High school football in Minnesota is very competitive. Teams from all over the state consistently compete for state championships. In 2023, it’s no different, with many skilled teams aiming to do well in the playoffs. MaxPreps released the Minnesota High School Football Rankings 2023.
Eden Prairie is the favorite to win the state championship in 2023. However, other teams have a chance to go far in the playoffs:
Champlin Park: They have a strong quarterback, Jaxon Howard, and a solid defense that has allowed only 20 points in three games this season.
Lakeville North: This team has a powerful offense led by Garrison Monroe and Carson Hansen. Their defense has been good, allowing only 14 points per game.
Centennial: They reached the state championship in 2022 and have the talent to do it again. Quarterback Alex Elliott and wide receiver Devin Jordan lead this team.
Elk River: The defending Class 5A state champions have had a tough start in 2023, but they have experience and talent that could make them a playoff contender.
Stillwater: They were state championship contenders in 2021 and have many talented players returning. Quarterback Martin Owusu and wide receiver Chiddi Obiazor are key players.
The 2023 Minnesota high school football season promises to be very competitive, with many talented teams competing for state titles.
Read Also: Top 25 Michigan High School Football Rankings 2023
Minnesota High School Football Rankings 2023 All Class
MN Class A High School Football Rankings
| Rank | School | Overall Record | Rating | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneota | 3-0 | 15.20 | -13.7 |
| 2 | Springfield/Comfrey (Springfield) | 3-0 | 9.80 | -12.4 |
| 3 | Fillmore Central (Harmony) | 3-0 | 8.40 | -21.0 |
| 4 | Goodhue | 3-0 | 3.20 | -32.5 |
| 5 | Dawson-Boyd (Dawson) | 1-2 | 0.80 | -13.4 |
| 6 | B O L D (Olivia) | 2-1 | 0.60 | -15.6 |
| 7 | Canby | 3-0 | 0.30 | -18.5 |
| 8 | Mayer Lutheran (Mayer) | 3-0 | -2.40 | -27.6 |
| 9 | Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (Lester Prairie) | 3-0 | -2.80 | -36.2 |
| 10 | Sleepy Eye/St. Mary’s (Sleepy Eye) | 3-0 | -4.20 | -26.3 |
| 11 | Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (Belgrade) | 3-0 | -5.20 | -40.3 |
| 12 | Blooming Prairie | 2-1 | -5.40 | -17.0 |
| 13 | Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (Tracy) | 2-1 | -5.70 | -8.2 |
| 14 | Bethlehem Academy/Discovery/Hands and Feet of Jesus (Faribault) | 2-1 | -6.20 | -20.7 |
| 15 | Adrian/Ellsworth (Adrian) | 2-1 | -7.90 | -12.4 |
| 16 | Mahnomen/Waubun (Mahnomen) | 3-0 | -8.70 | -34.2 |
| 17 | Kenyon-Wanamingo (Kenyon) | 3-0 | -8.90 | -36.8 |
| 18 | Murray County Central (Slayton) | 2-1 | -9.30 | -17.3 |
| 19 | Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (Winthrop) | 3-0 | -9.70 | -36.2 |
| 20 | Lakeview (Cottonwood) | 1-2 | -10.70 | -8.2 |
| 21 | Upsala/Swanville (Upsala) | 3-0 | -11.90 | -41.2 |
| 22 | Parkers Prairie | 3-0 | -12.20 | -38.5 |
| 23 | Braham | 3-0 | -13.20 | -48.5 |
| 24 | Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (Tyler) | 1-2 | -19.80 | -8.6 |
| 25 | Ada-Borup/Norman County West (Ada) | 2-1 | -20.60 | -29.7 |
MN Class AA High School Football Rankings
| Rank | School | Overall Record | Rating | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnesville | 3-0 | 24.40 | -8.8 |
| 2 | Eden Valley-Watkins (Eden Valley) | 3-0 | 22.40 | -17.9 |
