 7-5 and ranked No.10. 5. Lee’s Summit North Broncos In 2025, Lee’s Summit North (Mo.)’s season was thrown into disarray after head coach Jason Rodgers resigned weeks after the season’s start, after self-reported violations of the Missouri State High School Activities Association regulations. With Deron Washington filling in as interim head coach, the Broncos have their permanent head coach entering the 2026 Missouri High School Football season, with former Missouri defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross stepping into the role. The Broncos return key pieces such as running back Bryce Thompson, who rushed for 958 yards in 2025, as well as three-star linebacker Caleb Green, who averaged 14.5 tackles p/g in 2025, also put up 2 sacks. In 2025, Lee’s Summit North finished with a 6-6 record and ranked No. 8 in the state. 6. Platte County Pirates7. Liberty Blue Jays8. Lee’s Summit Tigers9. Rockhurst Hawklets10. Blue Springs Wildcats 11. Carthage Tigers12. Cardinal Ritter Lions 13. Jackson Fighting Indians14. Republic Tigers15. Kearney Bulldogs 16. Park Hill Trojans 17. Blair Oak Falcons 18. Helias Crusaders19. De Smet Spartans20. Webb City Cardinals 21. Lee’s Summit West Tians22. Joplin Eagles23. Kirkwood Pioneers 24. Grain Valley Eagles25. Lafayette Lancers