| 3 | Chatfield | 3-0 | 18.60 | -15.9 |
| 4 | Caledonia | 3-0 | 18.00 | -12.2 |
| 5 | Cannon Falls/Learning for Life HomeSchool (Cannon Falls) | 3-0 | 17.80 | -8.8 |
| 6 | Jackson County Central (Jackson) | 3-0 | 11.40 | -26.9 |
| 7 | Holdingford | 3-0 | 8.90 | -17.0 |
| 8 | Osakis | 2-1 | 7.90 | 1.8 |
| 9 | Kimball | 2-1 | 5.30 | -7.6 |
| 10 | Dover-Eyota (Eyota) | 2-1 | 1.70 | -1.8 |
| 11 | Pelican Rapids | 2-1 | 1.40 | -13.0 |
| 12 | St. Agnes (St. Paul) | 3-0 | 0.10 | -23.2 |
| 13 | Triton (Dodge Center) | 2-1 | 0.00 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Central (Norwood-Young America) | 3-0 | -1.80 | -27.6 |
| 15 | Maple River (Mapleton) | 2-1 | -2.60 | -7.6 |
| 16 | Minnesota Valley Lutheran (New Ulm) | 3-0 | -3.40 | -32.9 |
| 17 | St. Charles | 1-2 | -8.50 | 5.9 |
| 18 | Barnum | 3-0 | -8.50 | -33.1 |
| 19 | Pipestone | 2-1 | -8.70 | -16.4 |
| 20 | Moose Lake/Willow River (Moose Lake) | 2-1 | -10.90 | -21.2 |
| 21 | Royalton | 1-2 | -11.30 | -14.0 |
| 22 | Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (Kerkhoven) | 3-0 | -13.00 | -37.4 |
| 23 | Redwood Valley (Redwood Falls) | 2-1 | -14.10 | -21.5 |
| 24 | Park Rapids | 2-1 | -14.80 | -26.7 |
| 25 | Blue Earth | 0-3 | -15.40 | 0.8 |
MN Class AAA High School Football Rankings
| Rank | School | Overall Record | Rating | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stewartville | 3-0 | 27.00 | -1.1 |
| 2 | Dassel-Cokato (Cokato) | 3-0 | 23.90 | -8.2 |
| 3 | Waseca | 2-1 | 19.00 | 8.3 |
| 4 | New London-Spicer (New London) | 2-1 | 17.00 | 6.4 |
| 5 | Esko | 3-0 | 11.80 | -27.0 |
| 6 | Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (Glyndon) | 2-1 | 10.10 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Fairmont/Martin Luther (Fairmont) | 3-0 | 9.60 | -27.5 |
| 8 | Annandale | 3-0 | 7.80 | -20.0 |
| 9 | Albany | 2-1 | 7.10 | -6.2 |
| 10 | Pequot Lakes | 3-0 | 5.70 | -22.4 |
| 11 | Milaca | 2-1 | 4.30 | -3.5 |
| 12 | Litchfield | 2-1 | 4.00 | -8.1 |
| 13 | North Community (Minneapolis) | 2-1 | 3.40 | -6.3 |
| 14 | Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta (Morris) | 3-0 | 3.30 | -14.2 |
| 15 | Jordan | 2-1 | 3.10 | -5.3 |
| 16 | Rockford | 2-1 | 0.50 | -7.3 |
| 17 | Glencoe-Silver Lake (Glencoe) | 1-2 | 0.20 | 8.5 |
| 18 | Pierz | 2-1 | -1.40 | -9.6 |
| 19 | Lourdes (Rochester) | 2-1 | -2.10 | -9.1 |
| 20 | Watertown-Mayer (Watertown) | 2-1 | -2.90 | -19.7 |
| 21 | East Grand Forks | 2-1 | -3.30 | -13.8 |
| 22 | Perham | 1-2 | -6.80 | -2.4 |
| 23 | Sauk Centre | 1-2 | -6.80 | -4.8 |
| 24 | Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (Howard Lake) | 1-2 | -9.00 | -1.4 |
| 25 | Plainview-Elgin-Millville (Elgin) | 1-2 | -10.10 | -5.8 |
MN Class AAAA High School Football Rankings
| Rank | School | Overall Record | Rating | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hutchinson | 3-0 | 24.20 | 2.1 |
| 2 | Becker | 3-0 | 21.70 | -9.3 |
| 3 | Detroit Lakes | 3-0 | 13.50 | -3.4 |
| 4 | Orono (Long Lake) | 3-0 | 12.80 | -19.4 |
| 5 | Princeton | 3-0 | 9.50 | -18.5 |
| 6 | Rocori (Cold Spring) | 2-1 | 7.60 | 1.5 |
| 7 | Totino-Grace (Fridley) | 2-1 | 5.90 | 6.9 |
| 8 | Kasson-Mantorville (Kasson) | 2-1 | 5.70 | 2.0 |
| 9 | North Branch | 2-1 | 3.20 | -5.7 |
| 10 | Simley (Inver Grove Heights) | 2-1 | 2.80 | -6.2 |
| 11 | Byron | 3-0 | 2.50 | -31.5 |
| 12 | Mound-Westonka/Southwest Christian (Mound) | 3-0 | 1.80 | -21.4 |
| 13 | Little Falls | 2-1 | 1.00 | -0.5 |
| 14 | Hermantown | 2-1 | 0.80 | -17.3 |
| 15 | Chisago Lakes Area (Lindstrom) | 3-0 | 0.80 | -12.3 |
| 16 | St. Peter | 2-1 | 0.10 | -6.5 |
| 17 | Delano | 1-2 | 0.10 | 5.8 |
| 18 | Marshall | 1-2 | -1.90 | 5.0 |
| 19 | Denfeld (Duluth) | 3-0 | -2.00 | -24.2 |
| 20 | Grand Rapids | 2-1 | -4.60 | -23.0 |
| 21 | Hill-Murray (Maplewood) | 1-2 | -5.40 | -4.4 |
| 22 | Fridley | 1-2 | -6.20 | -1.2 |
| 23 | Willmar | 1-2 | -6.80 | -5.3 |
| 24 | Academy of Holy Angels (Richfield) | 1-2 | -9.00 | -5.5 |
| 25 | Zimmerman | 0-3 | -12.30 | 2.2 |
MN Class AAAAA High School Football Rankings
| Rank | School | Overall Record | Rating | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mankato West (Mankato) | 3-0 | 40.30 | 14.5 |
| 2 | Andover | 2-1 | 31.30 | 18.2 |
| 3 | Rogers | 3-0 | 30.20 | 0.7 |
| 4 | Brainerd | 3-0 | 28.90 | 6.9 |
| 5 | Chanhassen | 3-0 | 27.50 | 8.5 |
| 6 | St. Thomas Academy (Mendota Heights) | 2-1 | 17.40 | 11.7 |
| 7 | Robbinsdale Armstrong (Plymouth) | 3-0 | 17.10 | -14.0 |
| 8 | Elk River | 1-2 | 15.60 | 18.8 |
| 9 | Alexandria | 3-0 | 13.70 | -8.1 |
| 10 | Moorhead | 2-1 | 12.10 | 11.6 |
| 11 | Owatonna | 2-1 | 12.10 | 9.0 |
| 12 | Sauk Rapids-Rice (Sauk Rapids) | 3-0 | 11.10 | -2.9 |
| 13 | Waconia | 1-2 | 10.40 | 18.5 |
| 14 | Spring Lake Park | 2-1 | 7.80 | 1.0 |
| 15 | New Prague | 2-1 | 7.60 | 1.7 |
| 16 | Mahtomedi | 2-1 | 6.30 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Northfield | 2-1 | 1.80 | -0.7 |
| 18 | Monticello | 1-2 | 1.10 | 7.2 |
| 19 | Robbinsdale Cooper (New Hope) | 2-1 | 0.40 | -7.5 |
| 20 | St. Francis | 0-3 | 0.00 | 13.5 |
| 21 | Sartell-St. Stephen (Sartell) | 0-3 | -1.00 | 23.4 |
| 22 | Century (Rochester) | 1-2 | -1.90 | 9.7 |
| 23 | Mankato East (Mankato) | 2-1 | -2.40 | -9.7 |
| 24 | Chaska | 1-2 | -2.60 | 6.2 |
| 25 | Cambridge-Isanti (Cambridge) | 1-2 | -3.00 | 3.1 |
MN Class AAAAAA High School Football Rankings
| Rank | School | Overall Record | Rating | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eden Prairie | 3-0 | 25.30 | 5.0 |
| 2 | Lakeville South (Lakeville) | 3-0 | 23.10 | 5.3 |
| 3 | Lakeville North (Lakeville) | 2-1 | 19.50 | 14.0 |
| 4 | Shakopee | 3-0 | 18.50 | -7.2 |
| 5 | Minnetonka | 3-0 | 17.90 | -1.2 |
| 6 | Maple Grove | 2-1 | 11.60 | -4.3 |
| 7 | Stillwater | 2-1 | 10.90 | 7.5 |
| 8 | Eagan | 2-1 | 10.80 | 6.8 |
| 9 | Centennial (Circle Pines) | 2-1 | 9.40 | -1.9 |
| 10 | Prior Lake | 1-2 | 8.90 | 17.1 |
| 11 | Rosemount | 1-2 | 7.90 | 6.3 |
| 12 | Forest Lake | 2-1 | 7.40 | 3.3 |
| 13 | Mayo (Rochester) | 2-1 | 6.30 | -2.4 |
| 14 | Edina | 1-2 | 6.20 | 18.0 |
| 15 | Wayzata (Plymouth) | 0-3 | 2.60 | 19.8 |
| 16 | Woodbury | 2-1 | 2.60 | -9.7 |
| 17 | Mounds View (Arden Hills) | 2-1 | 0.60 | -3.8 |
| 18 | East Ridge (Woodbury) | 1-2 | 0.40 | 3.1 |
| 19 | Buffalo | 2-1 | 0.00 | -5.6 |
| 20 | Anoka | 3-0 | -5.30 | -9.8 |
| 21 | Farmington | 0-3 | -6.10 | 10.0 |
| 22 | Champlin Park (Champlin) | 2-1 | -6.80 | -3.0 |
| 23 | Coon Rapids | 1-2 | -7.20 | -6.1 |
| 24 | Park (Cottage Grove) | 1-2 | -8.80 | -3.7 |
| 25 | Blaine | 1-2 | -9.90 | -2.8 |
Minnesota High School Football: A Tradition of Excellence
Minnesota high school football is a very popular and competitive sport in our state. More than 300 schools take part, and there’s a lot of talent to see every week.
The history of Minnesota high school football goes back to the late 1800s. In 1887, the first recorded game was played between Minneapolis Central and St. Paul Central, and it ended in a tie with no points scored.
In the early days of Minnesota high school football, there wasn’t an organized league. Teams just arranged games with each other as they went along. But in 1915, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) was created to look after high school sports in the state.
The MSHSL started organizing a state championship in 1917. The very first state champion was Minneapolis Central. Since then, more than 100 different schools have become state champions.
Minnesota high school football has a long and proud history of competition and excellence.
Minnesota high school football has seen some very talented players and coaches over the years. Here are a few well-known Minnesota high school football alumni:
- Bobby Bell: He’s a Hall of Fame defensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Dave Casper: Another Hall of Famer, he was a tight end for the Oakland Raiders.
- Chris Doleman: Yet another Hall of Famer, he made his mark as a defensive end with the Minnesota Vikings.
- Jeff George: He used to be a quarterback in the NFL.
- Gary Russell: He had a career as an NFL running back.
- Ryan Tannehill: He’s currently a quarterback in the NFL, playing for the Tennessee Titans.
These individuals have left their mark on the world of football, and they all started their journeys in Minnesota’s high school football scene.
Some of the most well-known Minnesota high school football coaches include:
John Gagliardi: He was a legendary head coach at St. John’s University. Gagliardi holds the record for winning more games than any other college football coach in history.
Dennis Green: He served as the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings and later the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. Dennis Green made history as the first African-American head coach in the NFL.
Jerry Kill: Currently, he is the head coach at Virginia Tech. Prior to that, Jerry Kill coached at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, and the University of Minnesota.
Brad Childress: Formerly, he was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Under his leadership, the Vikings achieved two NFC North championships.
Mike Zimmer: He was the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and was known for his strong defensive strategies.
Minnesota High School Football Today
Today, high school football in Minnesota is very popular. Our state has some of the best high school football teams in the whole country. In recent years, these teams have won state championships in all six classes.
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) organizes a state tournament for each of these six classes. This tournament starts in early November and ends with the state championship games in early December. These championship games take place at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium.
Minnesota high school football has a proud history of doing really well. Our state has made some of the best players and coaches in football history. The 2023 high school football season in Minnesota is expected to be very exciting, with many skilled teams competing for state championships.
